More than 80 years after its release, a 1943 war film is still celebrated as 'the best British war movie ever made' by fans, and it is available to stream exclusively on Apple TV, not on Netflix or Amazon Prime. The film, 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,' boasts an impressive 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Film Details and Cast
Written, produced, and directed by the renowned British filmmaking team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' stars Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr, and Anton Walbrook. The title is inspired by the satirical Colonel Blimp comic strip created by David Low, but the story is original. Despite being strongly pro-British, the film serves as a satirical commentary on the British Army, particularly its leadership. It has been described as suggesting 'Britain faced the option of following traditional notions of honourable warfare or to fight dirty in the face of such an evil enemy as Nazi Germany.'
Plot Synopsis
The synopsis reads: 'General Candy (Livesey), who's overseeing an English squad in 1943, is a veteran leader who doesn't have the respect of the men he's training and is considered out-of-touch with what's needed to win the war. But it wasn't always this way. Flashing back to his early career in the Boer War and World War I, we see a dashing young officer whose life has been shaped by three different women (all played by Kerr), and by a lasting friendship with a German soldier.'
Critical Acclaim and Legacy
One film critic has described it as 'England's greatest film ever,' and it has become renowned for its sophistication, directorial brilliance, script, performances, and pioneering Technicolour cinematography. Particular praise has been reserved for Livesey, Walbrook, and Kerr. The film was ranked 45th in the British Film Institute's 1999 list of the top 100 British films and 80th in Empire magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time. One fan wrote on IMDb: 'Quite possibly the finest film ever to emerge from our rainy shores.'
'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp' is available to stream on Apple TV.
