50 Great War Films: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

 

Directed by Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger 1943

For the first five minutes or so, I wondered what sort of film this was - it appeared to border on slapstick (which I hate!). Lieut. 'Spud' Wilson leads a group of Home Guard soldiers (named 'Stuffy' etc; a serving girl is named 'Pebble') on a training exercise, set up by his commander Major-General Clive Wynne-Candy (Roger Livesey), to capture London. The 'joke' is that, although it was timed for midnight, 'Spud' strikes pre-emptively at 6.00 p.m. They catch Candy unawares in a Turkish Bath with other elderly officers. It ends in a scuffle, when 'Spud' and Candy fall into a bathing pool. So far, so bad! However, in what is the first of several 'flashbacks', the real point of the film begins. From then on, it gains depth and sincerity, without losing its sense of humour.

We are transported back to 1902. Emerging from the same Bath, the then Lieut. 'Sugar' Candy V.C. is on leave from the Boer War. He receives a letter from Edith Hunter (Deborah Kerr), who is working in Berlin. A German named Kaunitz is spreading anti-British propaganda; she fails to get the British Embassy to intervene; then Candy's fails with his superiors in London, but he sets off for Berlin anyway. Candy and Edith visit a café, where, confronting Kaunitz, the scene ends not only in a personal brawl but an insult to the Imperial German Army officer corps. A duel is forced on Candy; his opponent, drawn by lot, is Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff  (Anton Walbrook). They fight with sabres; both are wounded, but become friends in the same hospital. Edith has visited regularly and gets engaged to Theo. It is clear, however, that Candy and Edith love each other.

22 year-old Deborah Kerr - another flame-haired beauty!

The flashback now moves to November 1918 and the dying days of the Great War. Candy thinks the Allies gain their victory because 'right is might'. As an aside, actual fighting scenes, apart from the duel, do not exist (we never see Candy actually in any war-conflict himself) and the backcloth for the 'Front' is unconvincing. Driven to a convent for refreshment, he is confronted by rows of nurses, including one who is the spitting-image of Edith - Barbara Wynne (Deborah Kerr again!). He finds her later, by tracking down the Yorkshire nurses in their home county (a brilliant cameo piece by Felix Aylmer at Barbara's parents' lunch table) and marries her, despite their 20-year age difference. In July 1919, Candy finds Theo in a PoW camp, but the latter refuses to acknowledge him. A little later, just before Theo embarks for Germany, Theo rings Candy to apologise and they meet up. Another strong scene is his behaviour around the dinner table, surrounded by officers and other high-ranking Englishmen. Barbara dies in Jamaica, on one of the Candys' many holidays, in 1926. Candy retires in 1935.

We fast-forward to November 1939. Theo has come to England (Edith has also died; his two sons are confirmed Nazis) to seek permanent residence. Candy vouches for him and also reveals he, too, loved Edith - he shows Theo a beautiful full-length oil painting of Barbara/Edith in his trophy room. Theo understands. Candy, restored to the active list, is to give a talk at the BBC regarding the Dunkirk retreat. It is cancelled, as his script says he would rather lose the war than fight like the Nazis. Candy is again retired. Theo urges Candy to build up the Home Guard - he is supported by Angela 'Johnny' Cannon (Deborah Kerr yet again!), who is Candy's driver and who is another spitting-image of Edith. 

Theo, Candy and Angela

Candy's house has been bombed in the Blitz so he moves to his Club. He is relaxing in a Turkish Bath when...the viewer is transported 'back' to the first scene in the movie. Aha! now we understand why Angela, 'Mata Hari', races off and hides under a desk etc. The final scene is again outside Candy's bombed house and the neighbouring park. As the Home Guard troops march by, he takes the Salute. Far from hating it, I had thoroughly enjoyed the film.

There are some delicious touches of humour: the orchestra in the German café, with its splendidly histrionic conductor, playing first for Candy then for Kaunitz; the Prussian-stylised setting for the duel and the weighing of the sabres; the very playful and apt music for such scenes - taking the micky out of the 'Prussian' marching sequences; the justly-praised camerawork as it moves across Candy's wall plastered with the heads of shot wild animals and their dates (very politically-incorrect these days) which ends 'Hun - Flanders'; the capture of eleven umbrellas from the Germans...

A serious message underlines everything, epitomised in two speeches, one by Barbara: I was thinking how odd they [Germans] are. Queer. For years and years, they're writing and dreaming beautiful music and beautiful poetry. All of a sudden they start a war. They sink undefended ships, shoot innocent hostages and bomb and destroy whole streets in London, killing little children. And then they sit down in the same butcher's uniform, and listen to Mendelssohn and Schubert. There's something horrid about that.  The other by Theo, when he is requesting asylum in England from Nazi Germany, which talks about his love for England and his hatred of the Nazis. (Terrific acting by Walbrook)

The Tapestry-look to the title of the Film

One could argue that the movie poked fun at the British heritage - the camera pulling up and back from the duel to the almost fairy-tale, snow scene outside; the chivalric and monocled world of yesteryear; the old-fashioned approach of Candy to honour and decency; the very title page of the film (see above). Moreover,  the portrayal of a sympathetic German might not have been to everyone's taste in 1943, but the film was very clear on the evils of Nazism. Churchill disliked the project - some, including him, thought it might be a self-portrait - so a genius of publicity was to advertise: See the Banned Film!

Originally Candy was to be played by Laurence Olivier (who could not be released from the Fleet Air Arm); and Wendy Hiller for the triple female role. She was, however, pregnant! Roger Livesey was an ideal choice, with the make-up department doing a brilliant job. Deborah Kerr (who had an affair with Michael Powell the director during the filming) also put in a great performance. A young, black-haired John Laurie gave a winning portrayal of Murdoch, Candy's WWI driver and later butler.

37 year-old Livesey and 47 year-old Walbrook

The film was the third most popular movie at the British Box Office in 1943 (after In Which We Serve and Casablanca). It was not released in the USA until 1945, due to the British government's disapproval.

The DVD edition