starring Roger Livesay, Deborah Kerr, Anton Walbrook
written by Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
directed by Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
163 minutes
Clive Candy (Roger Livesay) met Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff (Anton Walbrook) for the first time in 1902, in Berlin. The two men engaged in a dies but became friends after it was over. They crossed paths again in 1918-19 after the First World War was over and Theo was a POW. They meet for a third time and stay in close contact over the next few years from 1939-43.
This film was inspired by a comic strip called Colonel Blimp. There is no character named Colonel Blimp in the movie but I guess that Clive Candy is supposed to be that character.
Deborah Kerr played three roles in this movie. She played Edith Hunter in 1902, Barbara Wynne in 1918-19, and Angela Cannon in 1939-43. The first married Theo, the second married Clive, and the the third was CLive's driver during the Second World War. I'm not sure how to feel about her playing three different characters in three different eras. It certainly added to the movie but it also seemed a little unfair to the Deborah Kerr.
At it's heart this film seems to be about coming to terms with one's place in the world and how that can change over time. It is about how things change over time and how one needs to adapt to those changes. It is also a patriotic film of sorts. Made in England during the Second World War at a time when the outcome of the war still wasn't clear. I found it to be quite moving at times.
This film is epic or at least that's how it felt to me. It drags a little bit in places and it was unclear to me where it was all going but I was satisfied with where it ended.
Notes
I have seen Deborah Kerr in a couple other films. Very recently I saw her in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957). This is the first movie in which I have seen either Roger Livesay or Anton Walbrook.
This is the first movie I have seen that was directed by Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell.
09/06/26 - 14:10
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