The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp review

A romantic melodrama spanning four decades

GamesRadar Editor's Choice

Why you can trust 12DOVE Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

A romantic melodrama spanning four decades, this sweeping 1943 epic explores the English character through the experiences of a well-meaning buffoon whose touching belief in decency and fair play render him an endearing but irrelevant relic.

Churchill was one of many dismayed by Powell and Pressburger’s affectionate satire.

Its status as a national treasure is assured, thanks to Roger Livesey’s protean lead turn, Deborah Kerr’s three incarnations of his ideal woman and the mastery of the medium that typified The Archers at their height.

Freelance Writer

Neil Smith is a freelance film critic who has written for several publications, including Total Film. His bylines can be found at the BBC, Film 4 Independent, Uncut Magazine, SFX, Heat Magazine, Popcorn, and more. 

Latest in Mystery Movies
Ian McKellen as Gandalf the White in Lord of the Rings
The internet is debating which movies were perfectly cast, from Lord of the Rings to Knives Out
Knives Out 3
First look at Daniel Craig in Knives Out 3 has got us trying to figure out a mystery: will the film be in black and white?
Thomas Haden Church
Knives Out 3 adds Sam Raimi Spider-Man villain to cast
Thanos is joining Rian Johnson's Knives Out universe but he's leaving the Infinity Stones behind
Jeremy Renner
Knives Out 3 adds Black Swan star Mila Kunis and Marvel star Jeremy 'Hawkeye' Renner following his hot sauce-related cameo in Glass Onion
Glenn Close in Four Good Days
Django Unchained and Fatal Attraction stars latest to join Daniel Craig in Knives Out 3
Latest in Reviews
Image of the Corsair Virtuoso Max wireless headset sitting on top of a gaming PC case taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe.
Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless review - a PC headset tour de force
Zombicide box featuring stylized art of survivors fighting zombies
Zombicide 2nd Edition review: "Like a zombie flick brought to tabletop"
Razer Handheld Dock with Steam Deck sitting on cradle, pink and yellow RGB lighting on, and Alienware monitor in background with Tomb Raider Trilogy gameplay on screen.
Razer Handheld Dock review: “Your Steam Deck will ride shiny and Chroma"
Photographs of the Agricola board game in play
Agricola review: "Accurate representation of the highly competitive and often unstable world of agriculture"
Photos taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe of the Shure MV7i microphone, within a pink and white themed room.
Shure MV7i review - convenience and excellence rolled into one superb sounding package
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
Atomfall review: "This isn't British Fallout – it's something much better than that"