173 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

[HerrSchreck]

I can't believe it's a 1943 film.

Why?

Indeed. If anything it represents a time and a sensibility (the act of reflecting back upon the age is an act reminiscent of the bittersweet nostalgia of both the filmmakers and Blimp himself in their hearkening back to a former age with a heartfelt yearning) where this kind of a film was if not common then at least possible via national "crown jewels" like The Archers.

This kind of national/representative filmmaking, with a warmhearted reflection of one's country and military during wartime-- despite the problems the Churchill govt (for obvious reasons) had with the film-- seems impossible today, with our deep suspicion, divisions, cynicisims viz military action. Films like this, A Canterbury Tale, Contraband, etc, are patently the byproduct of a bygone age.

Othewise I wholeheartedly agree with being head over heels for this film. I quoted this up the yingyang, but someone once said they wouldn't want to be friends with someone who disliked this film-- I can certainly understand the quote. The film is simplt marvelous, as is most of the Archers work. Their magic never fails me..

[Anonymous]

I can't believe it's a 1943 film.

Why?

It looks so much newer than that.

[Person]

I can't believe it's a 1943 film.

Why?

It looks so much newer than that.

It could pass for a 1959 British production, I feel. Like all of Powell & Pressburger's films of the 40s, Blimp is highly unique and uncharacteristic of British filmmaking in that era. It was a daring film in its day and has retained its power over the years, being neither wholluyjingoistic nor cynical of militarism, yet it has warmth and big and affecting drama within its sprawling narrative. A magnificent film. One of the great triumphs of British Cinema, I feel.

[ellipsis7]

It certainly was highly unusual for a British filmmaker to be able to source and resource a colour film, especially of BLIMP's scale, during WWII - all the other P&P films of the period are black and white, and they would have to wait till war's end in 1945 to work in colour again with A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946)...

[Jeff]

Film Forum has a Q & A with Thelma Schoonmaker (mp3 link down the page) where she talks about the restoration of Red Shoes.

She also mentioned that Criterion will be releasing the new dvd of Red Shoes in June.

In the Q&A portion of the podcast, she mentions that a similar restoration of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp will be finished soon, and is going well. They have the original camera negatives for the beginning and ending sections, but only have separation masters for the middle section, which was cut for American release. It sounds like they are hoping the lost negative will turn up before they complete the restoration.

[triodelover]

In the Q&A portion of the podcast, she mentions that a similar restoration of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp will be finished soon, and is going well. They have the original camera negatives for the beginning and ending sections, but only have separation masters for the middle section, which was cut for American release. It sounds like they are hoping the lost negative will turn up before they complete the restoration.

Be still my heart. Possibly my favorite P&P and certainly the one I'd want to take to a desert island with me. The thought of Blimp on Blu makes my hands shake too much to drink my coffee.

[saji1986]

Film Forum has a Q & A with Thelma Schoonmaker (mp3 link down the page) where she talks about the restoration of Red Shoes.

She also mentioned that Criterion will be releasing the new dvd of Red Shoes in June.

In the Q&A portion of the podcast, she mentions that a similar restoration of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp will be finished soon, and is going well. They have the original camera negatives for the beginning and ending sections, but only have separation masters for the middle section, which was cut for American release. It sounds like they are hoping the lost negative will turn up before they complete the restoration.

Just finished watching the interview with her on The Red Shoes, she commented that they were still seeking funding for the restoration of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. It sounds to me like they are looking hard at all the available P & P films for restoration. If this ever comes to be, what a fantastic treat for film lovers!

[Matt]

Fest 21 interview with Thelma Schoonmaker, Feb. 27, 2010

Q: How is the restoration process of "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" coming along?

A: It's going very well, except unfortunately, Powell/Pressburger, cut the film themselves, the beautiful middle section of the film where he goes back to England and WWII begins and he goes to find Anton in a criminal war camp. It's one of the most beautiful parts of the movie as far as I am concerned. They were asked to cut the film at the time it was being distributed during WWII because the technicolor process was very expensive. So Emeric and Michael cut the entire middle out of it, for American distribution. We have not been able to find the original camera negative for the middle section. We have the original camera negatives for the beginning and the end, and we have very good separation masters for the middle, but I am desperately searching all over the world for wherever that middle section is, which I'm probably going to cut somewhere in America, and maybe in a lab. I remember when Movie Lab closed in New York, and there were all kinds of wonderful things in there, God knows what happened to them. It will be beautiful anyway. We are working very hard on it.

[scotty2]

Just saw this last night and I wanted to call attention to the Great War section of the film. It is here that we see Blimp's slippage really beginning. The code of honor across national boundaries mourned (seemingly) by Renoir a few years before is shown evaporating in this section of the film. The first instance is the interrogation scene, in which Clive is completely ineffectual in his straightforward, "honorable" questioning of the prisoners, while his subordinate practically licks his scarred chops at the chance to use what we now call "enhanced" techniques after Clive leaves. Blimp's already out of touch. (Significantly, the subordinate is a South African who apparently has gotten down and dirty before, suggesting that the idealization of British conduct in South Africa presented elsewhere in the film is as least as much self-delusion as propaganda).

The second clue is his rejection at the German officer POW camp. War hurts, and it is not a simple thing to rekindle old ties, even among class equals.

All in all, a remarkable and vibrant film enhanced by Kerr's exquisite performances. As a propaganda film, I prefer the Coward/Lean directed In Which We Serve. As a film proper, this one stands tall. I do hope the restoration is going well.

[Derek Estes]

Has anyone heard anything new about the restoration? I dying to see the results.

[filmyfan]

I see the new restored version is being shown in early November at MoMA's Film exhibition, An Auteurist History of Film.

This leads me to think we may see a Criterion release soon. Also on just such a point... what extras could they add to the previous version?

[Derek Estes]

This is great news!! I've been dying to hear about the restoration!

[dadaistnun]

At Film Forum for two weeks starting November 18.

[Tuco]

Wondering if anybody saw the restoration at Film Forum last month.

[hearthesilence]

Saw it at MoMA, and it was indeed excellent.

[Flanell]

Do you know if they managed to find the original camera negatives for the whole movie, or did you notice any drop in quality during the middle section?

[hearthesilence]

No, they're still looking for that missing reel, and you do notice a drop in quality, but even the less-than-pristine parts look excellent. The close-ups - especially on Kerr - look absolutely beautiful. They even showed a demo of how the film looked before restoration (not to mention realignment of the three strips of films) was performed.

[Flanell]

Thanks for the info, hopefully i'll be able to see this one on the big screen somehow! Also (maybe a little early), any thoughts on which film by Powell and Pressburger might be up next for a restoration?

[Derek Estes]

I'd love to see I Know Where I'm Going restored.

[andyli]

Just saw a teaser of this newly restored version Carlotta posted on their website. Despite the low resolution, it still looks fantastic. Looks like we are in for a treat similar to The Red Shoes.

[Jeff]

Detailed piece on the restoration

[JPJ]

UK blu-ray announced.

[eerik]

UK blu-ray announced.

Looks like another UK distributor has caught the steelbook fever.

[FilmFanSea]

Detailed piece on the restoration

I recall the first time I watched the Criterion DVD, the color fluctuation (technically "breathing", caused by shrinkage of one or more of the Technicolor three-strip records) was so distracting it was difficult to watch. Looks like they've been able to correct this damage both digitally and with wet-gate scanning. I am eager to see the results.

[pzadvance]

I saw the restoration a couple weeks back at the Academy. Granted, I'd never seen the film before so I can't quite speak to comparisons in the print quality but can just say that it looked rather stunning for its age. One of the crispest and clearest restorations I've seen--really quite beautiful.