THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (1943)

Cast

Plot

Based on David Low's cartoon character, Major General Clive Wynne-Candy, VC, we back-track over his life, drawing us into sympathy with the prime virtues of honour and chivalry which have transformed him from dashing young spark of the 1890s into crusty old buffer of World War II. Roger Livesey gives us not just a great performance, but a man's whole life, losing his only love (Deborah Kerr) to the German officer (Walbrook) with whom he fought a duel in pre-WWI Berlin, then becoming the latter's lifelong friend and protector. A lost classic from the history of British cinema that has recently had a successful revival. Spanning three wars this is at once an epic and an intimate portrait. A piece of history! The DVD contains a short but fascinating documentary.