Review of Passport to Pimlico (1949) by Stuart K — 23 Apr 2012

From Ealing Studios, with a high concept script by T.E.B. Clarke and directed by Henry Cornelius (who later directed Genevieve (1953)), this is a very good comedy with a good central idea that could happen anywhere in the world, luckily, Ealing kept it close to home and kept it very English.

In Pimlico, a district of London, some kids playing with a large tyre cause it to roll down a hole, which sets off an unexploded bomb from World War 2. In the hole is access to a buried cellar which contains gold, jewelry and an old ancient royal parchment.

The parchment is studied by Professor Hatton-Jones (Margaret Rutherford), who discovers it to be a royal charter going back to the time of Edward IV, which decrees that Pimlico is legally part of Burgundy in France.

The residents of Pimlico, including shopkeeper Arthur Pemberton (Stanley Holloway) and his wife Connie (Betty Warren) and policeman P.C. Spiller (Philip Stainton) use this to their advantage, as the British government have no legal powers in Pimlico.

So they drink after hours and tear up their ration books. Now the government have to find a solution to the Pimlico problem. It's a very funny idea, and it works well on screen with a good little ensemble, (look out for a young Charles Hawtrey as well), but this is what you'd expect from Ealing at that time, a group of people in an unusual situation, and using it to their advantage.