Yet another charming but sharp Ealing Comedy, as so many of them were. Yes, the premise is fanciful, yet the writing, characterisation and direction skilfully take the viewer along with it, along the way making witty observations on the black economy, big government bureaucracy and community spirit.
Making good use of war-battered London locations and topical issues like rationing and the recent extended heat wave, the film has a terrific sense of place and with its employment of numerous principal characters and crowd scenes, easily sucks the viewer into the action while the screenplay by turns lionises as well as satirises identifiable British traits like opportunism to make easy money, support for the underdog and naturally that old staple, the stiff upper lip.
There are several memorable scenes like those where the characters break the fourth wall in speaking directly to the camera, the age-old use of newspaper headlines to carry the story along and one in particular when a flying pig is symbolically sent to the Pimlico residents in their time of need.
There are several identifiable actors in the large cast such as Stanley Baker as the unofficial president of the new principality, Margaret Rutherford as a blustery local expert and it was surprising to see the young Charles Hawtrey before he carried on playing the weedy effeminate character which typecast him in later years.
The beauty of these Ealing Comedies is the way they address contemporary issues in a witty and entertaining way by touching on universal themes as here of greed, neighbourliness and independence, amongst many others.
This was the first Ealing comedy to be commercially released and it helped set the mark for the disparate but always entertaining series of films to emerge under the moniker.
Making good use of war-battered London locations and topical issues like rationing and the recent extended heat wave, the film has a terrific sense of place and with its employment of numerous principal characters and crowd scenes, easily sucks the viewer into the action while the screenplay by turns lionises as well as satirises identifiable British traits like opportunism to make easy money, support for the underdog and naturally that old staple, the stiff upper lip.
There are several memorable scenes like those where the characters break the fourth wall in speaking directly to the camera, the age-old use of newspaper headlines to carry the story along and one in particular when a flying pig is symbolically sent to the Pimlico residents in their time of need.
There are several identifiable actors in the large cast such as Stanley Baker as the unofficial president of the new principality, Margaret Rutherford as a blustery local expert and it was surprising to see the young Charles Hawtrey before he carried on playing the weedy effeminate character which typecast him in later years.
The beauty of these Ealing Comedies is the way they address contemporary issues in a witty and entertaining way by touching on universal themes as here of greed, neighbourliness and independence, amongst many others.
This was the first Ealing comedy to be commercially released and it helped set the mark for the disparate but always entertaining series of films to emerge under the moniker.