Passport to Pimlico (1949) on Netflix
A wartime bomb uncovers treasure and a charter proving Pimlico belongs to Burgundy. Shopkeeper Arthur Pemberton becomes prime minister of the enclave, which must negotiate with the government.
- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb7.1/105,974 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes94%
Trailer
Plot summary
In London, an unexploded bomb goes off in Miramont Gardens, Pimlico, and opens a buried cellar holding artwork, coins, jewelry and a manuscript. Professor Hatton-Jones identifies the document as a charter of Edward IV that gave a house and its lands to Charles, the last Duke of Burgundy, after he was thought dead at the 1477 Battle of Nancy. Because the charter was never revoked, the area is declared legally Burgundian. Britain has no jurisdiction, so the residents must form a committee under Burgundian law before talks can start. Sébastien de Charolais arrives to claim the ducal title, and Professor Hatton-Jones confirms it. He appoints a council that includes the policeman Spiller, the bank manager Mr. Wix and the shopkeeper Arthur Pemberton, who becomes prime minister. The council opens negotiations with the British government, chiefly about the unearthed treasure.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Passport to Pimlico (1949)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- T. E. B. Clarke's original story was inspired by a Second World War incident in which the Canadian government declared the maternity ward of Ottawa Civic Hospital extraterritorial so that Princess Juliana of the Netherlands could give birth on Dutch soil and her baby would keep a right to the throne.
- Passport to Pimlico is set during Britain's 1947 heatwave, yet Henry Cornelius filmed it through 1948's abnormally wet summer; the bad weather caused delays and left the production over time and over budget.
- The lead part of Pemberton was first offered to Jack Warner, who turned it down because he was committed to another film, so Stanley Holloway was offered the role instead.
- The outdoor scenes were not filmed in Pimlico but about a mile away in Lambeth, on a set built over a Second World War bombsite; afterwards the site had to be put back into its bomb-damaged state so local people could claim war damage compensation.
- Wayne's World 2 was originally planned as a remake of Passport to Pimlico, until Paramount Pictures executives discovered the studio had never acquired the rights and ordered writer and star Mike Myers to write a new screenplay with a different plot.
- The airlift of food into the Burgundian enclave was modeled on the flights of food and supplies during the Berlin Blockade, which lasted from June 1948 to May 1949.
- Director Henry Cornelius and Ealing Studios head Michael Balcon argued throughout the shoot because Balcon thought the direction was poor; Cornelius left Ealing after the film and never worked for the studio again.
- Alastair Sim was offered the part of Professor Hatton-Jones but turned it down, and Margaret Rutherford was cast in his place.
