Blockade in London

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title Blockade in London
Original title Passport to Pimlico
Country of production United Kingdom
original language English
Publishing year 1949
length 84 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Henry Cornelius
script TEB Clarke
production Michael Balcon
for Ealing Studios
music Georges Auric
camera Lionel Banes
cut Michael Truman
occupation

Blockade in London is a British feature film made in 1948. The production, which premiered in 1949, is considered one of the most successful comedies from Ealing Studios .

action

Several children cause a World War II dud explosion in London's Pimlico borough by accidentally rolling a tractor tire into a funnel-shaped hole. As a result, a cellar vault is exposed from which an ancient cassette is recovered. It not only contains gold coins and jewelry, but also a parchment. Professor Hatton-Jones, who was quickly brought in, immediately recognized the paramount importance of this ancient document. It is a charter once issued by King Edward IV , according to which he ceded this area, i.e. today's Pimlico, to the ruler Charles the Bold and recognized it as a "Burgundian country" independent of England.

The consequences of this charter are enormous: With immediate effect, the residents of Pimlico are no longer British, they are now foreigners. And when their re-naturalization took too long, when the descendant of the Duke of Burgundy, Sébastien de Charolais, appeared, Pimlico declared itself independent as the new country of Burgundy, abolished rationing and closed its borders with neighboring England. New Burgundy policy of pinpricks and the new self-confidence that is growing every day - the clever Pimlico shopkeeper Arthur Pemberton immediately moves into the Neo-Burgundian government - brings the London city government in armor. The English countered with a subtle blockade, border closure and barbed wire included. So they believe they can bring the renegades to reason.

The government of Burgundy reacts to this "unfriendly act" by England with its own meanness: For example, a London underground train is brought to a standstill, as this particular rail connection also runs through "Burgundian" territory. The black market is also beginning to flourish. Both sides rocked themselves more and more, and England finally broke off all negotiations with the renegades . The water and electricity supply to Pimlico will be cut, and food will no longer be allowed across the border. Everything is becoming more and more like in sealed off Berlin. But private activities on both sides gradually begin to alleviate the suffering, and soon those in power on both sides realize that this cannot go on. Under the steadily increasing pressure of public opinion, negotiations between the warring parties finally take place again, which ultimately lead to the annexation of Burgundy to England after the smart banker Mr. WPJ Wix comes up with the saving idea.

Production notes

The film ran on April 26, 1949 in London . Exactly six months later, Blockade in London also premiered in France and the USA . On June 16, 1951, the film was also started in the cinemas of the Federal Republic of Germany . In Germany, the film was broadcast for the first time on November 9, 1969 on ZDF .

The London outdoor shots did not take place in Pimlico, but in the neighboring district of Lambeth .

Screenwriter TEB Clarke received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 1950 .

In the film, some allusions to real phenomena are unmistakable: For example, the blockade scenes from Pimlicos, when London rigorously cordoned off the former district in order to put pressure on the New Burgundians, are fatally reminiscent of the highly topical situation of West Berlin during the Berlin blockade at the time of shooting (1948) .

The film was shown during the Cannes Film Festival in September 1949 ; however, he did not participate in the competition.

Reviews

The international reactions to the film were consistently friendly to exuberant.

The film's large lexicon of people called Blockade in London a "quirky comedy" and "a little masterpiece populated by a bevy of lovable, quirky guys with bizarre idiosyncrasies."

Reclam's film guide states: “This film by Reinhardt's student Henry Cornelius is one of the best productions of the Ealing studio. […] Formally, this is initially an imaginative, quickly staged film that can afford to be lavish with its gags. And these gags are all aimed at peculiarities and peculiarities of the British national character, which of course also applies to the entire film. "

Bucher's encyclopedia of the film reads: "A poor idea in itself, namely the discovery that a small part of London is Burgundian property by an ancient law, has turned into one of the best Ealing comedies".

The Movie & Video Guide wrote: "Salty farce of ancient treaty enabling small group of Brits to form their own bounded territory in the middle of London"

Halliwell's Film Guide characterized the film as follows: “A cleverly detailed little comedy which inaugurated the best period of Ealing, its preoccupation with suburban man and his foibles. Not exactly satire, but great fun and kindly with it ”.

In Rotten Tomatoes it says: "Passport to Pimlico is one of the most charmingly whimsical Ealing Studios comedies of the late 1940s-early 1950s"

The lexicon of international films wrote: "Very entertaining and original comedy - with self-irony and an excellent cast."

The Protestant film observer drew the following conclusion: "A wonderful, lively grotesque, which in its weird comedy is pure pleasure from 14 onwards."

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 2: C - F. John Paddy Carstairs - Peter Fritz. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 , p. 166.
  2. ↑ Reclams Filmführer, by Dieter Krusche, collaboration: Jürgen Labenski. P. 463. Stuttgart 1973.
  3. ↑ Bucher's Encyclopedia of Films, Verlag CJ Bucher, Lucerne and Frankfurt / M. 1977, p. 586.
  4. ^ Leonard Maltin : Movie & Video Guide, 1996 edition, p. 996
  5. ^ Leslie Halliwell : Halliwell's Film Guide, Seventh Edition, New York 1989, p. 783
  6. ↑ Klaus Brüne (Red.): Lexikon des Internationale Films Volume 1, p. 368. Reinbek near Hamburg 1987.
  7. ↑ Evangelischer Presseverband München, Review No. 109/1958