User reviews

They say that the Ealing era was the British film industry's finest hour. Today, they are certainly dated but in an inventive, often very funny way. Not quaint, nor sloppy, nor nostalgic. As such they are all very watchable (& enjoyable)

"Passport to..." to my mind, is the best that depicts the street level London directly after the War, with the close-knit community rallying round, but with that 'spirit' that saw them through the Blitz. So, there's wheeling and dealing, pushing their luck, practical jokes and a broad humour that's infectious.

The story is absolute mumbo-jumbo nonsense with the subliminal message mocking the bureaucratic minefield that was necessary in shaping a devastated Britain - and London. Job's worth petty rules fly in the face of common sense.

To my mind, this is the best Ealing that snapshots a time and a place - many of the scenes are shot out in the bombed-cleared areas rather than the studio. The cast are a ragbag of the well-knowns of the time and many, many extras from young ruffians to bowler-hatted officials. It's fun and can be watched many times over. This must be at least my sixth.

It must have seemed like a breath of fresh air at the time - years of the Ministries commanding everyone in that 'proper', clipped voice, about every little detail - which they all knew they had to dutifully do. And now, we can all have a 'right larf'! at their expense.

One of Ealing's most fondly remembered comedies and for good reason; it's another one of their "little man stands up to the establishment" films, this time with the people of Pimlico sticking by their rights to be independent from Whitehall. There are some problems with the set-up - most notably with the fact that many of the problems the Pimlico citizens get into are their own fault by deliberately spiting the British government (ridiculing the police a few minutes before demanding they have police protection is a good case in point) - but overall the film gets by with its charm and almost fantastical quaintness. The satirical edge has been blunted by the passing years but for a film over 55 years old it still stands up today rather well. A glimpse into another world, really, where everybody in the district knows each other and life goes on amongst glimpses of bombed out buildings following the Blitz (for more of this sort of thing, see the earlier "Hue and Cry").

The characters are an amiable lot and Stanley Holloway is a likable lead, embodying the Ealing Comedy spirit very well. Watch out also for a rather depressed pre-Carry On Charles Hawtrey, wandering in and out of the story at regular intervals. However, the absolutely wonderful Margaret Rutherford steals every one of her scenes, playing her eccentric, dotty old lady character as reliably and enjoyably as she ever did. I'm always amazed at how energetic her performances were. She was certainly one of British cinema's treasures.

"Pimlico", despite some story problems, remains a fun little picture that at 80 minutes doesn't out-stay its welcome, and probably gets better with repeated viewings. Well worth a go.

Brace yourself for a shock - according to a recently-discovered and authentic legal document that is centuries old, Brooklyn belongs to Iceland! Consequently, people travelling to and from Brooklyn must now carry a passport or visa, declare items of value at the Brooklyn Customs points, and perhaps even converse in Icelandic!

It is a similar, mind-bending assumption (with hilarious practical implications) that British viewers have to make when watching "Passport to Pimlico" (a London district near Buckingham Palace, no less). In the film, much of Pimlico (or "Burgundy" as it is now called) looks like a bomb-site, which it probably was still at that time in the aftermath of World War II.

As one of the so-called "Ealing comedies", it ranks alongside other films in this group like "Kind Hearts and Coronets" and "The Lavender Hill Mob" which parody - but in an affectionate way - various aspects of British social life. Conversation is always very parochial and petty. At the same time, this film preserves certain other conventions of the time - for example, there really was a restriction on how much money people could take out of Britain which lasted until the 1970s. In "Passport to Pimlico", people travelling on the underground railway have to declare there currency at the "Burgundy" Customs points. Above all, Margaret Rutherford stands out as the unworldly history professor with sweeping convictions. This charming films preserves a way of life which, though long gone, is not forgotten.

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.'

This very funny British comedy shows what might happen if a section of London, in this case Pimlico, were to declare itself independent from the rest of the UK and its laws, taxes & post-war restrictions. Merry mayhem is what would happen.

The explosion of a wartime bomb leads to the discovery of ancient documents which show that Pimlico was ceded to the Duchy of Burgundy centuries ago, a small historical footnote long since forgotten. To the new Burgundians, however, this is an unexpected opportunity to live as they please, free from any interference from Whitehall.

Stanley Holloway is excellent as the minor city politician who suddenly finds himself leading one of the world's tiniest nations. Dame Margaret Rutherford is a delight as the history professor who sides with Pimlico. Others in the stand-out cast include Hermione Baddeley, Paul Duplis, Naughton Wayne, Basil Radford & Sir Michael Hordern.

Welcome to Burgundy!

"Passport to Pimlico" is another delightful film from Ealing Studios, released in 1949. The stars include Stanley Holloway, Margaret Rutherford, Betty Warren, and Paul Dupuis.

It's after the war, and Pimlico still has many of the effects of a brutal bombing. While investigating one of the many holes made by the bombs, its residents discover a treasure -- and a treaty -- which shows that they are actually under the rule of Burgundy. The citizens break from the UK so that it can keep the treasure, and all manner of mayhem begins. There is a mad stream of vendors selling rationed and duty-free goods, and a mad stream of people coming in to buy them. The police are useless since they're British and no one pays any attention to them. A relative of the original Duke of Burgundy is found and becomes the town's leader. After trying to solve the problem and becoming frustrated, the British government sets up a customs desk and in order to enter the town, one needs a passport.

It's all pretty hilarious, and the government tries everything it can to bring its former citizens into line, including turning off the water and starving them out. The townsmen sneak out at night and turn on the water, and town becomes a cause celebre, with people throwing food over the fence.

Very funny political send-up. Highly recommended.

I commend pictures that try something different. Many films just seem like re-treads of old ideas, so that is the big reason I so strongly recommend Passport to Pimlico.

The movie is set just after WW2 and the post-war shortages and rationing seem to be driving Londoners "barmy". The film centers on a tiny neighborhood in London called Pimlico. They, too, are sick of not being able to buy what they want but can see no way out of it. That is until they accidentally stumble upon a hidden treasure and a charter which officially named this neighborhood as a sovereign nation many hundreds of years ago! With this document, they reason, they can bypass all the rationing and coupons and live life just as they want, since it turns out they really AREN'T British subjects! Where the movie goes from there and how the crisis is ultimately resolved is something you'll need to see for yourselves. Leave it up the brilliant minds of Ealing Studios to come up with this gem!

Maybe the most ¨Ealingish¨ of the Ealing comedies, celebrating the cosy sense of wartime togetherness recaptured through a surprising discovery that set-up a restriction-free, but soon beleaguered and ration-hit state. It starts with a detonation of an unexploded World War II bomb in Pimlico, London, England, which reveals a treasure trove. Pimlico's inhabitants find documents saying they belong to Burgundy and promptly secede from UK. The accidental residents find documents proving that the region is, in fact, part of Burgundy, it then becomes a foreign territory. The British government attempts to regain control by setting up border controls and cutting off services to the area. Pimlico is the home of hilarity! To Fun! To Laughter! Laugh your way to happiness !. It's the wittiest comedy in years!. French Goings-On In The Heart Of London !.

An enjoyable and sympathetic British comedy dealing with inhabitants find valuable documents and subsequent developments bring a chuckle a minute. A brilliant idea from a genial novel from Arthur La Bern and nice screenplay by Angus MacPhail, Robert Hamer and director Henry Cornelius himself; however, the satirical possibilities are never really explored. The movie is neverthesless carried along on a wave of zany inventiveness hit by sanctions, the Burgundians promptly respond by having customs officers patrol the tube trains passing through their territory, while an amiable casting does pretty well. Possibly the best movie Ealing Studios made, a delightfully inventive comedy, brilliantly executed by filmmaker Henry Cornelius. It displays a dazzling cast headed by Stanley Holloway and special mention for Margaret Rutherford as the history don quivering with ecstasy over the historical significance of the discovery of the ancient Burgurdian charter. Adding other fine Brit secondaries, such as: Betty Warren, Barbara Murray, Paul Dupuis, John Slater, Jane Hylton, Raymond Huntley, Hermione Baddeley, among others .

It contains an atmospheric cinematography in black and white by Lionel Banes. As well as a sensitive and evocative musical score by Georges Auric. The motion picture was well directed by Henry Cornelius. He was a comedy expert , a craftsman from Ealing studios whose main architect was Michael Balcon, including films as Passport to Pimlico (1949), The Galloping Major (1951), Genevieve 1953), I am a camera (1955) , although also directed a thriller as It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) . Passport to Pimlico(1949) rating: 6.5/10. Notable and better than average.

This is a very funny Ealing comedy about a community in central London who, through an unusual set of circumstances, discover they are not English, but are an annex of the French province of Burgundy.

The film features comic actor Stanley Holloway (best known as Alfred Doolittle in MY FAIR LADY), as well as a host of other classic comic actors of the period.

The story was apparently based on a news item at the time, when the Canadian Government "officially" gave a hotel room to a visiting European member of royalty. The idea actually reminded me of the real-life case of the Hutt River Province in Western Australia, where a landowner "seceded" from the Australian Government due to a wool quota dispute. (It was never acknowledged by the Western Australian or Australian Governments).

This is a great script that plays with a lot of political and economic issues, rather like the TV show "Yes Minister"; as well as being a great little eccentric character piece as well.

Yet another charming but sharp Ealing Comedy, as so many of them were. Yes, the premise is fanciful, yet the writing, characterisation and direction skilfully take the viewer along with it, along the way making witty observations on the black economy, big government bureaucracy and community spirit.

Making good use of war-battered London locations and topical issues like rationing and the recent extended heat wave, the film has a terrific sense of place and with its employment of numerous principal characters and crowd scenes, easily sucks the viewer into the action while the screenplay by turns lionises as well as satirises identifiable British traits like opportunism to make easy money, support for the underdog and naturally that old staple, the stiff upper lip.

There are several memorable scenes like those where the characters break the fourth wall in speaking directly to the camera, the age-old use of newspaper headlines to carry the story along and one in particular when a flying pig is symbolically sent to the Pimlico residents in their time of need.

There are several identifiable actors in the large cast such as Stanley Baker as the unofficial president of the new principality, Margaret Rutherford as a blustery local expert and it was surprising to see the young Charles Hawtrey before he carried on playing the weedy effeminate character which typecast him in later years.

The beauty of these Ealing Comedies is the way they address contemporary issues in a witty and entertaining way by touching on universal themes as here of greed, neighbourliness and independence, amongst many others.

This was the first Ealing comedy to be commercially released and it helped set the mark for the disparate but always entertaining series of films to emerge under the moniker.

Very funny, well-crafted, well-acted, meticulous attention to detail. A real window into a specific time and place in history. Could almost believe this was a true story in a parallel universe. Interesting how Passport to Pimlico anticipates the Berlin airlift. A definite 10.

I remembered watching this a few years back, and not enjoying it, but as is so often the case with films, a second viewing painted a different picture. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and had a much greater appreciation for it.

It's not a bawdy comedy, but it does have some laughs, and of course benefits from the presence of the wonderful Margaret Rutherford. Whilst I still feel she's not in it long enough, but when she's there, she's glorious. Holloway is great here.

What's more remarkable are the scenes of The Uk in 1949 post war, incredible to look at.

The story is lovely, and for the time I imagine would have represented a huge piece of escapism for those that watched it.

Charming, 7/10.

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.

When an unexploded bomb goes up in a street in the London area of Pimlico, it exposes a cave containing goblets, gold, art and other valuable artefacts. The gold is immediately claimed by the crown, but expert Professor Hatton-Jones comes forward with a royal charter that proves the area is legally Burgundy. With their newfound independence, the residents scrap rationing, opening hours and adopt an altogether more continental lifestyle. However Whitehall cuts them off, leaving Pimlico overrun by undesirables seeking refuge from England's laws. Things get harder as the political tensions between the two `countries' increase.

In true Ealing fashion, this is a gently comic satire on the British way of rule. In Pimlico, the residents are fast to turn their back on England in favour of a life outside of rationing and rules. Needless to say things don't go quite as they planned. As a satire, it doesn't totally work as not all it's points and digs are on target - in fact at times I wasn't sure what it was aiming at. However this is not to say that it isn't consistently amusing because it is. The basic plot is enjoyably slick and reminded me in essence of The Mouse That Roared. The laughs are rarely belly laughs but it produced a consistent chuckle in me as it was rather disarming and enjoyable. The more fanciful it becomes the more whimsical it feels - it never gets silly because the tone is so well pitched throughout to avoid it being daft at any point.

I nearly fell off my seat when I read another review on this page that said the cast were a bunch of unknowns! If you don't recognise at least six or seven faces with ease then this must be your first ever British comedy made pre-1960. Holloway, Huntley, Tafler and all the leads are all as good as ever and the bonus of Margaret Rutherford and some really memorable dialogue just makes things better. Even for those only familiar with the Carry On chapter of British comedy we have Charles Hawtrey in a young looking appearance here. Everyone handles the material very well and many of them are blessed with some sparky dialogue.

Overall this is an enjoyable little film that has digs at the British government and way of life but ultimately acknowledges England as the best place to be - for all it's rain, low temperatures and taxation, it's better than going it alone! A witty little film that will please any audience that is in the mood for a bit of Ealing whimsy (and who isn't?).

I am a great fan of Ealing comedies, but to be honest "Passport to Pimlico" is one of the weaker ones that I have seen so far.

Looking at the storyline I can imagine that it appealed to Post World War Two taste, but it hasn't aged well.

In the damaged streets of Pimlico (a neighbourhood in central London) a treasure is found. Part of this treasure is a document which reveals that Pimlico is part of Burgundy, and the Duke of Burgundy is head of state.

After the document is found the residents of Pimlico go through three phases.

In phase 1 there is euforia. All sorts of British regulations are no longer binding, for example food rationing (the film was made a couple of years after World War Two) and closing times of pubs.

In phase 2 there is panic. Pimlico has to make its own regulations and has to work out how to cooperate (or not cooperate ) with the United Kingdom, which fully surrounds the new Duchy. How to deal for example with the undergound that traverses Pimlico's territory?

In phase 3 there is a happy reunion with the United Kingdom. The reunion is celebrated with a dinner party in the open air, but (in a perfect example of English self-mockery) at the moment of reunion the weather changes from French to English and the rain starts to pour.

It could be that in 1949 the solidarity and togetherness of the residents of Pimlico during especially phase 2 was liked very much, reminding of the solidarity during World War Two that was slowly fading away four years later. Seventy years later people having a personal rememberance to the Second World War are becoming scarce and for Post World War Two viewers the storyline maybe a little far fetched. As already mentioned, the film had not aged well or the spectators have changed, what is essentially saying the same thing.

An element that does have aged well is however the perfomance of Margarate Rutherford as the eccentric Professor Hatton-Jones (the Professor that interprets the old document). She would later become Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in four films.

Even when it was made Passport to Pimlico attempted to transport the viewer to another world – one in which the sun shone constantly and young girls sunbathed on rooftops. The film's very first shot takes us from that rooftop down to real life on the streets still littered with the rubble of homes destroyed in the blitz. It's very much a wish-fulfilment story, aimed squarely at the working classes, who suffered the most during the war, and deliberately invoking the spirit of the blitz (while snubbing its nose at authority figures) at a time when post-war austerity had begun to take some of the shine off military victory.

The film succeeds very well in what it sets out to do, creating a terrific sense of atmosphere and a them-against-us, small-man-against-the system, victory of the underdog scenario that draws the viewer in. The film also follows a quite logical path, with the immediate influx of black-market profiteers infesting the street with their stalls. Of course, today it would be the looters who massed in double-quick time.

The film zips along at a great pace, slowed only by the unnecessary romance between the Duke of Burgundy and Stanley Holloway's daughter, and is filled with peculiarly British moments of humour; the barking dog that wipes the smile from the water diviner's face after his stick has suddenly pointed towards the ground, and one policeman being hotly pursued by another both come to mind. It's just a shame that Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne as a pair of Whitehall mandarins are so shamefully under-used.

If you like Brit comedies from the forties and fifties you won't need introducing to this one but, if you're curious, this film is probably as good a starting point as you could hope to find.

Generally well-regarded as an Ealing classic, PASSPORT TO PIMLICO is an acceptable comedy by modern standards, although it does feel noticeably dated and rather tame in its wit. The simple storyline is the best part of it: an excavation uncovers some old historical documents that 'prove' that Pimlico isn't actually part of the British Isles at all, so it becomes a micro state.

While the set-up is a decent one, the rest of the film seems somewhat muddled and unfocused with the humour in absence for the most part. It's fun to see Ealing regulars like Stanley Holloway going through the paces, but otherwise this is merely a string of set-pieces. The climactic scenes of crowd feeding are good fun but otherwise this is a film that lacks the biting wit of modern political satires.

One of the most fun parts of the film is seeing Naunton Wayne and Basil Radford, those two delightful cricket-loving gentlemen from THE LADY VANISHES, teaming up again for some double-act work. Keen eyes will spot Charles Hawtrey a decade or so before CARRY ON made him big.

This Ealing comedy, like so many others, has such an interesting and entertaining story that you don't always notice the clever and rather perceptive touches. It takes an unlikely, bizarre situation and makes it completely believable, just by drawing things out to their logical extremes. A solid cast and a good dose of British dry wit also help out.

Stanley Holloway heads the cast, as one of a small group of Londoners who, as the result of an offbeat chain of events, find themselves declared subjects of Burgundy. As things proceed, one wacky development after another follows, but each one is simply a perfectly logical (or perhaps perfectly illogical) extension of the previous one.

It's a fine satire on the whole structure of arbitrary procedures and policies that go along with governments, borders, and the like. It also focuses its share of attention on human nature in general, since the hapless but sympathetic 'Burgundians' also have their own foibles. It works by creating sympathy for them simply because they are normal, everyday people like the rest of us, caught up in an unprecedented situation.

The settings are the kind of straightforward, convincing sets that you usually expect from Ealing, and they help in creating the contrast between daily life and the unexpected disruptions that the characters now face. Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne also add quite a bit, as a pair of high-level bureaucrats who seem more interested in deflecting responsibility than in getting problems solved. Things fit together quite well to make a movie that is enjoyable and insightful at the same time.

Although sometimes it takes a bit of knowledge of foreign institutions to get some of the humor being imparted in a comedy like Passport To Pimlico in this case American audiences could have identified with it immediately. We had the same kind of price controls that were kept in place even after peace was declared in the USA and American moviegoers could have truly related to what the residents of Pimlico were going through.

It's now peace in Europe as the United Kingdom as well as the rest of the continent start to rebuild after World War II. The residents of the London working class neighborhood of Pimlico one fine day have one of Mr. Hitler's unexploded calling cards go off on them. One of the leading citizens of Pimlico, green grocer Stanley Holloway goes down into the hole and comes up with treasure which the crown immediately claims. But he also uncovers a document which reveals that the last Duke of Burgundy did not die in 1477, but escaped and was granted asylum in England by Edward IV and given a royal charter for what is now the neighborhood of Pimlico. And along comes a Frenchman, Jean Dupuis who claims to be a descendant of the Duke and the current rightful Duke. He makes Holloway his prime minister.

Getting a few city blocks declared foreign territory opens up some interesting possibilities, all exploited in Passport To Pimlico. It gets kind of wild there with London trams stopped for customs and immigration, when the black market can operate with impunity in these blocks, the local bank is nationalized by the new Burgundian government. It's all quite merry and done with style.

Naturally this does come to an end though I will not say how. I have to also single out Margaret Rutherford as an eccentric history professor who is the one who translates the charter scroll and sets all this merriment in motion.

The British public just as the American public was tired of the wartime rationing and price controls. Their movie-going public and our's both responded well to one of Ealing Studios best comedies of the era.