Three Ealing comedies recently became available that I had long wanted to see. Evidently I’m not alone: I waited several weeks for these on Netflix. Alas that the sound on these discs is not as clear as one might hope.<\/p>\n
Passport to Pimlico<\/i> (dir. Henry Cornelius). The next-to-last unexploded bomb left over from the Blitz goes off, revealing a cache of treasure and a royal charter declaring that the neighborhood is sovereign territory of the duchy of Burgundy. Soon the street is swarming with black-marketers and shoppers rejoicing at a loophole in wartime rationing (which was not lifted until 1951 if memory serves). Naturally the Government surround Burgundy with Customs and passport inspectors. The Burgundians retaliate by stopping a train with their own inspectors . . .<\/p>\n
Whisky Galore!<\/i> (dir. Alexander Mackendrick, who later directed The Ladykillers<\/i>). During the war, an island in the Hebrides runs out of whisky and all is gloom – until a ship carrying fifty thousand cases for export hits a rock nearby. Hijinks ensue. — Gordon Jackson, whom you may remember from Upstairs Downstairs<\/i> (Hudson the butler) or The Great Escape<\/i>, here is baby-faced at 25. He had one of those faces that proclaim even in black-and-white that the bearer must have red hair. — Small spoiler:<\/strong> This is the only Ealing film I’ve seen in which lawbreakers (cheating the taxman) get away with it.<\/font><\/p>\n A Run For Your Money<\/i> (dir. Charles Frend). Two Welsh brothers win a prize for their coal-mining excellence: a trip to London, £200 and tickets to a football championship match — but they miss their contact at Paddington and have misadventures. The comedy is low-key by today’s standards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Three Ealing comedies recently became available that I had long wanted to see. Evidently I’m not alone: I waited several weeks for these on Netflix. Alas that the sound on these discs is not as clear as one might hope. … Continue reading