GOTTA SEE IT # 18 - "THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP"
“THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP”
Starring: Anton Walbrook, Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, John Laurie, Muriel Aked.
Written by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Colour – 1943
163 mins
UK
The sad news of Deborah Kerr’s passing this past Tuesday made me think back to her wonderful performances in this beautiful and moving 1943 Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger film. I say performances, because she played not one, not two, but three roles. In lush and stunning Technicolor, Kerr’s delicate beauty and genuine warmth are on triple display as she repeatedly pops up as women in the titular character’s life over the course of some forty years - once as a governess, secondly as a nurse and, then, finally, as a member of the military assigned as his driver. Clearly, the filmmakers knew she was simply too good to cast in just one role and I couldn’t agree more.
Based on a comic strip, the film spans some forty years in the life of this career military man – from the Boer war to WW2. When we first meet Blimp (Roger Livesey), he’s brash and full of piss and vinegar and ready to take on any mission thrown his way. His superiors are not at all impressed, when, early in the film, he heads to Berlin and stirs things up in his attempts to protect the reputation of his beloved British homeland. Livesey is just remarkable – all charm and wit and able to play a character full through from anxious youth to out of touch old man without missing a beat. Anton Walbrook (a personal favourite of mine) gives a steady and touching performance as German soldier Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff whom Blimp befriends after, well, I won’t spoil it for you. Let’s just say that it’s probably not the best way to kick off a friendship.
This is truly a beautiful film in every imaginable way. Visually wondrous and unconventional, it is filled with moments of cinematic play that, to this day, are a breath of fresh air. The cast - Livesey, Walbrook and the enchanting Kerr - are perfectly chosen and, together, are a delight to watch. Walbrook’s subtle work - which reaches its’ peak in a late scene in which he calmly explains his reasons for leaving Germany and his desire to become a UK citizen – is a study in less is more acting that just stops you cold. His performance is so good and so filled with dignity and graciousness that it’s no wonder his portrayal caused controversy back in the UK when the film was first released. Remember, it was 1943 and WW2 was raging and victory was in doubt. A sympathetic portrait of the enemy, especially infused with the humanity that Walbrook brings, was, simply - to use a German expression – verboten.
The point of the film, made through the evolution, or, more appropriately, lack of evolution of the Blimp character, is one that, no doubt, needed to be made at a time when the fate of the world, in general, and of the British people, in specific, was in doubt. Though I don’t possess enough knowledge of the details of WW2 to offer an opinion as to whether I agree with the film’s central point or not, I couldn’t help but apply its’ reasoning to the current struggle in Iraq and the overall fight against Al-Qaeda. What I’m trying to say is that, though I love every single second of this movie, its’ concluding argument is one that, in the context of the current war, I cannot embrace. Love the film – understand the message in the context of the times - hate the message as it applies to the context of my time. Though, it might be best not to strip the point of its’ context and just let it stand.
So, pushing all that aside, I want to say that, though, Deborah Kerr is gone and though I knew nothing of her off-screen life and knew only a little more about her on-screen one, she has left a lasting impression of grace and warmth and beauty that has, with little effort, proven its’ ability to easily outlive the 163 minutes of running time in which it was initially expressed. Rest in peace Deborah Kerr. Rest in Peace.
Starring: Anton Walbrook, Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, John Laurie, Muriel Aked.
Written by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Directed by: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Colour – 1943
163 mins
UK
The sad news of Deborah Kerr’s passing this past Tuesday made me think back to her wonderful performances in this beautiful and moving 1943 Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger film. I say performances, because she played not one, not two, but three roles. In lush and stunning Technicolor, Kerr’s delicate beauty and genuine warmth are on triple display as she repeatedly pops up as women in the titular character’s life over the course of some forty years - once as a governess, secondly as a nurse and, then, finally, as a member of the military assigned as his driver. Clearly, the filmmakers knew she was simply too good to cast in just one role and I couldn’t agree more.
Based on a comic strip, the film spans some forty years in the life of this career military man – from the Boer war to WW2. When we first meet Blimp (Roger Livesey), he’s brash and full of piss and vinegar and ready to take on any mission thrown his way. His superiors are not at all impressed, when, early in the film, he heads to Berlin and stirs things up in his attempts to protect the reputation of his beloved British homeland. Livesey is just remarkable – all charm and wit and able to play a character full through from anxious youth to out of touch old man without missing a beat. Anton Walbrook (a personal favourite of mine) gives a steady and touching performance as German soldier Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff whom Blimp befriends after, well, I won’t spoil it for you. Let’s just say that it’s probably not the best way to kick off a friendship.
This is truly a beautiful film in every imaginable way. Visually wondrous and unconventional, it is filled with moments of cinematic play that, to this day, are a breath of fresh air. The cast - Livesey, Walbrook and the enchanting Kerr - are perfectly chosen and, together, are a delight to watch. Walbrook’s subtle work - which reaches its’ peak in a late scene in which he calmly explains his reasons for leaving Germany and his desire to become a UK citizen – is a study in less is more acting that just stops you cold. His performance is so good and so filled with dignity and graciousness that it’s no wonder his portrayal caused controversy back in the UK when the film was first released. Remember, it was 1943 and WW2 was raging and victory was in doubt. A sympathetic portrait of the enemy, especially infused with the humanity that Walbrook brings, was, simply - to use a German expression – verboten.
The point of the film, made through the evolution, or, more appropriately, lack of evolution of the Blimp character, is one that, no doubt, needed to be made at a time when the fate of the world, in general, and of the British people, in specific, was in doubt. Though I don’t possess enough knowledge of the details of WW2 to offer an opinion as to whether I agree with the film’s central point or not, I couldn’t help but apply its’ reasoning to the current struggle in Iraq and the overall fight against Al-Qaeda. What I’m trying to say is that, though I love every single second of this movie, its’ concluding argument is one that, in the context of the current war, I cannot embrace. Love the film – understand the message in the context of the times - hate the message as it applies to the context of my time. Though, it might be best not to strip the point of its’ context and just let it stand.
So, pushing all that aside, I want to say that, though, Deborah Kerr is gone and though I knew nothing of her off-screen life and knew only a little more about her on-screen one, she has left a lasting impression of grace and warmth and beauty that has, with little effort, proven its’ ability to easily outlive the 163 minutes of running time in which it was initially expressed. Rest in peace Deborah Kerr. Rest in Peace.
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