| The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp | |
|---|---|
 Cinema poster | |
| Directed by | Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger |
| Written by | Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger |
| Produced by | Michael Powell Emeric Pressburger |
| Starring | Roger Livesey Anton Walbrook Deborah Kerr |
| Cinematography | Georges Perinal |
| Edited by | John Seabourne Sr. |
| Music by | Allan Gray |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 163 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £200,000 or US$2 million[1] or £188,812[2] |
| Box office | $275,472 (US)[3] |
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is a 1943 British romantic-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 is original. Although the film is strongly pro-British, it is a satire on the British Army, especially its leadership. It suggests that Britain faced the option of following traditional notions of honourable warfare or to "fight dirty" in the face of such an evil enemy as Nazi Germany.[4][5]
One film critic has described it as "England's greatest film ever"[6] and it is renowned for its sophistication and directorial brilliance as well as for its script, the performances of its large cast and for its pioneering Technicolor cinematography. Among its distinguished company of actors, particular praise has been reserved for Livesey, Walbrook and Kerr.
- ^ "Indies $70,000,000 Pix Output". Variety: 3. 3 November 1944. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ Macdonald, Kevin (1994). Emeric Pressburger: The Life and Death of a Screenwriter. Faber and Faber. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-571-16853-8.
- ^ Street, Sarah (2002), Transatlantic Crossings: British Feature Films in the USA, Continuum, p. 97.
- ^ Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger (18 September 2018). "Life and Death of Colonel Blimp_The" – via Internet Archive.
- ^ As is shown in the film in Theo's speech to Clive after Clive's broadcast is cancelled
- ^ Fleming, Colin (27 March 2013). "The Greatest British Film Ever is 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'". The Atlantic.