THE NOVEL PLOT OF LITTLE-KNOWN EALING COMEDY "PASSPORT TO PIMLICO" (1949) ONLY UNDERLINES HOW BANKRUPT OF IMAGINATION HOLLYWOOD IS THESE DAYS. While Hollywood can't seem to come up with a single original or interesting idea nowadays, PASSPORT TO PIMLICO features one of the most delightful ideas for comedy going. Post-war England is still feeling the sting of rationing and the menace of UXB (unexploded bombs) left over from the Blitz. During a stifling summer heat wave, some kids accidentally detonate a UXB in the tiny Pimlico section of London uncovering a secret buried cache of treasure as well as some ancient documents. These documents provide evidence that the small area of Pimlico actually is French soil belonging to the Duke of Burgundy. Initial incredulity soons give way to the realization that Pimlico, being foreign soil, is not subject to British laws and restrictions i.e. ration books! The residents start buying as much stockings or meat or sugar as they want and happily disregard pub closing times. When the local British authorities protest, they are dismissed as a foreign government. However, the King's officials will not be put off so easily; they promptly shut off all utilities running into Pimlico so the residents must do without electricity, water and even food. Much like in the London blitz, children are evacuated out of Pimlico (aka Burgundy) while the adults soldier on defiantly. As the "Burgundians" are about to give in due to starvation and lack of washing during a heat wave, a little girl throws a bit of food over the barricades. Quickly, all the Londoners gathered at the barricades start lobbing food over to the Burgundians giving them strength to fight on. The lack of water is solved by a night-time raid to siphon off fire hydrant water into a huge cistern on the Pimlico side. In the midst of all this, a dotty old professor offers her help in substantiating the Burgundian claim to Pimlico and the last descendant of the old Duke of Burgundy arrives to lead his newly-found people.

This is a gentle, witty and genuinely funny Ealing comedy which plays out every thread the plot sets up. Directed by Henry (I AM A CAMERA) Cornelius with restraint, the film is character driven. And those characters are filled by another fine example of the seemingly bottomless cache of great British character actors which is an embarrassment of riches for the British nation. Headed, of course, by delightful old Stanley Holloway (MY FAIR LADY, THE LAVENDER HILL MOB and BRIEF ENCOUNTER) the rest of the cast includes Hermione Baddeley (known to U.S> TV audiences as Bea Arthur's maid Mrs. Naugatuck on MAUDE as well as from MARY POPPINS and BRIGHTON ROCK), Raymond Huntley (the stage's first DRACULA as well as appearing in Hammer's THE MUMMY, I'M ALL RIGHT, JACK and BREATHLESS), Margaret Rutherford (veteran of countless Miss Marple movies as well as BLITHE SPIRIT and I'M ALL RIGHT JACK), French-Canadian actor Paul Dupuis, Charles Hawtrey (of countless CARRY ON films as Will Hay vehicles), the seemingly forever-teamed-together Naunton Wayne & Basil Radford (of DEAD OF NIGHT), Jane Hylton (CIRCUS OF HORRORS), John Slater (Powell & Pressburger's A CANTERBURY TALE and WENT THE DAY WELL), Betty Warren (SO LONG AT THE FAIR), Barbara Murray (the 1982 DOCTOR WHO story "BLACK ORCHID") and even an extremely young Sir Michael Hordern (WHISTLE AND I'LL COME TO YOU) as a town official.

AND YOU ARE ABLE TO WATCH THE ENTIRE MOVIE "PASSPORT TO PIMLICO" BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK TO THE INTERNET ARCHIVE.