By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Dec. 31, unless otherwise noted: Passport to Pimlico (Blu-ray) Details: 1949, Film Movement Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Britain’s Ealing Studios produced a series of classic comedies, many of them whimsical, such as “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” “The Lavender Hill Mob” and “The Ladykillers.” “Passport to Pimlico” is another of these comedies. This satire deals with bureaucratic red tape, restrictions and rationing in postwar Britain. An unexploded World War II-era bomb detonates in the Pimlico district of London, unearthing a long-buried cellar that contains fabulous riches and an unknown 15th-century royal charter from King Edward IV that decrees that Pimlico can be recognized in perpetuity as Burgundian soil. The charter has never been rescinded, thus making Pimlico the long-lost Duchy of Burgundy. As such, Pimlico is no longer subject to British law, which includes rationing and, more importantly, pub closing hours. The residents of Pimlico do their upmost to take advantage of the situation, while the government pushes back very sternly. This droll feature was written by T.E.B. Clarke, who also wrote “The Lavender Hill Mob,” and was directed by Henry Cornelius. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best writing, story & screenplay. It stars Stanley Holloway, Betty Warren, Margaret Rutherford Hermione Baddeley, Paul Dupuis and Basil Radford.
New to View: Dec. 31
New to View: Dec. 31
New to View: Dec. 31
By Bob Bloom The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Dec. 31, unless otherwise noted: Passport to Pimlico (Blu-ray) Details: 1949, Film Movement Classics Rated: Not rated The lowdown: In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Britain’s Ealing Studios produced a series of classic comedies, many of them whimsical, such as “Kind Hearts and Coronets,” “The Lavender Hill Mob” and “The Ladykillers.” “Passport to Pimlico” is another of these comedies. This satire deals with bureaucratic red tape, restrictions and rationing in postwar Britain. An unexploded World War II-era bomb detonates in the Pimlico district of London, unearthing a long-buried cellar that contains fabulous riches and an unknown 15th-century royal charter from King Edward IV that decrees that Pimlico can be recognized in perpetuity as Burgundian soil. The charter has never been rescinded, thus making Pimlico the long-lost Duchy of Burgundy. As such, Pimlico is no longer subject to British law, which includes rationing and, more importantly, pub closing hours. The residents of Pimlico do their upmost to take advantage of the situation, while the government pushes back very sternly. This droll feature was written by T.E.B. Clarke, who also wrote “The Lavender Hill Mob,” and was directed by Henry Cornelius. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best writing, story & screenplay. It stars Stanley Holloway, Betty Warren, Margaret Rutherford Hermione Baddeley, Paul Dupuis and Basil Radford.