Movies - Passport To Pimlico

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Passport To Pimlico

	Movies - Passport To Pimlico

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 story concerns the residents of Pimlico in post-war London. Following the explosion of a bomb left over from the Second World War, a buried cellar is discovered, in which artworks, coins, jewellery and an ancient parchment are found. The document is examined by Professor Hatten-Jones (Margaret Rutherford) who claims that it proves Pimlico, a small area in London, to be independent from the United Kingdom. It is in fact part of the ancient Dukedom of Burgundy, granted to the last Duke several hundred years ago. A Frenchman comes forward, stating that he is heir to the Dukedom, long thought to be extinct, and to claim his rights.

Pimlico declares independence and becomes what is now called a micronation. The residents of the area form a government, headed by the Duke, the local bank manager and the shop owner Mr Pemberton (Stanley Holloway). They negotiate with the British government, which takes them very seriously, but, faced with starvation and bankruptcy, they eventually agree to rejoin the UK. Upon reintegration into the United Kingdom, a heavy downfall of rain hits Pimlico, symbolising the end of their experiment and repatriation.

The script was written by T.E.B. Clarke and demonstrated his usual logical development of absurd ideas. Some scenes where the residents of the new nation 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.

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

A comparison can be made with the case of Seborga, an equally fictional entity, coterminous with a village in Italy.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Passport To Pimlico ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Passport To Pimlico; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay