Rent Passport to Pimlico (1949)

3.7 of 5 from 159 ratings
1h 21min
Rent Passport to Pimlico Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
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Synopsis:
When an unexploded WWII bomb is unexpectedly detonated in Pimlico, it reveals a buried cellar full of treasures, including an ancient document proving that the area is in fact part of Burgundy, France and thus foreign territory. In an attempt to regain control, the British Government set up borders and cut off all services to the area, but the 'Burgundians' are determined to fight back!
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , , , Roy Gladdish, , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Michael Balcon
Voiced By:
E.V.H. Emmett, Frank Phillips
Writers:
T.E.B. Clarke
Others:
T. E. B. Clarke
Studio:
Optimum
Genres:
Classics, Comedy
Collections:
A History of Cricket Films, Cinema's Most Memorable Comedy Double Acts, Drama Films & TV, Fictional British Prime Ministers On Screen, Films & TV by topic, Films to Watch If You Like..., A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 British Actresses of the 1940s, Top 100 BFI Films, Top Films, What to Watch Next If You Liked Scrooge
BBFC:
Release Date:
21/06/2004
Run Time:
81 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
Colour
BBFC:
Release Date:
11/06/2012
Run Time:
84 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Interview with BFI Curator Mark Duguid
  • Locations Featurette with Film Historian Richard Dacre
  • Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
  • Restoration Comparison
  • Restored Trailer

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Reviews (1) of Passport to Pimlico

Pimlico Votes Remain (spoiler). - Passport to Pimlico review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
18/04/2023

This popular Ealing comedy is a first draft of national myth making about London's response to the blitz. The unexpected explosion of a dormant German bomb reveals buried medieval treasure... and a mysterious deed which indicates that Pimlico isn't part of Britain at all, but a fiefdom of the Duke of Burgundy...

And therefore isn't subject to the austerity laws of postwar Britain. So the locals all rip up their ration books and identity cards. The action is staged around a bomb site and the film builds a perverse nostalgia for the war, when people pulled together. The children are evacuated, and everyone makes do. 

Given opportunity, leaders emerge, like Stanley Holloway who wants to use the windfall to develop social projects. Raymond Huntley turns his bank branch into the treasury. Margaret Rutherford shines as the excitable Professor who explains the historical back story. Ultimately the locals accept that deregulation leads to anarchy, and rejoin the UK.

There are the standard motifs of Ealing comedy, like the dreaded men from the Ministry, and the resourcefulness of the community, but the politics is muted. Though a shortish film, the interesting set up is overextended, and the satire is very gentle. However the ensemble cast makes it fun.  Don't miss those Brexit parallels!

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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