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From Thomas F Wilson in Back To The Future to Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off - when actors play multiple roles...
The dramatic use of actors playing multiple characters is a bold and rather theatrical device that has its ups and downs. It goes at least as far back as Captain Hook being played by the same actor who plays the Darling children's father in stage productions of Peter Pan, a technique largely adopted in film adaptations of the story, too (hello to Jason Isaacs).
It's used a lot in cinema too. Done well, it's impressive, but when it's bad, it's Jack & Jill. Whether used in comedy or drama or outright horror, there are countless examples of actors delivering terrific performances in more than one role at once, and that's before we even get past Cloud Atlas. Still, we've had a go at totting up 25 of the best.
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From Thomas F Wilson in Back To The Future to Nicolas Cage and John Travolta in Face/Off - when actors play multiple roles...
The dramatic use of actors playing multiple characters is a bold and rather theatrical device that has its ups and downs. It goes at least as far back as Captain Hook being played by the same actor who plays the Darling children's father in stage productions of Peter Pan, a technique largely adopted in film adaptations of the story, too (hello to Jason Isaacs).
It's used a lot in cinema too. Done well, it's impressive, but when it's bad, it's Jack & Jill. Whether used in comedy or drama or outright horror, there are countless examples of actors delivering terrific performances in more than one role at once, and that's before we even get past Cloud Atlas. Still, we've had a go at totting up 25 of the best.
- 11/5/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Review by Sam Moffitt
Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is one of those films I have read and heard about for years, and finally got to see. How nice to see a legendary “great film” and see it live up to, and in many ways surpass, its reputation. First a little back ground.
The Archers is one of the most honored and respected film production companies in the history of the cinema. Based in England, most of their films were produced, written and directed by two men, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Some of their films I have been familiar with for years, the incredible Black Narcissus. The equally incredible Red Shoes, one of the most honored, studied and dissected films ever made. College courses have been made around this one film, the Red Shoes, and it seems to be required viewing for anyone who dances or wants to dance ballet.
Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is one of those films I have read and heard about for years, and finally got to see. How nice to see a legendary “great film” and see it live up to, and in many ways surpass, its reputation. First a little back ground.
The Archers is one of the most honored and respected film production companies in the history of the cinema. Based in England, most of their films were produced, written and directed by two men, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Some of their films I have been familiar with for years, the incredible Black Narcissus. The equally incredible Red Shoes, one of the most honored, studied and dissected films ever made. College courses have been made around this one film, the Red Shoes, and it seems to be required viewing for anyone who dances or wants to dance ballet.
- 8/26/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Before the legendary British filmmaking duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger lensed the classics The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus or A Matter of Life & Death, they raised quite a stir with their life long tale of an aging army officer, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. The directors were working as hired guns on British war propaganda films in the midst of World War II when they started work on the picture. Featuring the well-known British cartoon icon created by David Low, Colonel Blimp was a satirical symbol of low brow soldiery and politics of the time, and when Powell and Pressburger decided to recast the character as Clive Candy, placed by the amorphous Roger Livesey, and have him befriend a German soldier, a sworn enemy of the state at the time, British officials, including Winston Churchill himself, were outraged and tried desperately to dissuade the film’s completion.
- 4/2/2013
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 19, 2013
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
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...
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
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...
- 12/21/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Courtesy of AMPAS
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a new digitally restored, full-length version of “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” (1943) on Wednesday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. This West Coast premiere will feature an introduction by three-time Oscar®-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker. The film was restored by the Academy Film Archive, in association with the British Film Institute, ITV Studios Global Entertainment Ltd and the Film Foundation.
79th Annual Academy Awards
Inspired by a satiric cartoon character created by newspaper cartoonist David Low, “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” tells a story both epic and deeply personal as it follows the 40-year career of a British Army officer from the Boer War to World War II. Created by the dynamic British writing-directing-producing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (whose longtime partnership would...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a new digitally restored, full-length version of “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” (1943) on Wednesday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. This West Coast premiere will feature an introduction by three-time Oscar®-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker. The film was restored by the Academy Film Archive, in association with the British Film Institute, ITV Studios Global Entertainment Ltd and the Film Foundation.
79th Annual Academy Awards
Inspired by a satiric cartoon character created by newspaper cartoonist David Low, “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” tells a story both epic and deeply personal as it follows the 40-year career of a British Army officer from the Boer War to World War II. Created by the dynamic British writing-directing-producing team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (whose longtime partnership would...
- 6/6/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Arguably the finest British film made during the second world war, Powell and Pressburger's 1943 epic traces the career of General Clive Candy (Roger Livesey), a bluff, middle-class British soldier from the Boer war, where he won a Vc, up to 1943 when clearly a less gentlemanly form of military behaviour was needed to defeat the Nazis. They were inspired by David Low's celebrated military fogey, Colonel Blimp, but they turn the cartoonist's caricature into a character. Anton Walbrook is outstanding as an honourable German, Candy's friend of long standing, a figure who infuriated Winston Churchill, and Deborah Kerr, Powell's lover at the time and the love of his life, is enchanting as three different women over successive generations. She adds that haunting touch of romantic mystery we find in much of Powell and Pressburger's best work.
War filmsMichael PowellDramaPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies.
War filmsMichael PowellDramaPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies.
- 5/19/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
This glorious film gets more fascinating and moving each time its seen
This exotic English romance of 1943, by Powell and Pressburger, has been reissued, and each time it gets more fascinating and moving. Taking as their starting point David Low's cartoon character, the film-makers created General Clive Wynne-Candy, superbly played by the husky-voiced Roger Livesey. As we join the story in 1943, he appears to be nothing more than a pop-eyed, reactionary buffer. But the movie takes us back in time to show how the old grump was once a young blade, a dashing officer of frank and good-natured simplicity who won a Vc during the Boer war. His life was changed by an intense and ennobling friendship with a German army officer, Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff, played by the incomparably elegant Anton Walbrook. Candy is also entranced with an ideal embodiment of woman, played in three incarnations and three generations by...
This exotic English romance of 1943, by Powell and Pressburger, has been reissued, and each time it gets more fascinating and moving. Taking as their starting point David Low's cartoon character, the film-makers created General Clive Wynne-Candy, superbly played by the husky-voiced Roger Livesey. As we join the story in 1943, he appears to be nothing more than a pop-eyed, reactionary buffer. But the movie takes us back in time to show how the old grump was once a young blade, a dashing officer of frank and good-natured simplicity who won a Vc during the Boer war. His life was changed by an intense and ennobling friendship with a German army officer, Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff, played by the incomparably elegant Anton Walbrook. Candy is also entranced with an ideal embodiment of woman, played in three incarnations and three generations by...
- 5/17/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
They outraged the authorities on release. But the two films, made before and during the second world war, are now considered classics – and will be re-released this month. Our critics consider their impact
Ryan Gilbey on Le Quai des Brumes
It's easy now to call Marcel Carné's Le Quai des Brumes a masterpiece. When the film was released in 1938, such a view was more contentious. In the wake of the collapse of France's Popular Front government, the film was seen as exacerbating the mood of despair creeping into the left. Jean Renoir labelled it "counter-revolutionary". The Motion Picture Herald concluded: "One will be sorry that such art and talents have been used for such a trite and sordid story, which includes not a decent or healthy character." The Vichy government denounced it as "immoral, depressing and detrimental to young people", and declared that if the war was lost, Le Quai des Brumes...
Ryan Gilbey on Le Quai des Brumes
It's easy now to call Marcel Carné's Le Quai des Brumes a masterpiece. When the film was released in 1938, such a view was more contentious. In the wake of the collapse of France's Popular Front government, the film was seen as exacerbating the mood of despair creeping into the left. Jean Renoir labelled it "counter-revolutionary". The Motion Picture Herald concluded: "One will be sorry that such art and talents have been used for such a trite and sordid story, which includes not a decent or healthy character." The Vichy government denounced it as "immoral, depressing and detrimental to young people", and declared that if the war was lost, Le Quai des Brumes...
- 5/3/2012
- by Ryan Gilbey, Philip Oltermann
- The Guardian - Film News
Winston Churchill hated the idea of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943). The then-Prime Minister couldn't understand why, in the middle of the Second World War, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were making a film that included a sympathetic German. Others were baffled that one of Britain's pre-eminent film-making teams was telling the story of a a fat, walrus-moustached, jingoist character originating in David Low's cartoons in the Daily Express.
- 12/2/2011
- The Independent - Film
Winston Churchill hated the idea of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943). The then-Prime Minister couldn't understand why, in the middle of the Second World War, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger were making a film that included a sympathetic German. Others were baffled that one of Britain's pre-eminent film-making teams was telling the story of a a fat, walrus-moustached, jingoist character originating in David Low's cartoons in the Daily Express.
- 12/2/2011
- The Independent - Film
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) "so unambiguously [satirizes] the military mind-set that Prime Minister Winston Churchill tried to have it banned," writes J Hoberman in the Voice. "Newly restored by Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation and playing two weeks [starting Friday] at Film Forum in its full length, Colonel Blimp is as stylized in its florid palette, lavish mise-en-scène, and obtrusive musical cues as Powell and Pressburger's subsequent The Red Shoes. Beginning and ending in London under the blitz, the movie spans 40 years, tracking the career of General Clive Candy (Roger Livesey) from dashing young hero of the Boer War to the sort of walrus-mustached establishment fogy that political cartoonist David Low named 'Colonel Blimp.' … The filmmakers originally wanted Laurence Olivier, but it seems unlikely that so acerbic an actor could have delivered so warm a performance."
"Seeing Colonel Blimp strictly in the...
"Seeing Colonel Blimp strictly in the...
- 11/16/2011
- MUBI
I meant to reveal the winners of the Taking Woodstock contest earlier in order to celebrate that peace/love '69 flick from Ang Lee (Utopia!). Unfortunately I've been pretty hammered by the flu (Dystopia!) so I'm just now getting around to it. The five winners receive the original motion picture soundtrack, a t-shirt, an air freshener and a mud sliding date with Emile Hirsch (kidding!).
If you missed Taking Woodstock in theaters, I hope you'll check it out on DVD. It felt a bit formless in the theater but I think that form, er...formlessness, was right for the material and it plays well in the head (and heart) afterwards. I asked each contestant to name their favorite Ang Lee movie so I've included their comments below.
Winners were drawn randomly.
And the Winners are...
Cindy from WashingtonMy favorite would have to be Sense and Sensibility. I don't particularly like Jane Austen films,...
If you missed Taking Woodstock in theaters, I hope you'll check it out on DVD. It felt a bit formless in the theater but I think that form, er...formlessness, was right for the material and it plays well in the head (and heart) afterwards. I asked each contestant to name their favorite Ang Lee movie so I've included their comments below.
Winners were drawn randomly.
And the Winners are...
Cindy from WashingtonMy favorite would have to be Sense and Sensibility. I don't particularly like Jane Austen films,...
- 9/22/2009
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
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