Scottish-American director Alexander Mackendrick made his debut with this 1949 Ealing comedy, set on the fictional isle of Todday and filmed on Barra in the Outer Hebrides. Based on a novel by Compton Mackenzie, itself based on a wartime incident in which the islanders of Eriskay relieved the wrecked SS Politician of its consignment of whisky, it’s a classic Ealing tale of good-natured subversion, affectionately depicting a community whose spirits rise or fall depending on their ready access to a decent dram.
1943 and the island of Todday is in a deep depression due to the lack of whisky thanks to the War. When a ship containing a bountiful cargo of 50,000 cases is wrecked off the coast, pompous English Home Guard commander, Waggett (Basil Radford) is determined not to let the islanders get their hands on it. But he hasn’t reckoned with the single-minded resourcefulness of the wily islanders, amongst them Joan Greenwood, Wylie Watson, Gordon Jackson, James Robertson Justice and John Gregson, plus many real-life local extras.
Though filming on the Western Hebridean Isle of Barra over three summer months was plagued by terrible weather and went over budget, the film became a worldwide hit and was Ealing’s most profitable title.
Extras
Audio Commentary by John Ellis
Distilling! Original TV Documentary
The Real Whisky Galore! With Angus Campbell
Hilary Mackendrick in Conversation With Anthony Slide
