One Paragraph Movie Review: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Three hundred and twenty-fourth film: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, a 1943 film inspired by a comic strip that pissed off Winston Churchill and, for a film made during World War II, has the kind of intelligence and foresight that makes it feel like it’s commenting on the war in hindsight. ‘Old general reminisces about military career and love life’ doesn’t do this film justice but is basically it, with very, very clever writing and cracking camera angles and a jolly good story. See, I was only about half an hour in and my brain voice was already speaking with a what ho, a tally pip, and a ruddy good thrashing. It’s the most British thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a British person’s teeth. Deborah Kerr is especially good in it, playing three different love interests in three different decades, a nice thread to the mildly creepy part of the story where the general falls in love with his best friend’s fiance and spends his life either marrying or hiring anyone he meets who looks like her. Of roughly the same duration as a world war, it’s still a bloody good movie. Three and three quarter particularly well-organised sabre duels out of five.