The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Release Year: 1943

Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger

Review:  From the filmmaking duo of Powell and Pressburger comes this fascinating war dramedy.  The film opens in the middle of the World War II with a young soldier in the British 'Home Guard', which is similar to the army reserve, capturing General Clive Wynn-Candy during a war exercise.  The brazen lieutenant caught wind of the exercise and preemptively captured the aging general while he was relaxing in a Turkish bath.  After a scuffle with Candy, we as an audience are transported back in time to the Boer War, when General Candy himself was a young man eager to impress.  Throughout the rest of the film we follow Candy.  We see him dual a German then become his best friend, see him fight in wars, see him fall in love, see him lose him love.  We see all the events of his life that led him up to the point when he was captured, and learn why he is the way he is.

I love this film.  Usually I'm a fan of movies with really powerful, memorable scenes.  I can't say any stick out in this film, but its solid throughout and ends so satisfyingly that it works on all the same levels.  It's hard to find a fault anywhere.  I loved the way that it completely flips your perception on its head.  We start out thinking that the young soldier is going to be the hero in this film and that General Candy is just some bumbling old general.  We're then completely turned around, and see what an incredible person he is.  In retrospect you end up feeling bad that you ever sided with the young soldier, and get angry that this arrogant nothing would even dare touch the respectable General.  This is in complete contrast to how you originally feel, and Powell and Pressburger deliver this sentiment so subtly its brilliant.

While we go on an adventure through Candy's life, it certainly isn't boring.  The sub-plot of the complicated friendship between Candy and his odd German companion Theo, is genuine and inspiring.  The two men have an inherent respect for one another despite the near impossible circumstances in which their friendship is rooted. Through two wars with  the Germans, and both being in the opposing armies, the two remain loyal to one another.  It's important to remember that this film was made while World War II was still being fought.  Despite the high war time tension they humanize Theo, and show that not all German's are Hitler crazed monsters.  It's not that they make Theo flat, and completely without pride for his country, but rather conflicted and passionate about the wellbeing of his home and countrymen.  It's this honesty that makes the friendship work, and why watching these two together is so engaging.  Two people, who by all rights should be at one anthers throats, stick by one another and perceiver despite what their countries may be doing to one another.  While its compelling on paper, it's the actors, Roger Livesey and Anton Walbrook, who put on an acting clinic and give depth to their characters.  It's enthralling to watch them subtly, never showy, transform and progress from brash young men to weary old friends.

One important thing to know is that there is no 'Colonel Blimp' any where in this movie.  The name derives from a British comic strip which features an old-guard British General who is out of touch with modern society.  This is the same kind of character that General Candy is.  They both literally give orders from a Turkish bath, highlighting the seemingly staggering elitist ineptitude of the General.  One of the most important themes is the idea of misunderstanding and the hardship of getting old and having society change around you, but you remain the same.  While you at first view Candy as pompous and silly, you gradually see where his values come from and the reasons he acts and looks the way he does.  Candy makes a promise to his wife that he will never change, and he never does.  He might not gel with the modern philosophies, but it does not mean he is out of touch.  So the next time you see an elderly person having a hard time using the ATM, think twice about rolling your eyes and maybe appreciate what they have lived through.
Rating: 4.5/5