Blu-ray, DVD Release: The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 19, 2013
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion


The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp movie scene

Roger Livesey stars in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

Considered by many to be the finest British films ever made, the1943 war-drama-romance classic The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Battle of the River Plate).

Roger Livesey dynamically embodies outmoded English militarism as the indelible General Clive Candy, who barely survives four decades of tumultuous British history (1902 to 1942) only to see the world change irrevocably before his eyes. Anton Walbrook (The Red Shoes) and Deborah Kerr (Black Narcissus) provide unforgettable support, he as a German enemy turned lifelong friend of Blimp’s and she as young women of three consecutive generations—a socially committed governess, a sweet-souled war nurse, and a modern-thinking army driver—who inspire him.

Shot in gorgeous Technicolor, Colonel Blimp is both moving and satirical—a masterful film that’s often referred to as England’s Citizen Kane.

Criterion previously issued Colonel Blimp on DVD in 2002. The new Blu-ray and two-disc DVD editions contain the following bonus features:

• New 4K digital master from the 2012 Film Foundation restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition
• Audio commentary featuring director Michael Powell and filmmaker Martin Scorsese
• Video introduction by Scorsese
• A Profile of “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp”
• Restoration demonstration, hosted by Scorsese
• Interview with editor Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, Michael Powell’s widow
• Gallery featuring rare behind-the-scenes production stills
• Gallery tracing the history of David Low’s original Colonel Blimp cartoons
• A booklet featuring an essay by critic Molly Haskell

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About Laurence

Founder and editor Laurence Lerman saw Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest when he was 13 years old and that’s all it took. He has been writing about film and video for more than a quarter of a century for magazines, anthologies, websites and most recently, Video Business magazine, where he served as the Reviews Editor for 15 years.