The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp DVD 1943 Special Edition / Directed by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger / Starring: Anton Walbrook, Deborah Kerr, Roger Livesey

UPC 5037115031433

MADE IN EU

REGION 2 PAL DVD

Audio: English MONO

Subtitles: English HOH

Total Runtime: 163 minutes

English Summary:

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 romantic drama war film written, produced and directed by the British film making team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. It stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr and Anton Walbrook. The title derives from the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip by David Low, but the story itself is original. The film is renowned for its Technicolor cinematography.

Major-General Clive Wynne-Candy (Roger Livesey) is a senior commander in the Home Guard during the Second World War. Before a training exercise, he is "captured" in a Turkish bath by soldiers led by Lieutenant "Spud" Wilson, who has struck pre-emptively. He ignores Candy's outraged protests that "War starts at midnight!" They scuffle and fall into a bathing pool.

An extended flashback ensues.

Berlin
In 1902, Lieutenant Candy has returned from the Boer War. A senior officer chastises Candy and another junior officer criticises the two for wasting time socialising (going to see "The Last of the Dandies") then spots that Candy is wearing a Victoria Cross and the senior officer suddenly realises he is speaking to the famous "Candy".

He receives a letter from Edith Hunter (Deborah Kerr), who is working in Berlin. She complains that a German named Kaunitz is spreading anti-British propaganda, and she wants the British embassy to intervene. Candy brings this to his superiors' attention, and they discuss the new author Arthur Conan Doyle who is working on gathering intelligence in South Africa. However, the embassy refuse him permission to go to Berlin, but he goes anyway.

First World War
In November 1918 Candy, now a brigadier general, believes that the Allies won the First World War because "right is might". While in France, he meets nurse Barbara Wynne (Kerr again). She bears a striking resemblance to Edith. Back in England, he courts and marries her despite their twenty-year age difference. They move to a large Georgian townhouse in London, where Murdoch is now the butler.

Second World War
In November 1939, Theo relates to a British Immigration official how he was estranged from his children when they became Nazis. Before the war, he refused to move to England when Edith wanted to; by the time he was ready, she had died. Candy vouches for Theo.

Candy reveals to Theo that he loved Edith and only realised it after it was too late. He admits that he never got over it. Theo meets Candy's MTC driver, Angela "Johnny" Cannon (Kerr again), personally chosen by the Englishman; Theo is struck by her resemblance to Barbara and Edith.

Candy, restored to the active list, is to give a BBC radio talk regarding the retreat from Dunkirk. Candy plans to say he would rather lose the war than win it using the methods employed by the Nazis: his talk is cancelled. Theo urges his friend to accept the need to fight and win by whatever means are necessary, because the consequences of losing are so dire. Theo says that it is not that Britain won the war, it is that Germany lost it.

Cast