#173: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

(Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1943)

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a funny kind of movie. Filmed in the middle of World War II, the movie is essentially about the changing times and the need to "fight fire with fire," as the saying goes. The Colonel Blimp of the title is not a character in the movie, but rather a British political cartoon character that was a parody of the old guard of the British military. This was something I found out after watching the movie that I wish I had known before spending nearly three hours wondering why the main character's name was Candy, and why he quickly rose to the position of general.

The basic thesis of the film is that World War II is the modern war, and when fighting someone as evil as Hitler there is no room to be a gentleman. They go about making this argument in a the conventional biographical style that was typical of a certain kind of movie of the era - perhaps the movie I was reminded most of was Zanuck's overblown, anti-isolationist biopic Wilson - complete with bookends that take place in the modern day. One of the more unique elements is that Deborah Kerr plays three different roles, the three most important women in Candy's life.

Still, it is the argument that makes me uneasy about the movie. This argument is far more complicated
today than it was then, not only because Hitler and the Nazis are still the enemy by which all others are measured, but because things we took for granted in that time are no longer assumed. We might have thrown down the gentleman's code to defeat the Germans, but we persecuted the Japanese for waterboarding our soldiers. Powell and Pressburger clearly advocate doing what it takes to win here, but do they know what line still should not be crossed, and do they even believe that line exists?

Even without this question, the movie didn't really work for me. It was well-made and enjoyable, and it kept my interest. But the conventional story and structure left me wondering if there was enough to differentiate it from similar films. An impeccably made film like this needs a bit more, whether it is technical or emotional, to make it stand out. Instead, the movie feels more like the kind of movie you get once or twice a year: an excellent but forgettable prestige picture.