The Life & Death of Colonel Blimp (Powell & Pressburger, 1943)

"I say! What a thoroughly decent film! Tally ho!" 
What's it about? We follow the life and times of soldier and all-round decent chap Clive Wynne Candy (Roger Livesy) throughout 3 wars.

Is it any good? A playful and colourful portrait of an officer and a gentleman who finds himself increasingly out of touch with the changing nature of warfare. Livesy is superb in (literally) the performance of a lifetime, although it’s a quiet and very affecting monologue from Anton Walbrook that sticks most in the mind. The upper-class, awfully-awfully nature may get a bit tiresome at times and the triple casting of Deborah Kerr in three different roles seems a bit gimmicky, but this is still ambitious, confident and inventive story-telling and well worth seeing.

I don't trust you. What do others think? Always pops up when the greatest British films are being discussed. None other than Stephen Fry cites it as his favourite film for capturing the very essence of Englishness. Read his thoughts here.

Anything else I should know? The filmmakers were heavily criticised for Walbrook's character, who is a sympathetic German, especially given that they were also satirising the British Army as WWII raged across the globe. Churchill even tried to ban it for being pro-German.

What does the Fonz think? Spiffing!






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