100
Chicago Reader by Dave Kehr
It stands as very possibly the finest film ever made in Britain.
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- United Kingdom
- 1943
- · 163m
Director
Michael Powell
Cast
Roger Livesey,
Deborah Kerr,
Adolf Wohlbrück,
Roland Culver,
James McKechnie,
Arthur Wontner
Genre
War,
Comedy,
Drama,
Romance
Clive Candy is a general in World War II. He is considered unqualified and is not respected by his troop. He has, however, had much better days. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp traces Candy's career in the Boer Wars and World War I, showing how his life has been shaped by three different women and his friendship with a German soldier.
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What are critics saying?
100
The Observer (UK)
Arguably the finest British film made during the second world war.
100
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
This glorious film is about the greatest mystery of all: how old people were once young, and how young people are in the process of becoming old.
100
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a film of balance and insight--a civilized film, which even in a time of war celebrates civilized values.
100
Time Out by Joshua Rothkopf
Of all the things to be nostalgic about, warfare would seem the least likely candidate, but that's the unusual perspective of this one-of-a-kind 1943 landmark - maybe the most wonderfully British movie ever made.
100
The Telegraph by Staff (Not Credited)
Moving but funny, serious but light of touch, it's a classic. [18 May 2024, p.22]
100
Entertainment Weekly by Tim Purtell
Controversy aside, ”Blimp” splendidly marries a sprawling narrative to stunningly imaginative filmmaking.
100
Empire by Alan Morrison
A wonderful salute to British decency and a touching portrait of a friendship that bridges national boundaries.
100
Collider by Andre Dellamorte
Shot in three-strip Technicolor, it’s simply one of the most gorgeous films ever made, and in terms of composing a frame, Michael Powell was a master.
100
CineVue by Daniel Green
Cited as a key influence by such contemporary directorial talents as Martin Scorsese and Wes Anderson, this most epic of dramas has lost almost none of its bite, wit and aesthetic beauty over the past 69 years, and stands proudly as one of the greatest cinematic works from the legendary filmmaking duo.
100
The Observer (UK) by Philip French
Arguably the finest British film made during the second world war.
90
BBC
A visually rich and morally ambiguous parable of our recent history, it is a paean to decency in an indecent age and a timelessly potent satire of class and nationalism.
90
TV Guide Magazine
One of the most celebrated films from the extraordinary director-writer partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP is a warm and wise work that displays extraordinary generosity of spirit.
88
Slant Magazine
Few other British films from that period seem to mythologize the pre-war period of Churchill's youth and early career quite as potently as Colonel Blimp.
80
Village Voice by J. Hoberman
A 1943 Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger collaboration so unambiguously satirizing the military mind-set that Prime Minister Winston Churchill tried to have it banned.
75
The A.V. Club by Keith Phipps
Powell and Pressburger bring their combination of good humor, visual flair, and unflinching insight to the three telling episodes that make up the film's 160-minute run time.
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