One of the first of the great Ealing comedies, and a clear indication that their comedies would carry social and political weight as well. In this picture a run-down section of London discovers a horde of burried treasure when a bomb left over from WW II explodes accidentally, and the residents of Pimlico, London, learn that they actually are a part of Burgandy, as deeded by the King in the 1400s. This means they are a separate country right in the heart of London, and they decide to act like a separate country. Thus they conclude that the laws of England don't apply anymore - but likewise England cuts them off, and Pimlico is under siege.

The craziness of the situation leapfrogs, with passports now required, services cut, people throwing food over the barbed-wire fence to help them survive. It's a great satire on government and sovereignty. It's also an interesting look at post-war London, with its burned-out buildings still plentiful and ration books still in use (England felt very much at the short end of the stick after the war, the last of the allied countries to be under wartime restrictions and shortages). The script is terrific (typical for Ealing productions), and Stanley Holloway is wonderful as the leader of Pimlico. Definitely worth a watch.

This blissful flim is set im Miramont Place, Pimlico (a district of South London). When an unexploded bomb left over from WW2 goes off, local shopkeeper Stanley Holloway discovers an ancient trasure hoard, including a mysterious document. An eccentric university professor (Margaret Rutherford) translates the document, and it proves that Miramont Place was the site of a palace given to the exiled Duke of Burgundy by King Edward IV, making the inhabitants of Miramont Place natives of Burgundy rather than Britain. The locals go wild, tearing up their ration books and keeping the local pub open all night, they have a great time until the government turns nasty and starts cracking down on them. Enter a dishy Frenchman who turns out to be the present Duke, come to claim his inheritance and save his subjects from the iron hand of beurocracy. Under seige, the defiant Burgundians take to stopping subway trains and making the passengers go through customs, the government retaliates by turning off their water supply, who will win in the battle of wits? If you are a fan of eccentric British comedy, this film is a classic in the genre.

An all-time classic movie and, after all, how distracting can an audio description be? Well, taking a chirpy, rather piercing Canadian voice over the austere English environment certainly rammed home my mistake. I would like to review the rest of the movie but 10 seconds was all I could take which didn't even reach the end of the credits.

Perhaps when I can get hold of a non-dubbed version, I can offer a fuller review.

Funny a brilliant. A wonderful portrait of Britain in the austerity years, a brilliant satire of British politics, and a laugh aloud funny plot about what would happen if a small part of London discovered it was really part of medieval Burgundy. With the immortal Dame Margeret Rutherford, at her jowl juddering best.