Art & Hue
Passport to Pimlico Poster stylish pop art print.
Passport to Pimlico Poster
Stylish pop art print reimagining the poster for the classic Ealing comedy “Passport to Pimlico“, available in three sizes & 20 colour options.
This alternative movie poster features Margaret Rutherford supervising Charles Hawtrey as he installs a “Welcome to Burgundy” sign above a Pimlico street (in reality, the production was filmed around Lambeth).
This new stylish pop art print is part of the Ealing Comedies Posters collection by Art & Hue to mark 75 years of Ealing Comedies.
Also available as part of a group of four & twelve prints.
Passport to Pimlico poster by Art & Hue
On the 28th of April in 1949, “Passport to Pimlico” opened at both the Gaumont and Pavilion cinemas in London and proved to be a box office success.
Produced under the stewardship of Michael Balcon at Ealing Studios, “Passport to Pimlico” was one of the most popular films of 1949 and, along with “Whisky Galore!” and “Kind Hearts & Coronets”, all released in the same year within the space of two months, firmly established the Ealing Comedies.
The studios had released comedies previously, such as “Hue & Cry” in 1947, but Ealing’s prolific output in 1949 was a boom period for the studios, with critical and commercial success.
The post-war films tapped into the public mood, presenting tales of the small underdog battling a larger enemy, generally state bureaucracy or established institutions, and whilst the morals of the time couldn’t allow crime or rebellion to go rewarded, for a brief moment, audiences could will on the unlikely heroes.
In “Passport to Pimlico”, Basil Radford & Naunton Wayne continued their on-screen partnership that began in Alfred Hitchcock‘s “The Lady Vanishes” (which starred Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave & Cecil Parker) when they first appeared together as Charters & Caldicott.
The film also featured the formidable Margaret Rutherford as Professor Hatton-Jones, who demonstrates that Pimlico is actually part of Burgundy in France, following the discovery of a long-buried decree.
Nominated for a BAFTA, along with the Ealing Comedies “Whisky Galore!” and “Kind Hearts & Coronets”, it missed out to Carol Reed’s film noir “The Third Man“, which is also celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024.
In various ways, the Ealing comedies set the groundwork for another successful comedy film franchise: the Carry On films. Both series of films shared an ensemble cast who were employed across different productions, tales of the underdog overcoming authority, and a very home-grown British humour with no concessions made to international audiences.
Many Carry On actors cut their teeth in the Ealing comedies, for example, Sid James was in “The Titfield Thunderbolt” and “The Lavender Hill Mob”, Charles Hawtrey was in “Passport to Pimlico” and “Who Done It?“, Hattie Jacques was in “The Love Lottery“, Joan Sims and Irene Handl appeared in “Meet Mr. Lucifer”, and Liz Fraser‘s first ever film role was in the Ealing comedy “Touch & Go” with Jack Hawkins & John Fraser.
Passport to Pimlico Poster Pop Art
Art & Hue had the pleasure to delve into the archives of the Ealing Comedies to create a new collection of stylish pop art prints related to the films, all available in three sizes and many colour options.
Available in A4, A3, and A2 sizes to fit standard-size picture frames. Please note that black frame is not included – for a guide on choosing a frame size take a look here.
An official collaboration with Studiocanal, this print is part of the Ealing Comedies collection of stylish pop art prints inspired by the classic British comedy films made at Ealing Studios, featuring Art & Hue’s signature halftone style (halftone is an age-old technique that uses dots to make up the printed image, similar to newspapers or comic books).
Rewatch, or discover anew, the film on DVD & Bluray from Amazon or watch on iTunes now.
“Passport to Pimlico” Copyright © STUDIOCANAL Films Ltd. (1949). All rights reserved.
Copyright © Art & Hue® 2024. All rights reserved.
