Passport to Pimlico

source: Passport to Pimlico

I'm sorry to say this, but this film just doesn't cut the mustard for me. I did try to like it honestly but it left me with a feeling of thank goodness that that rubbish is over. It isn't a patch on other oldish "comedies" of that era such as Kind Hearts, School for Scoundrels, I'm all Right, and Lavender Hill,etc.etc and is just wearing and tiresome I'm afraid. It typifies the fake world of very posh actresses trying to put on a cockney accent with a fag hanging out the side of the mouth. It pushes the cliché of oh look how wonderful England is by the poor stereotypes used in the film ad nausea and the film just doesn't make it on so many fronts. Stanley Holloway does a valiant act of trying to save the film but the script is woeful. Barbara Murray isn't bad either as eye candy of that time. I only loved the bits of seeing old London but there really wasn't even much of that. The film was obviously trying to help in a small way to pick the nation up so I can't knock that and later gems must have learnt from this film's mistakes. Don't watch this to make you laugh is all I can advise to finish on. Sorry but there you go!

I believe that what separates modern nations from the old model — and affiliations that aren't nations — is in the consistency of the national narrative. These days that is molded in cinematic terms. The much-celebrated sound bite phenomenon only works because as a shortcut it refers back to that narrative. All sound bits are cinematic. If we want to understand ourselves, we need to understand the stories we've joined. That's why I'm spending a bit of time with films that define what it means to be British. I'm not British myself, so It should be a bit easier to see. I write this shortly after terrorist attacks in London, an event which forces the UK to snap back to references of who they are. I saw this on a double bill with a quintessential Battle of Britain movie. You can see there that the whole enterprise is designed to convey a short list of characteristics. War movies are seldom about war and always about who we are. This is different. Possibly no collection of films define the Brits more than Ealing comedies. And I think this is the clearest. The setup concerns a small suburb of London. Ordinary folks... that's important. By some plot device, they become non-Brits in the midst of Britain. They cling to this, as one says they fight so hard to be non-British because they ARE British. As this unfolds, what we see is self-evaluation of what it means to belong and what the characteristics of the group are. I could list what I saw, but that's boring. Much more interesting is that everything I saw was a mild version of what we'd see later with the "Goon Show" and Monty Python. The "Minister of Silly Walks" bit seems pretty tight. Slight fun. Important. Insightful Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Passport to Pimlico is a real treat for all fans of British cinema. Not only is it an enjoyable and thoroughly entertaining comedy, but it is a cinematic flashback to a bygone age, with attitudes and scenarios sadly now only a memory in British life. Stanley Holloway plays Pimlico resident Arthur Pemberton, who after the accidental detonation of an unexploded bomb, discovers a wealth of medieval treasure belonging to the 14th Century Duke of Burgundy that has been buried deep underneath their little suburban street these last 600 years. Accompanying the treasure is an ancient legal decree signed by King Edward IV of England (which has never been officially rescinded) to state that that particular London street had been declared Burgandian soil, which means that in the eyes of international law, Pemberton and the other local residents are no longer British subjects but natives of Burgundy and their tiny street an independent country in it's own right and a law unto itself. This sets the war-battered and impoverished residents up in good stead as they believe themselves to be outside of English law and jurisdiction, so in an act of drunken defiance they burn their ration books, destroy and ignore their clothing coupons, flagrantly disregard British licencing laws etc, declaring themselves fully independent from Britain. However, what then happens is ever spiv, black marketeer and dishonest crook follows suit and crosses the 'border' into Burgundy as a refuge from the law and post-war restrictions to sell their dodgy goods, and half of London's consumers follow them in order to dodge the ration, making their quiet happy little haven, a den of thieves and a rather crowded one at that. Appealing to Whitehall for assistance, they are told that due to developments this is "now a matter of foreign policy, which His Majesty's Government is reluctant to become involved" which leaves the residents high and dry. They do however declare the area a legal frontier and as such set up a fully equipped customs office at the end of the road, mainly to monitor smuggling than to ensure any safety for the residents of Pimlico. Eventually the border is closed altogether starting a major siege, with the Bugundian residents slowly running out of water and food, but never the less fighting on in true British style. As one Bugundian resident quotes, "we're English and we always were English, and it's just because we are English, we are fighting so hard to be Bugundians" A sentiment that is soon echoed throughout the capital as when the rest of London learn of the poor Bugundians plight they all feel compelled to chip in and help them, by throwing food and supplies over the barbed wire blockades. Will Whitehall, who has fought off so may invaders throughout the centuries finally be brought to it's knees by this new batch of foreigners, especially as these ones are English!!!! Great tale, and great fun throughout. Not to be missed.

Say what you like about the cinematic importance of the Ealing Studios comedies of the late 1940s and early 1950s, but nobody can deny that pretty much all of them have a lot of heart, and always provide 90 minutes of solid, quirky entertainment. My #7 film from the studio is 'Passport to Pimlico (1949),' directed by Henry Cornelius {in his directorial debut}, which tells the peculiar story of a small London district that unexpectedly becomes its own separate nation. After a bomb left over from WWII accidentally detonates underground, a local resident of Pimlico discovers a stash of treasure belonging to Charles VII "The Rash", the last Duke of Burgundy. Also discovered is an ancient document declaring that the small district, in actual fact, is the last existing slice of Burgundian land, effectively making it a country of its own. The small band of friendly residents are initially excited about this discovery, but have some misgivings when criminals and black-market dealers realise that the London police have absolutely no jurisdiction in the streets of Pimlico. While the British government entangles the issue in lengths of red-tape, the newly-realised nation of Burgundy tries desperately to sort itself out. The scenario behind 'Passport to Pimlico' really isn't as ludicrous as it initially sounds. The screenplay, written by T.E.B. Clarke {who also wrote 'The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)'}, was inspired by a real-life occurrence during World War Two, when the Canadian government decreed that a maternity ward belonged officially to the Netherlands, to accommodate the birth of Princess Juliana's child {under Dutch law, a royal heir had to be born in the Netherlands in order to be eligible for succession to the throne}. It also appears that some of the events in the film were based upon the Berlin Blockade (June 24, 1948 – May 11, 1949), in which Western forces bypassed the Soviet blockades to sectors of Berlin via airlifts of food and other provisions. In this film, the British government's attempts to starve-out the troublesome Burgundians prove unsuccessful after crowds of sympathetic Londoners bombard the district with supplies, even air-dropping a fully-grown pig with a parachute. Though the story occasionally drags, 'Passport to Pimlico' proves worthwhile thanks to its unique storyline and a collection of entertaining characters. Police Constable Sid Spiller (Philip Stainton) is probably the film's funniest, particularly when he first realises the implications of Pimlico becoming its own nation ("Blimey, I'm a foreigner!") and when, working undercover to procure water for the reservoir, he must elude a drunk who simply insists on being arrested. Other notable players include Stanley Holloway, Betty Warren, Margaret Rutherford and Hermione Baddeley. Notably, Clarke's screenplay was nominated at the 1950 Oscars, and the film was nominated for Best British film at the 1950 BAFTA awards – in the latter category, Cornelius' film lost to Carol Reed's masterpiece 'The Third Man (1949),' but it was in good company. Also nominated were the other Ealing classics, 'Kind Hearts and Coronets,' 'Whisky Galore!' and {a favourite of mine} 'A Run For Your Money.'

SPOILERS Many different comedy series nowadays have at one point or another experimented with the idea of obscure independence. In an early episode of cartoon "Family Guy" the Griffin family find their home is an independent nation to the United States of America and the story progresses from there. Way back in 1949 however, the Ealing Studios produced a wonderful little film along the same idea. After a child's prank, the residents of Pimlico discover a small fortune in treasure. At the inquest it becomes clear that the small area is a small outcrop of the long lost state of Burgundy. Withdrawing from London and the rest of Great Britain, the residents of the small street experience the joys and the problems with being an independent state. Based at a time when rationing was still in operation, this story is brilliantly told and equally inspiring. Featuring performances by Stanley Holloway, Betty Warren, Philip Stainton and a young Charles Hawtrey, the film is well stocked with some of the finest actors of their generation. These actors are well aided as well by a superb little script with some cracking lines. Feeling remarkably fresh, despite being over 50 years old, the story never feels awkward and always keeps the audience entertained. Ealing Studios was one of the finest exporters of British film ever in existence. With films like "Passport to Pimlico" it's not difficult to see why. Amusing from start to finish, the story is always fun and always worth watching.

I'm guessing that at the time this film was made the Welsh Nationalists with their penchant for turning signposts around to confuse English tourists were more or less inactive but now that a national newspaper in England is giving away several vintage Ealing comedies dating from the forties/fifties it's possible to read Tibby Clarke's screenplay as a satire on those misguided, hot-headed Taffs. Like the same stable's Hue and Cry London bomb-sites are a feature of this feature and it does arguably serve a function as living history although it's reasonable to suppose that much of it was shot in the studio. It's not so much difficult as virtually impossible to accept that a world like this ever existed, not so much the whimsical 'plot' as the lifestyles which are totally alien to anything we know today. If you're fairly undemanding and of a mind to time-travel to another galaxy then this may well hit the spot.

It's a nice idea. The residents of Pimlico separate from England courtesy of a discovered charter that aligns them with Burgundy. Stanley Holloway (Arthur Pemberton) leads the residents in their quest to have their own identity. Unfortunately, the film is made in that English way that is not ever funny, with comedy 'oom-pa-pa' music and lovable little blighters who are only ever irritating. It's a comedy, but an Ealing comedy, so it's not really funny. There is one memorably good moment which should serve as a blueprint for anyone who gets sacked. Policeman Philip Stainton (PC Spiller) is caught having a pint in the pub with the residents of the newly created region of Burgundy by his boss. "You're suspended!" comes the order, to which his immediate reply to his boss is "Oh well, I'll have another pint then". Very funny. I hope I get the opportunity to use that one day. Apart from that moment, the film is pretty dull with an overacting Margaret Rutherford playing the same role as she always does - an eccentric with a massive chin.

This dippy little movie is British humor (humour) at its best. When the London district of Pimlico discovers that it really is not English, the fun begins. Dear old Margaret Rutherford is delightful, as are the rest of the cast.

A bustling and, it is implied, unscrupulous gaggle of Britons waddles its way into the freshly, sloppily partitioned nation of Burgundy. For the new Burgundians, opportunity knocks on one door, while confusion beats down another. The cacophonous Nazi explosion that created Burgundy (and buried Pimlico) is now rivaled by the vociferous crowd, swarming through the former British district like Bedouins over the dunes of Arabia. T. E. B. Clarke's screenplay, "Passport to Pimlico," in its superior comedic handling of legal, logistical and practical civil nightmares, is one of best political parodies ever filmed. Like Clarke's later "The Lavender Hill Mob," "Passport" holds its knot to British underpinnings of dignity and grace under pressure; what remains so comedic about both stories, however, is the loss of such maintained hegemony. The direction, by veteran Henry Cornelius ("I Am a Camera," dramatic basis of "Cabaret"), is sure, confident in a way that resembles the careful work of a helmer filming a story of his own, which, in fact, he is (a conceptual collaboration with Clarke). It has been said that the two based their outline of "Passport to Pimlico" on the Canadian government's gift of a provincial `room' to the Netherlands. "Passport" is a great, funny, touching film, well known to subject historians and critics, worthy of popular re-discovery.