Budapest Classic Film Marathon: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Director: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger,

Screenplay by Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Director of photography: Georges Périnal
Music by Allan Gray
Cast: James McKechnie, Neville Mapp, Vincent Holman

In the footsteps of a filmmaking dynasty: from Pressburger to Macdonald / Emeric Pressburger, the experimenter genius

Introduction: Péter Muszatics, film historian

It would be a stretch to claim that Colonel Blimp is a three-act tale operating along Aristotelian principles, just as it would be near impossible to pigeonhole the film in any particular genre. At the same time, it actually can be split into three acts, each act associated with a different war. The first part of the story from David Low’s satirical Colonel Blimp cartoon series is linked to the Boer war, the second the First World War, and the third the Second World War that was still being fought when the film was made. This anti-war polemic is just as much a romantic melodrama, just as much a comedy operetta as it is a history of a curious friendship and camaraderie. One of the best English films of all time, one of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's most characterful works, particularly when we examine how they were able to exploit the technique of technicolor, with what dexterity they move the large cast around.

More information about the Budapest Classic Film Marathon's program in Uránia >>