Year: 1942
Director(s): Powell & Pressburger
Country: UK
Language: English
Michael Powell was born in Canterbury, England in 1905. He began his film career in Southern France as an actor under the direction of the legendary silent film Director Rex Ingram. Eventually having an encyclopedic knowledge of the craft he returned to England to work for British International Pictures during the advent of sound. Born in Hungary in 1902, Emeric Pressburger had been a professional violinist, journalist and writer which captured the attention of famed German producer/director Erich Pommer, leading to a film contract in Berlin. He left Germany when the Nazis came into power. The two would meet and become an unstoppable creative force which made hit after hit. Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is perhaps their most critically acclaimed picture.
From the Boer War through World War II, Clive Wynne-Candy rises through the ranks in the British military. We first meet him as an old man, the epitome of stuffy, outmoded values. However as we travel backwards in time we see a different man entirely.
Life and Death of Colonel Blimp was produced in 1942 at the height of the Nazi threat to Great Britain. Production was far from easy, even though they were able to utilize the immense resources of Denham studios. Great Britain was under aerial attack by Nazi Germany, the “Blitz” was laying waste to London, shortages of men and material had to be overcome daily, and the situation was not helped by the Government’s attitude toward the film. Winston Churchill rejected the picture, his administration sought to kill it as they felt would make people unhappy with the British military. Though the film was completed, it would be years before the film was released internationally (when it was it would be cut). During production Powell was told that if he made the picture he could forget about being knighted. Powell pressed forward anyways as he was a brave man, certainly not one to back down due to authoritative pressure.
The magic of Colonel Blimp is the Directors' ability to transform a stuffy, pigheaded old man into one of cinemas most beloved characters. We look past the walrus moustache, to see an idealist and romantic. This is a civilized film about war and soldiers, one that defends the old against the young. It is about the loss of fair play and a sense of decency among military classes. It is about growing old, falling in love and so much more. Powell & Pressburger not only clearly show us that attitudes and morals have changed, but they tell us why.
Photographed by Georges Perinal, Colonel Blimp is one of the most gorgeous looking technicolor pictures ever made. Its rich period detail in sets, costumes and manners, makes the audience feel like they are part of that time period even if we are actually 100 years removed. The cinematography is as outstanding, similar to how the acting is. Soldiers will never again play so fair as the past, unfortunately war has become a lawless game. Praise it! 5/5
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