mark.waltz An accidental explosion in the London district of Pimlico leads to the discovery that almost 600 years ago, it belonged to the state of Burgundy, and evidence of this convinces the locales to cede from the mother country and create their own. This creates chaos amongst the law and order of the region, and before you know it, passports are required to go from other parts of London through Pimlico which now has its own customs agent before even crossing the channel over to the mainland. Later, barbed wire fences are installed and the water supply is cut off, but the London neighbors, aghast by this, begin showing the new country support in ways that Parliment didn't expect.This is a grand political comedy with dark overtones that really makes one think of how much we both love and hate our own individual governments, loyal to the ideals on which they were created, but aghast by the abuses the people in power take on. The locales of Pimlico here go haywire as the news breaks, a huge party at the local pub breaks out (with the constable on duty joining in!), and with the recent world war still having an effect on society, and rationing the law of England, the townsfolk break out their goods for sale and begin peddling them on the street as they had before the war. An all-star cast of some of England's greatest actors all deliver excellent performances, with Hermoine Baddley as a local dress shop keeper, Margaret Rutherford as a history expert, and Stanley Holloway as one of the local leaders standing out. Some of the references to British culture and trends may seem a bit foreign to American audiences, but it is a good way to learn a little bit of another culture and understand some of the slang terms (at least of the times) while having a good laugh at convention and the leadership of government which at some times still seems like schoolboys playing cops and robbers or cowboys and Indians. There's a very funny metaphor concerning the temperature which rises immediately upon ceding from England and the results of what happens when the plot is resolved.

scopitone Rarely am I this compelled to write a review but after watching Passport to Pimlico I have no choice. Truly the most invigorating, entertaining and joyful film experience I've had in too many years. Laugh out loud funny! Every positive review, and this is one of the few films on the IMDb without a negative, is spot on. I was charmed and captivated by each character and wish I lived in Burgundy. The only point I can add to the already, and rightfully so, glorious observations is that every performance in this film should be, and particularly by today's standards, Oscar nominated achievements. But as usual the caliber in general of all British actors is of the highest degree. I never sensed for a moment that a performance was given. Hail Burgundy!

bkoganbing Although sometimes it takes a bit of knowledge of foreign institutions to get some of the humor being imparted in a comedy like Passport To Pimlico in this case American audiences could have identified with it immediately. We had the same kind of price controls that were kept in place even after peace was declared in the USA and American moviegoers could have truly related to what the residents of Pimlico were going through.It's now peace in Europe as the United Kingdom as well as the rest of the continent start to rebuild after World War II. The residents of the London working class neighborhood of Pimlico one fine day have one of Mr. Hitler's unexploded calling cards go off on them. One of the leading citizens of Pimlico, green grocer Stanley Holloway goes down into the hole and comes up with treasure which the crown immediately claims. But he also uncovers a document which reveals that the last Duke of Burgundy did not die in 1477, but escaped and was granted asylum in England by Edward IV and given a royal charter for what is now the neighborhood of Pimlico. And along comes a Frenchman, Jean Dupuis who claims to be a descendant of the Duke and the current rightful Duke. He makes Holloway his prime minister.Getting a few city blocks declared foreign territory opens up some interesting possibilities, all exploited in Passport To Pimlico. It gets kind of wild there with London trams stopped for customs and immigration, when the black market can operate with impunity in these blocks, the local bank is nationalized by the new Burgundian government. It's all quite merry and done with style.Naturally this does come to an end though I will not say how. I have to also single out Margaret Rutherford as an eccentric history professor who is the one who translates the charter scroll and sets all this merriment in motion.The British public just as the American public was tired of the wartime rationing and price controls. Their movie-going public and our's both responded well to one of Ealing Studios best comedies of the era.

MartinHafer I commend pictures that try something different. Many films just seem like re-treads of old ideas, so that is the big reason I so strongly recommend Passport to Pimlico.The movie is set just after WW2 and the post-war shortages and rationing seem to be driving Londoners "barmy". The film centers on a tiny neighborhood in London called Pimlico. They, too, are sick of not being able to buy what they want but can see no way out of it. That is until they accidentally stumble upon a hidden treasure and a charter which officially named this neighborhood as a sovereign nation many hundreds of years ago! With this document, they reason, they can bypass all the rationing and coupons and live life just as they want, since it turns out they really AREN'T British subjects! Where the movie goes from there and how the crisis is ultimately resolved is something you'll need to see for yourselves. Leave it up the brilliant minds of Ealing Studios to come up with this gem!