“The Corn is Green,” “Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,” “Belle of the Yukon” (Movie Reviews-3/30/45)

Free Republic University, Department of History presents World War II Plus 70 Years: Seminar and Discussion Forum
First session: September 1, 2009. Last date to add: September 2, 2015.
Reading assignment: New York Times articles and the occasional radio broadcast delivered daily to students on the 70th anniversary of original publication date. (Previously posted articles can be found by searching on keyword “realtime” Or view Homer’s posting history .)
To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by freepmail. Those on the Realtime +/- 70 Years ping list are automatically enrolled. Course description, prerequisites and tuition information is available at the bottom of Homer’s profile. Also visit our general discussion thread.

Netflix has “Belle of the Yukon” available for instant viewing and on DVD. Gypsy Rose Lee’s name may be a draw but her acting is not.

“The Corn is Green” original trailer

“The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” opening credits

“Belle of the Yukon” original trailer

Written, produced and directed by the masters of mid-century British cinema Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Blimp traces the career of a fictitious soldier, Maj Gen Clive Candy, from the Boer War (during which he is awarded the Victoria Cross) through the First World War, when he serves in the trenches, to the Second World War, which sees him called out of retirement briefly before he joins the Home Guard.

The film is of epic length (163 minutes) and proportions, sweeping majestically through 40 years of British military history; it is beautifully shot in Technicolor and features a handful of great central performances. But, for all that, the most frequently cited contemporary review, by C A Lejeune in The Observer, poses the question: “But what is it about?”

The British government was in no doubt that it was about the outdated ideas of a military dinosaur, a blustering, faintly ridiculous figure with a walrus moustache, who is more concerned with decency and fair play than with the pragmatism and bloody reality of modern warfare. What’s more, here was a hero whose best friend, even as two world wars raged, was German. All of which, Whitehall believed, was inappropriate for wartime audiences.

In 1970, Powell recalled the extraordinary discussions he and Pressburger had with the ministry: “They said, 'We don’t think you should make this film.’ [We replied] 'Go and f--- yourself!’ They said, 'All right, but you can’t have Laurence Olivier.’ You’re going to stop us making it? 'Oh no, we’re not going to stop you. After all, this is a democracy. But we advise you not to make it, and you can’t have Laurence Olivier because he’s in the Fleet Air Arm, and we’re not going to release him to play your Colonel Blimp.’ ”

The Life and Times of Colonel Blimp: why Churchill wanted it banned

I actually have “Belle of the Yukon” taped off TV years ago. Agreed with the reviewer, beyond the Technicolor, nothing too special about this one. On a related note, I loved watching the Technicolor musicals Betty Grable made during the 1940s and TCM does not show these terribly too often. Why is this so (when they do tend to repeat some titles often)?

Well, mainly because the Grable films are Fox films, and they aren’t part of the TCM Warner library (which is comprised of MGM, Warner Bros, and RKO items, among a few other oddities). TCM occasionally leases films from other outfits, like Fox, Sony/Columbia, MCA/Universal, to pepper up their lineups, but it costs them.

There are tons of old movies (certain Paramount, Republic, Universal items, etc.) that have NEVER been shown on TCM. Indeed, not been seen on tv at all since the days of syndicated 16mm packages, and the local late-shows of the 1950s-1970s.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.