Overview
A heartwarming exploration of love, honor, and the passage of time during wartime.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- warm-hearted
- witty
- wistful
- classic film evening
- historical drama marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a richly performed, visually distinctive, humane British classic whose warm historical sweep and moral complexity outweigh its length.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film begins with older General Clive Wynne-Candy and travels backward through four decades of his life.
Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff is presented as Candy's lifelong German friend and an anti-Nazi figure rather than a caricatured enemy.
Candy struggles to adapt traditional military honor and rules of combat to the demands of modern total war.
The production moves through South Africa, World War I, interwar Europe, and wartime Britain with expansive sets, costumes, and composed historical scenes.
Films like The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, and why
Howards End
shared multi-decade historical sweep, romantic drama, and tension between traditional values and social change
The Remains of the Day
shared British period setting, humane social observation, class-conscious drama, and emotionally restrained romance
A Matter of Life and Death
shared Powell and Pressburger theatricality, wartime moral complexity, and richly stylized historical storytelling
The English Patient
shared romantic period drama, wartime context, and sympathetic treatment of national and cultural divides
Movie Details
- Directors
- Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
- Release Date
- 1943-07-26
- Runtime
- 163 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (281)
Cast
- Roger Livesey
- Deborah Kerr
- Anton Walbrook
- Roland Culver
- James McKechnie
- Arthur Wontner
- David Hutcheson
- Ursula Jeans
- John Laurie
- Harry Welchman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp about?
- A sweeping, tenderly comic portrait of a British soldier whose lifelong ideals are tested by love, friendship, and the transformation of warfare.
- What is The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp as mild.
- What did critics think of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp?
- Critics broadly regard it as a richly performed, visually distinctive, humane British classic whose warm historical sweep and moral complexity outweigh its length.
- Which films are like The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp?
- Films with a similar feel include Howards End, The Remains of the Day, A Matter of Life and Death, and The English Patient.
- How long is The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp?
- The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp runs 163 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp?
- In United States, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Artiflix.
