On episode 142 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by film critic Bilge Ebiri discuss the latest film in their Powell and Pressburger series, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943).
Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love.
The latest film in the boy’s P&P series is a showcase of when filmmakers don’t go for propaganda, and instead try to tell a version of their own truth. During WWII, the filmmaking duo did films for audience’s tailor-made to provoke the political agenda of their country. For The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, they take a look inward at their own countrymen and system and how destructive is has been on the war as much as the enemies they are fighting across Europe, even making our protagonists best friend a German character, causing uproar about the inclusion of someone for whom the world was morally against. In doing this, they created one of their defining masterpieces where their thesis lies in someone who has given their whole life to fighting for their country, all for their wisdom and talent to be washed away as a new generation rises up, a brilliant work. Ryan, Jay, and Bilge break down their thoughts on the film, laserdisc physical media, the idea on romance at the heart of our main trio, showing no violence in a war picture, the films ending, and much more.
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This podcast runs 2h33m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger with a review of their next film, I Know Where I’m Going. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let’s get into it.
Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).
