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Passport to Pimlico
Passport to Pimlico film poster
Directed by	Henry Cornelius
Produced by	Michael Balcon
Written by	T.E.B. Clarke
Starring	Stanley Holloway Margaret Rutherford Barbara Murray
Distributed by	Eagle-Lion Films
Release date(s)	26 October 1949 (USA)
Running time	84 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Passport to Pimlico is a British comedy film made in 1948 by Ealing Studios. Margaret Rutherford, Stanley Holloway and Hermione Baddeley star under the direction of Henry Cornelius.

The script was written by T.E.B. Clarke and demonstrated his usual logical development of absurd ideas. Some scenes where the residents are refused passage out of their district into London by the authorities, and rely on supplies thrown over the dividing wall by well-wishers, were very topical because the film was made during the Berlin Blockade.

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Quotes 3 Credited Cast and Others 4 Trivia 5 External links

A bomb left over from the Second World War blows up in the Pimlico district of London. The explosion reveals a buried cellar, in which artwork, coins, jewellery and an ancient parchment document are found. When examined by Professor Hatton-Jones (Margaret Rutherford), it reveals that Pimlico was ceded to Charles VII ("the Rash"), the last Duke of Burgundy, a secret refugee several centuries ago. As the royal charter had never been revoked, Pimlico is legally the last remaining part of Burgundy. Local policeman P.C. Spiller (Philip Stainton) observes, "Blimey! I'm a foreigner!"

The British government has no legal jurisdiction and requires the Burgundians to form a committee according to the laws of the now-defunct dukedom. This is the only way the British will recognize and negotiate with the new nation. Ancient Burgundian law requires that the Duke himself appoint a council. Without one, all seems lost - until a young man from Dijon (Paul Dupuis) steps forward and proves that he is the heir to the dukedom. He duly forms a governing body; one of its members is the shrewd shopkeeper Arthur Pemberton (Stanley Holloway).

After a while, Burgundy and the rest of London realize that it is not subject to post-war rationing and other bureaucratic restrictions, and the district is quickly flooded with entrepreneurs, crooks and eager shoppers. But having left England without their passports, the bargain hunters have trouble returning home; as one policeman replies to an indignant woman, "Don't blame me Madam, if you choose to go abroad to do your shopping."

The Burgundians decide that two can play this game and stop an underground train dead in its tracks. "The train is now at the Burgundy frontier." explains an agent of the newly formed customs and excise department. They proceed to ask the passengers if they have anything to declare.

The infuriated British government announces its refusal to negotiate with a gun to its collective head. Burgundy is isolated, like post-war Berlin, and the residents are invited to "emigrate" to England. Ah, but the Burgundians are a fighting people and, though the children are evacuated, the adults stand fast. As Mrs. Pemberton (Betty Warren) puts it, "We've always been English and we'll always be English; and it's precisely because we are English that we're sticking up for our right to be Burgundians!"

Pimlico is cut off from electricity, food and water (though there's plenty of gin and crisps). The water problem is solved by a covert raid late one night, refilling the reservoir with hoses attached to the nearest fire hydrant on the British side of the border. Unfortunately, the food supply is spoiled when the cellar where it is being stored becomes flooded, and it appears that the Burgundians are beaten. Just in time, three Burgundian youngsters learn about this crisis and toss food across the border, setting an example for sympathetic Londoners; they begin throwing food parcels across the barrier in an improvised "airlift", echoing the one that ended the Berlin Blockade. Soon, others get into the act. A helicopter drops a hose to deliver milk. Even swine are parachuted in (a reference to the expression "when pigs fly" apparently).

Meanwhile, the government comes under public pressure to resolve the problem. It is now clear that defeating the Burgundians will be no easy task. The sticking point turns out to be the disposition of the unearthed treasure. At last, the local banker (Raymond Huntley) hits upon a novel solution: "A Burgundian loan to Britain!"

With negotiations successfully concluded, an outdoor banquet is prepared to welcome Burgundy back into the fold. Just as Big Ben strikes the hour of reunification, the Burgundians realise they truly are back in England, when the clouds part after a loud clap of thunder, and the heat wave is brought to a swift end by a torrential downpour, sending everyone scurrying for cover.

Connie Pemberton: We always were English and we'll always be English, and it's precisely because we are English that we're sticking up for our right to be Burgundians!

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P.C. Spiller: Blimey, I'm a foreigner.

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Edie Randall: Here's to the Burgundy Lido!

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Edie Randall [on the phone to England]: Give me your export department. That's right, your EXPORT department. THIS is BURGUNDY!

Stanley Holloway .... Arthur Pemberton
Betty Warren .... Connie Pemberton
Barbara Murray .... Shirley Pemberton
Paul Dupuis .... Duke of Burgundy
John Slater .... Frank Huggins
Jane Hylton .... Molly Reed
Raymond Huntley .... Mr. W.P.J. Wix
Philip Stainton .... P.C. Spiller
Roy Carr .... Benny Spiller
Sydney Tafler .... Frederick Albert 'Fred' Cowan
Nancy Gabrielle .... Mrs. Cowan
Michael Knight .... Monty Cowan
Hermione Baddeley .... Edie Randall
Roy Gladdish .... Charlie Randall
Frederick Piper .... Jim Garland
Charles Hawtrey .... Bert Fitch
Margaret Rutherford .... Professor Hatton-Jones
Stuart Lindsell .... Coroner
Naunton Wayne .... Straker
Basil Radford .... Gregg
Gilbert Davis .... Bagshawe
Michael Hordern .... Inspector Bashford
Arthur Howard .... Bassett
Bill Shine .... Captain
Harry Locke .... Sergeant
Sam Kydd .... Sapper
Joe E. Carr .... Dave Parsons
Lloyd Pearson .... Fawcett
Arthur Denton .... Customs Official
Tommy Godfrey .... Bus Conductor
James Hayter .... Commissionaire
Masoni .... Conjurer
Fred Griffiths .... Spiv
Grace Arnold .... Woman in underground
Paul Demel .... Central European

Winston Churchill .... Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Michael Craig .... (uncredited)
E.V.H. Emmett .... Newsreel Commentator (voice) (uncredited)
Bernard Farrel .... (uncredited)
Richard Hearne .... Nighttime drunk on bicycle (uncredited)
Arthur Lovegrove .... Tough Man on Underground Train (uncredited)
Frank Phillips .... Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

• A BBC Radio 4 adaptation was broadcast on January 20, 1996.

• A BBC television series with a similar premise, A Perfect State also appeared in 1996.

• A comparison can be made to Seborga in Italy.

• Passport to Pimlico at the Internet Movie Database