Posted on 02/06/2021 5:18:37 PM PST by Rummyfan
The unintentional theme of this year's movie columns has been "accidental movies": ones I watched and ended up loving, despite a slow start or homely title.
So it's fitting that today I talk about Michael Powell's and Emeric Pressburger's The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943).
Based on its awkward moniker, I'd long assumed that The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp was one of those grimy, eat-your-spinach English anti-war comedies like The Bed Sitting Room and Oh, What a Lovely War. So what was it doing on so many "greatest movies of all time" (or at the very least, "Greatest British movies") lists?
Weirder still is that "Colonel Blimp" was a once-famous British cartoon character, a walrus-like blowhard spouting jingoistic clichés. His name quickly became a byword for Establishment ignorance and arrogance.
An unlikely inspiration for a superb film — until you recall that Coppola's The Godfather was based on a trashy "airport" novel, hastily written by an aging, unknown author who knew nothing about the Mafia, but was desperate to keep loan sharks from breaking his legs.
So to get a sense of what an awe-inspiring achievement today's movie is, imagine Wes Anderson — without a single ironic wink — turning Hagar the Horrible into an elliptical, enigmatic epic to rival Citizen Kane.
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
It’s a great movie.
It took me a long time to find out what the title was and to locate a copy (very poor) in England and purchase it to rewatch.
Yes it is an antinuclear screed, but it is interesting to watch and has some of the early greats of British comedy like Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, Spike Milligan, etc.
Years back I stumbled on and watched “Being There”. Wonderful film.
“I like to
Watch T.V.”
.
One of my Favorites!
Being There
You tell that Chicken **** Rafael, he got somethin to tell me, get his *** down here.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2q5po5
Hal Ashby’s The last detail was also a wonderful film.
My son quotes that all the time!
:)
That’s great too. And now we’re living it.
Back in 1973, living in Farmington NM, the local TV station must have bought a bunch of old WW II British morale building movies as they were always on TV there. Never seen any of them since either.
I’ve got Col Blimp somewhere.
It’s a great movie.
Roger Livesay’s transformation from a fat old general to a young officer is really quite something.
A couple of other great Powell/Pressburger films featuring Roger Livesey are A Matter of Life and Death and I know Where I'm Going!.
Yes, a hidden gem, about a bygone era.
The sable duelling scene was handled deftly. (I've witnessed countless studentische Mensuren according to various different Comments - Tübingen, Freiburg, Berlin - but the one depicted in this movie was with sables, not Schläger.)
Regards,
I watch it regularly. My favorite movie ever.
Very much.
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