Passport to Pimlico Blu-ray - Stanley Holloway

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Henry Cornelius
UK 1949

Ealing Studios' output from the 1940s and 1950s helped define what was arguably the golden age for British cinema. Written by Ealing regular T.E.B. Clarke, Passport to Pimlico was nominated by BAFTA in the Best British Film category and stars Stanley Holloway, Hermione Baddeley, Margaret Rutherford and Paul Dupuis. When an unexploded WWII bomb is unexpectedly detonated in Pimlico, it reveals a buried cellar full of treasures, including an ancient document proving that the area is in fact part of Burgundy, France and thus foreign territory. In an attempt to regain control, the British Government set up borders and cut off all services to the area, but the ‘Burgundians' are determined to fight back!

***

Pimlico dozes during the worst heat wave for years... until London's last unexploded bomb goes off with a deafening roar, flinging the people headlong into a fantastic adventure. Arthur Pemberton and his daughter Shirley, investigating the crater made by the bomb, find treasure and an old document decreeing that Pimlico can be recognized in perpetuity as Burgundian soil. The residents, quick to see the opportunities, dispense with licensing laws, and put themselves on the export list of English firms. The British Government steps in, wires off 'BURGUNDY', sets up customs barriers and cuts off water and electricity.

Posters

Theatrical Release: April 28th, 1949

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Review: Film Movement - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: In 2012 this was released on Blu-ray in the UK by Studio Canal:
Distribution	Film Movement - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:24:39.041
Video	1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 30,316,436,918 bytes Feature: 26,155,646,976 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Film Movement 1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 30,316,436,918 bytes Feature: 26,155,646,976 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Interview with BFI Curator Mark Duguid (7:09) • Locations featurette with film historian Richard Dacre (4:19) • Restoration comparison (6:54) • Stills gallery (1:48) 16-page liner notes booklet with photos and text Blu-ray Release Date: December 20th, 2019 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 13

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Film Movement Blu-ray (January 2020): Film Movement have transferred the delightful Ealing comedy Passport to Pimlico to Blu-ray. Before we are asked in Facebook - no, we don't have the Studio Canal Blu-ray that came out in 2012 to compare (or we would have), but we suspect that this dual-layered transfer with a max'ed out bitrate is either equivalent or advances on the original 1080P transfer. I wouldn't say the image is spectacular, more a function of the source - it is consistent, minor grain, limited depth, contrast is adept if modest but overall the presentation would be considered unremarkable. Yes, there are some minor, niggling, macro compression issues as well (zooming in extensively) - again, not the fault of the robust transfer and they didn't effect my enjoyment of the film but now I would now like to pick-up the Studio Canal to compare.

On their Blu-ray, Film Movement use a linear PCM 2.0 channel mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. It has a score by Georges Auric (The Mind Benders, The Lavender Hill Mob, Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, It Always Rains on Sunday, Dead of Night, The Innocents, Lola Montes, Rififi, Wages of Fear) that sounds authentically flat but lacks depth however is clean, no notable flaws and dialogue is audible - which is a good because there are no subtitles offered. Film Movement's disc is a Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Film Movement Blu-ray appears to have the same extras as the 2012 UK BD. Repeated are the seven minute interview with BFI Curator Mark Duguid (author of Ealing Revisited), a short Locations featurette with film historian Richard Dacre where we can see the London neighborhood today (or back in 2012), a split-screen restoration comparison and a stills gallery. The package has a 16-page liner notes booklet with photos and an essay by Ronald Bergan.

Well, this looks like it could be a Region 'A' port of the the Studio Canal Passport to Pimlico Blu-ray. Which isn't such a bad thing that North Americans can indulge in this totally enjoyable, cozy, 'communal' post-war Brit comedy. New extras, like a commentary, seem deserved of the title, but it's nice to own in Region 'A' despite taking 7-years to get here. Seeing the film in this format makes it recommendation despite reservation on the image. A wonderful addition to those collecting the joyful Ealing catalogue in HD. Check out our Blu-ray reviews of Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Man in the White Suit, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Ladykillers or the studio's noirish, mystery, thriller output including Dead of Night, Pool of London, The Blue Lamp or the fantasy They Came to a City. We gotta do a listing page...