Passport To Pimlico (DVD)

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Outstanding
Special Effects	Unmemorable
How does it compare to similar films?	Good

Advantages:	Gentle comedy, great characters and actors, Ealing Comedy
Disadvantages:	Outdated for some

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

**************************** NO SPOILERS ***************************

Pimlico as a name certainly has an unusual twang to it and does sound almost foreign, yet it is a borough of London. Passport to Pimlico is one of the now classic comedies which came out of the Ealing Studios, during their prime in the 1940's and 1950's. This gentle comedy is set in the era, just after the Second World War, when rationing is still very much in operation. During a long hot summer, the discovery of an unexploded bomb eventually leads to an exciting discvery, which may lead the citizens of Pimlico to an apparent means of solving their shortages. A lot of this film was made on a set which was erected on a cleared bomb site in London.

This film has delightful characters and a wealth of those actors and actresses, who were my favourites during my childhood. It is filmed in black and white which certainly fits the time. The post war years were quite austere and houses and the environment of cities and towns tended to be rather grey. For younger viewers, the setting may seem a little strange. However for myself, and others of my generation, they were the norm. I was brought up in a city which had suffered heavy bombing during the war and we had many waste areas or 'bombies' as we called them close by. They were great for playing on and were just an accepted part of that time. Nowadays these areas which had previously housed homes which had been bombed would seem odd to say the least.

However whether you are young or old this film has much to offer. It shows the determination of British people and the idiocy of bureaucracy. The dogged stubbornness of the Citizens of Pimlico, or Burgundy, as it becomes known has all the 'Spirit of the War'. There are some great characters such as:

Stanley Holloway as Arthur Pemberton who plays a feisty character who is one of the mainstays of the plot.
The wonderful Margaret Rutherford as eccentric Professor Hatton-Jones is only a minor player in this film but as always brings her own slightly mad style to the performance.
A young Charles Hawtry plays a minor role.
A young John Slater, who went on to Z Cars fame, plays the love smitten Frank Huggins.
Sydney Taffler, a well known actor of the day, plays Fred Cowan.
Barbara Murray as Shirley Pemberton.
Paul Dupuis as the charming Duke of Burgundy provides the love interest.
Hermione Baddely as Edie Randall.
Sam Kydd as Sapper.
Michael Hordern as Inspector Bashford.
Betty Warren as Connie Pemberton.
There are many more players, with both large and small roles, but I have just mentioned the ones whose names you may know. Most of the players in this film are sadly no logger alive, let alone acting. The majority of the players in this film were either famous names at the time or were to become famous in the years that followed.

I found it interesting to discover that the plot of this film evolved somewhat from war-time events. Apparently when the Dutch Royal family were in exile in Canada, the small area that they occupied was declared Dutch territory. This was done to satisfy Dutch law that demanded members of the royal family be born on Dutch soil.

The comedy of this film is gentle. There are comical observations of English citizens and their behaviour. The red tape of Whitehall is the same then as now. The camaraderie in the face of adversity, which the Cockneys of Pimlico all experience is amusing and heart-warming. These characters go from strict restrictions to a time of anything goes, which leads to a feeling of being ostracised, before they are welcomed back into the fold of Great Britain. Eventually they realise that the restrictions are a small price to pay and that the benefits of being English outweigh the bad. However as one character states in the film 'It is their right as English Citizens to not be English Citizens'. If you watch the film, this will not seem as nonsensical a statement as it seems initially.

I have not really given any of the plot away and so if you have never seen this film but enjoy the nostalgic type of comedy which is Ealing Comedy give this film a try. There is nothing offensive in the film and it is suitable for any age of viewer. However I doubt that it will appeal to the very young.

The Cast
Stanley Holloway - Arthur Pemberton
Betty Warren - Connie Pemberton
Barbara Murray - Shirley Pemberton
Paul Dupois - Duke of Burgandy
Margaret Rutherford - Proffessor Hatton-Jones
John Slater - Frank Huggins
Jane Hylton - Molly
Raymond Huntley - Wix
Phillip Stainton - P.C. Spiller
Sydney Tafler - Fred Cowen
Frederick Piper - Garland
Naunton Wayne - Straker
Basil Radford - Gregg
Michael Hordern - Insp Bashford
Charles Hawtrey - Bert Fitch

Director: Henry Cornelius.
Assistant Director: Gordon Scott.
Producer: Michael Balcon.
Associate Producer: E.V.H. Emmett.
Script: T.E.B. Clarke.
Cinematography: Lionel Banes.
Art Direction: Roy Oxley.
Costume Design: Anthony Mendleson.
Make-Up Artist: Ernest Taylor.
Editing: Michael Truman.
Sound: Stephen Dalby.
Music: Georges Auric.
Conductor: Ernest Irving.

Can be purchased cheaply from most DVD suppliers.

Thanks for reading
Copyright Eiley 2007