In the post-World War II years the small English studio Ealing Films was known for its popular comedies extolling the virtues of British nationalism and community spirit, qualities still strong after the solidarity and hardships experienced throughout their prolonged resistance to Germany's attacks.
It's that spirit which infuses the folksy Ealing comedy PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (Film Movement Classics, 1949), in which a heretofore unexploded bomb goes off under the streets of the small titular community and unearths a treasure as well as some very old documents proving that the surrounding land is actually the property of the Duke of Burgundy.
Being citizens of a foreign land suddenly exempts the Pimlicans from British rule including oppressive rationing, bringing on a chaotic onslaught of black market selling in the streets as well as the disregard of all British laws governing alcohol consumption, business hours, various civic ordinances, and the like.
The script by T.E.B. Clarke (THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT, THE LAVENDER HILL MOB) is alternately breezy and dry, with a likable cast of characters including a young (!) Hermione Badderly as local dress shop owner Edie Randall, Margaret Rutherford (the "Miss Marple" films) as learned historian Professor Hatton-Jones, and Stanley Holloway (IN HARM'S WAY) as the dry goods merchant Arthur Pemberton, who will become the tiny territory's prime minister when the current Duke of Burgundy shows up to serve as its benign leader.
A welcome sense of liberation ensues in which viewers of the time could vicariously cast off the shackles of post-war austerity and imagine the freedom of drinking and dancing all night and indulging in whatever material luxuries they could afford, which were suddenly available for easy purchase.
Much is also made of the conflicts that naturally occur between the Pimlicans and the British government involving customs, border issues, and other concerns which come to a head when the underground railway is stopped at the border and anyone not carrying a passport is denied further progress.
More solidarity and cheerful rebelliousness ensue when supplies and even water are cut off from the already drought-stricken town, forcing them to resort to desperate schemes even as the British public, sympathetic to their plight, begins to offer material aid as well.
This leads to a rousing scene in which the Brits happily toss foodstuffs over a barbed-wire barrier surrounding the town into their waiting arms. The sequence brings home the film's feelgood atmosphere and sense of national spirit prevailing over bureaucratic entanglements.
Meanwhile, the story finds time to dwell on the endearing qualities of its main characters, simple folk just making the best of things and looking out for one another despite occasional differences. Romance also sneaks into the story as the Duke finds himself smitten with one of the town's young ladies who is already the object of a local boy's affections.
As you might guess, all is well by the time PASSPORT TO PIMLICO reaches its celebratory ending, and although I myself never got that drawn into it on a personal level, I found it quite pleasant and uplifting in its own homely sort of way.
Buy it from Film Movement
Film Movement Classics
1949
84 Minutes
United Kingdom
English
Classics, Comedy
Not Rated
Sound: Mono
Discs: 1
Blu-ray Features
Interview with BFI Curator Mark Duguid
Locations Featurette with Film Historian Richard Dacre
Restoration comparison
Stills gallery
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