Submitted by
Nicky Smith
&
Tipu
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
By: James Agee
The Nation, March 31st 1945
In the English-made Colonel Blimp, David Low's lovingly malicious
archetype - and by implication every Tory - has been relieved of all selfish
motives for his actions and of nearly all dangerousness or even
obstructiveness in these actions. This is annoying, and worse; but at the
same time the movie's characterization of an innocent, brave, honourable
and stupid man is, within its own limits, so persuasive and so endearing,
and
so rare to movies, that I am at least as grateful as I am annoyed. If Low's
and the movie's character were blended, Blimp would be a great tragi-comic
character. Lacking that, I wish that some publisher would get out a
twenty-five-cent volume of the cartoons, to brace and extend the picture
among the many people who otherwise will get their only idea of Blimp
through the gentlest kind of Technicolour. There is nothing brilliant about
the picture, but it is perceptive, witty and sweet-tempered and it shows
a continuous feeling for the charm and illuminating power of mannerism,
speech and gesture used semi-ritually, rather than purely realistically
which owes a good deal to Lubistch in the good second-best of his comedies.
I very much like the performances of Roger Livesey as the Colonel, Deborah
Kerr as his imago in three instalments, and Anton Walbrook as his German
friend.
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