Brucey D Much has been written about this film by others and, in truth, I have little to add to it. All I can do is to succinctly point out that this film is remarkable for many reasons including the following;.*It was made in Britain at what was arguably one of the worst times in WWII.*Had Churchill had his way, this film would never have seen the light of day.*Whilst being implacably opposed to war and Nazism in particular, it strikes a balance that is not unsympathetic to anyone holding civilised values, underlining that the war being fought was as much as anything else in support of those values.* Many other film-makers would almost certainly have produced a one-dimensional propaganda film at this time; however P&P (remarkably) turned a cartoon drawing caricature into a complex, sympathetic character, in a many-layered, well-nuanced plot whose horizons extend further than the then-present conflict.* In turns this film examines how life can shape a character, love, loss, the nature of one's identity and values, what it is to be British, and what 'total war' means, amongst other things, all impeccably rendered onto film.* Although neither man rated it his best work, this film is arguably P&P's masterpiece; it is truly impressive on every level.This film was restored once in 1983. However it has been restored again in 2012 (at the behest of Martin Scorsese amongst others) and the results are simply stunning.If you have not seen this film before, see it. If you have not seen the 2012 restoration, see it. I am no great wordsmith by any means but if you are not yet convinced to see this film I suggest you read some of the other reviews here or perhaps Roger Ebert's. Without hesitation, it scores 10/10 with me. It gets 96% on Rotten Tomatoes; why the average score here on IMDb is no higher is a complete mystery to me.

tomgillespie2002 Colonel Blimp started life as a satirical cartoon for the London Evening Standard by Sir David Low. An ageing, plump, pompous and eternally red-faced blowhard, Blimp was Low's idea of the militaristic upper-classes; the kind of chest-puffing Jingo who would voice his frequently contradictory declarations from a Turkish bath wearing nothing but a towel. At first, it would seem that Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is directly adapting the political cartoons, as the old man Colonel is rudely disturbed from his sleep in a Turkish bath by a group of youngsters who have arrived early for a planned war game, to declare that such chivalry in war will not be practised by the enemy. We then go back 40 years, and any hint of satire makes way for a story of romance, friendship, and growing old.During the Boer War in 1902, the young Clive Candy (Roger Livesey) receives a letter from Edith Hunter (Deborah Kerr) in Berlin, who warns him that a known rogue named Kaunitz is spreading anti-British propaganda. Going against orders, Candy travels to Germany and ends up causing a scene by provoking Kaunitz. To settle matters, a duel is arranged with a randomly-chosen German officer, who turns out to be Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff (Anton Walbrook). While recovering from their wounds in a military hospital, the two men hit it off and begin a friendship that will last for more than 40 years. Moving through the First and Second World Wars, we follow Candy as he rises through the military ranks, fails and succeeds in love, before finding himself an old man, greatly outdated and socially displaced.It's astonishing that this film got made at all. On top of being rather experimental in terms of tone and narrative structure (it feels very much like the English equivalent of Citizen Kane), Colonel Blimp was shot in glorious - and expensive - Technicolor during wartime, running at almost three hours when most films wouldn't dare to push 100 minutes. Winston Churchill tried to ban it, believing it to be an anti-war propaganda piece poking fun at the idea of 'British-ness', when it is anything but. Instead, the film deliberately gives out mixed signals, lovingly embracing the idea of gentlemanly conduct during a bloody war, while pondering the necessity of brutality, especially when faced with an enemy who play like the Nazis did (and were doing at the time, of course). While British propaganda was making sure to send a clear and strong message about the enemy, Colonel Blimp makes one of its main characters a sympathetic German, and is clear to highlight that these nations will be friends again in the future.Livesey is staggering as Candy (who later becomes Wynne-Candy). The make-up work is absolutely flawless, easily trumping the big Hollywood productions we get these days. The man genuinely ages before our eyes, and Livesey manages to entirely convince as a man gaining experience and weariness through the years. He may be a man whose values are slowly becoming obsolete, but he remains a good man, and a thoroughly lovable one. Walbrook delivers an understated performance, and brings a tear to the eye during a monologue in which tries to convince British officials why they shouldn't deport him back to Nazi Germany, and Kerr juggles three roles - as Candy's lost love Edith; his wife Barbara; and his driver 'Johnny' in his later years - with absolute ease. It has remarkable scope yet is incredibly intimate, and it's a film that should have been branded across every cinema screen in the country by the War Office. Quite possibly the finest film ever to emerge from our rainy shores.

GusF Partially inspired by the satirical comic strip "Colonel Blimp" by David Low, this is an absolutely wonderful romantic drama with some very interesting things to say about the manner in which wars are fought. Both the script and the direction by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger are first rate and the vibrant cinematography of Georges Perinal is beautiful. The film is excellent throughout but it reaches another level in the section dealing with World War II.The film stars Roger Livesey as Clive Candy (later Wynne-Candy), an intelligent and honourable but blustering and resolutely old fashioned British Army officer. Livesey is marvelous and never less than entirely convincing whether he is playing Candy in his thirties or his seventies. We are introduced to Candy as an elderly retired general and a senior figure in the Home Guard. While in a Turkish bath, he is taken both unawares and captive by the considerably younger Lt. "Spud" Wilson, who has begun the war game at six rather than at the prearranged midnight. Wilson argues, rather sensibly, that the Nazis do not abide by the old rules of war and neither should Britain if it hopes to win. However, he treats Candy in an extremely dismissive, ageist and condescending manner, meaning that I found it impossible to like him even though he was in the right. After being on the receiving end of Wilson's insults, Candy decides to show the younger whippersnapper what for and the two men begin to fight in the Turkish bath. In a beautifully shot transition, Candy enters it as an elderly general in 1942 and leaves it as a young lieutenant in 1902, beginning the film's main flashback storyline.In 1902, Candy is on recuperative leave from the Boer War and travels to Berlin in order to combat the German press' propaganda about Britain's conduct in the war. After (supposedly) insulting the honour of the Imperial German Army, Candy is challenged to a duel in which he must face Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff, who is ironically against dueling but was chosen by lot. The two men proceed to injure each other rather badly and spend several months convalescing in the same nursing home. Although Theo can initially speak only two English phrases ("Very much" and "Not very much"), the two men become best friends. Anton Walbrook is excellent in the role of the thoughtful, introspective Theo. Unlike his British friend, he realises that the nature of war is changing and they cannot continue to fight them as it were still the 19th Century. In the dying days of World War I, Candy believes that the Germans' use of "dirty tricks" indicates that they know that they are going to lose the war and that no combatant confident in his military prowess or the justness of his cause would stoop to such measures. Shortly afterwards, the South African van Zijl uses what are implied to be the same dirty tricks to get information from German captives, an approach that he learned from the British in the Boer War. Unfortunately, Blimp does not realise, at least until it is too late for him to change, that fair play is a much more effective strategy in a cricket match than in warfare. My favourite scene in the entire film is Theo's moving, fantastically written and delivered speech about why he has decided to settle in Britain. It was a brave decision to cast a German officer in such a sympathetic light in 1943, something which would likely not have been tolerated if Theo were not established as being resolutely anti- Nazi.In her first major role, the 21-year-old Deborah Kerr, one of my favourite actress of her generation, is fantastic in the triple role of Edith Hunter, Barbara Wynne and Angela "Johnny" Cannon. Edith is a formidable young woman who is not afraid to speak her mind at a time when most men thought women were only suited to being obedient wives, dutiful mothers and governesses. She resents that her gender severely limits the opportunities that she has in life and she is hinted to be a suffragette. While she may have had some feelings for Candy, she and Theo eventually fall in love and get married. Although Candy is initially delighted for them, he once realises that he is madly in love with Edith himself. As he says later in the film, she represents his ideal woman, the one for whom he spent his entire life searching, and he is heartbroken. In 1918, he sees a young nurse in France named Barbara Wynne who bears a striking resemblance to Edith and is immediately smitten. He eventually tracks her down and they marry. I would like to think that it was because he genuinely loved Barbara rather than because she was Edith Mark 2 but I can't be sure. During World War II, he hires Angela Cannon, Edith Mark 3, as his driver. By 1940s standards, Angela is a very modern woman who is doing her bit for the war effort. Candy may have feelings for her too and, while she is incredibly fond of him, it is because he is such a darling old man. Interestingly, Kerr's three characters each have a very different relationship with Candy: Edith is his good platonic friend (in spite of his desire for something more), Barbara is his wife and Angela views him as a father or possibly even a grandfather figure.Outside of the three main stars, the strongest cast member is John Laurie as Candy's loyal batman turned butler Murdoch. The film also features nice appearances from Felix Aylmer, Ronald Culver, Reginald Tate, Livesey's wife Ursula Jeans and, of course, Powell's Golden Cocker Spaniels Erik and Spangle. A very young Patrick Macnee was reportedly an extra but, as with "Hamlet" (1948), I didn't spot him.Overall, this is a splendid film on romance, war and growing old.

Semp An extraordinary film, full of wonders and invention. Roger Livesey's performance as Candy features one of the most amazing transformations of the history of cinema, from young Candy to old Candy. It is as if two different actors were playing the role.Emeric Pressburger's script is one of the most ambitious and literary ever used in a film. It is heartbreaking and at the same time very clever and self-reflecting. It talks about a passed age, and it shares some common themes with Proust's Remembrances of Things past. It could be a novel standing on its own.Colonel Blimp is a masterpiece for the ages, which will never grow old.The summit of the Archers' career.