The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

"An unforgettable story of forty gallant years."

1943 2h 43m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 281

WarDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

General Candy, who's overseeing an English squad in 1943, is a veteran leader who doesn't have the respect of the men he's training and is considered out-of-touch with what's needed to win the war. But it wasn't always this way. Flashing back to his early career in the Boer War and World War I, we see a dashing young officer whose life has been shaped by three different women, and by a lasting friendship with a German soldier.

“An unforgettable story of forty gallant years.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Roger Livesey
Major General Clive Wynne-Candy
Deborah Kerr
Edith Hunter / Barbara Wynne / Angela "Johnny" Cannon
Anton Walbrook
Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff
Roland Culver
Col. Betteridge
James McKechnie
Spud Wilson
Arthur Wontner
Embassy Counsellor
David Hutcheson
Hoppy
Ursula Jeans
Frau von Kalteneck

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Powell
Writers: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Languages: English, French, German
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 163 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 14% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

83 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Powell, shot by Georges Périnal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Allan Gray. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Seabourne Sr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Powell directs. Georges Périnal behind the camera. Allan Gray scores. John Seabourne Sr. cuts. A long sit — settle in. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, French, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 163 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 14% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
483 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, German.
6Directed by Michael Powell, shot by Georges Périnal. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Allan Gray. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor John Seabourne Sr. shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Roger Livesey and Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "An unforgettable story of forty gallant years.".
11IMDB entry: tt0036112 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 12 themes, including "berlin, germany", "army", "world war i", "world war ii".

The technical file

Cinematography: Georges Périnal
Original score: Allan Gray
Editing: John Seabourne Sr.
Production design: Alfred Junge
Costume design: Joseph Bato
Makeup / hair: George Blackler
Runtime: 163 min · 2h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,000,000
Box office: $275,472
Return: 14% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Michael Powell

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-11-01
★ 7/10
Roger Livesey is superb in this wonderfully colourful depiction of the life of "Clive Candy". We start with his rather undignified seizure at the steam baths by the home guard he is supposed to command and by way of a continuous retrospective, discover just how this man arrived at this embarrassing predicament. First there was the South African campaign, then the Great War saw him gain some prominence and also, after quite a few scrapes, sees him befriend his opposite number, as it were, in the form of the dashing German "Theo" (a beautifully understated contribution from Anton Walbrook). Becoming firm friends, they share the same social circles and it's here that "Candy" meets his future wife - Deborah Kerr. Trials and tribulations and then WWII all affect this man as he is promoted through the ranks and faces tragedy very close to home before the realisation that, at an elderly age, perhaps he is no longer of any value! What Powell and Pressburger have encapsulated into just over 2½ hours here, is a delightfully evocative story that deals with friendship and honour, with love, despair and the human desire to feel needed and wanted - but never without losing sight of the humanity of the situations and, quite often, with some degree of dark and stoic humour. There is a lovely chemistry between Livesey and Walbrook, and Deborah Kerr positively glows as she remains the woman in his life - in various guises - throughout. The contrast between the evolving behaviours is subtly but potently drawn here: we see a society that no longer considered any "niceties" of war - symptomatic of a sea of changing attitudes with which both men struggle to adapt. Sure, there's nostalgia - but it's of a palpable and immersive nature. IT's not at all sentimental. We take sides initially - jingoism isn't far away, but certainly as it progresses and the decency of these individuals is laid bare, I found myself rather admiring the integrity on display here from two different but remarkably similar perspectives. As to that display, the aesthetic of this film is glorious. The wartime sets, the bucolic and peaceful scenes, the romance, the disaster - all delivered here with great skill by Georges Périnal's artistic touch and Allan Gray's charmingly complementary score. I can't really pick a favourite P&P film, but the three leads and the accomplished supporting cast assembled here make this one of their very best, complex and thought-provoking efforts that looks fantastic on a big screen.

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