Review of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) by Brian R — 03 Aug 2009
"The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" is full of that special Powell and Pressburger magic. Roger Livesey gives a bravura performance as General Clive Wynne-Candy, a veteran of the Boer and Great Wars, who comes to the painful realization that his passionate beliefs about honour in battle and playing fair have become outdated in the conflict against the Nazis.
Livesey's performance is matched by that of Anton Walbrook as Theodor Kretschmar-Schuldorff: the man Candy first meets when he has to fight a duel with him after inadvertently offending the entire German army in 1902.
Candy's friendship with Theo means so much to him that he allows Theo to marry the woman that he secretly loves. Deborah Kerr is magnificent as Edith Hunter - Candy's "ideal woman" - and the two women who subsequently come into his life and who bear more than a passing resemblance to her! This is more than just a war film - it's a great film about growing old with dignity and without losing one's principles, about friendship between supposed "enemies", and about the enduring power of love - a theme P+P would revisit in "A Matter of Life and Death".
It is also an absolutely beautiful film to watch, due to the stunning cinematography by Jack Cardiff.
This review of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) was written by Brian R on 03 Aug 2009.
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp has generally received very positive reviews.
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