March 4th: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF COLONEL BLIMP (Powell & Pressburger, 1943)
NOTE: This film will be projected in the high-definition Blu-ray format
A retired officer recalls the friendships and loves that shaped his life.
Englishman Michael Powell and Hungarian immigrant (known together as "The Archers") are a filmmaking duo who set the bar for artistic achievement in British cinema. Working together for over 25 years, the team hopped from genre to genre including espionage, romantic comedy, fantasy, war, literary adaptations, and their own innovative experiments in blending music and narrative.
After a number of successful wartime thrillers, The Archers were interested in exploring the viewpoint of a elderly veteran, and combined this idea with the political cartoon Colonel Blimp written by David Low, whose blustery title character was used to satirize the more reactionary, outdated elements of the military establishment. However, Powell and Pressburger attempted to humanize the figure and show his rise, fall and evolution of thinking.
The Winston Churchill-led government was no friend to the production, objecting to its content, not only in its occasionally mocking attitude, but in its sympathetic portrayal of a prominent German character. The powers that be blocked The Archers from using star actor Laurence Olivier (then serving in the air force), and refused to lend out equipment and vehicles.
The film was shot mostly in the studio in Technicolor by Frenchman Georges Perinal, with future legendary Archers cinematographer Jack Cardiff assisting. The cast includes British actors Roger Livesey and Deborah Kerr (who plays three different roles), and Austrian actor Anton Walbrook. Other crew contributiors included those with German, Jewish, and Czech backgrounds, underlining the story's themes of international unity.
Released at the height of the World War II in 1943, Blimp was met in some corners by hostile reactions, with protest pamphlets issued. The government blocked its release in the U.S. for 2 years, and then in a heavily-altered form. Despite its truncation (cut down even further for television), it inspired many future filmmakers including a young Martin Scorsese. It was finally restored to its original length in 1983.
Regarded by some critics as the greatest film ever made in England, Blimp was Pressburger's personal favorite of The Archers' work. In 2010, Scorsese and longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker (also Powell's widow) helped raise funds for a full restoration from the original negatives, released in theaters around the world to rapturous praise.
Running time is approx. 2 hrs, 30 min.
A retired officer recalls the friendships and loves that shaped his life.
Englishman Michael Powell and Hungarian immigrant (known together as "The Archers") are a filmmaking duo who set the bar for artistic achievement in British cinema. Working together for over 25 years, the team hopped from genre to genre including espionage, romantic comedy, fantasy, war, literary adaptations, and their own innovative experiments in blending music and narrative.
After a number of successful wartime thrillers, The Archers were interested in exploring the viewpoint of a elderly veteran, and combined this idea with the political cartoon Colonel Blimp written by David Low, whose blustery title character was used to satirize the more reactionary, outdated elements of the military establishment. However, Powell and Pressburger attempted to humanize the figure and show his rise, fall and evolution of thinking.
The film was shot mostly in the studio in Technicolor by Frenchman Georges Perinal, with future legendary Archers cinematographer Jack Cardiff assisting. The cast includes British actors Roger Livesey and Deborah Kerr (who plays three different roles), and Austrian actor Anton Walbrook. Other crew contributiors included those with German, Jewish, and Czech backgrounds, underlining the story's themes of international unity.
Released at the height of the World War II in 1943, Blimp was met in some corners by hostile reactions, with protest pamphlets issued. The government blocked its release in the U.S. for 2 years, and then in a heavily-altered form. Despite its truncation (cut down even further for television), it inspired many future filmmakers including a young Martin Scorsese. It was finally restored to its original length in 1983.
Regarded by some critics as the greatest film ever made in England, Blimp was Pressburger's personal favorite of The Archers' work. In 2010, Scorsese and longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker (also Powell's widow) helped raise funds for a full restoration from the original negatives, released in theaters around the world to rapturous praise.
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