But it's exactly these qualities which mark him out as the victim of the wily Todday islanders. Waggett's qualities - innocent, decent, not too clever - would have chimed perfectly among the Burgundians of Passport to Pimlico (in which Radford also appeared). Unlike the gentle comedy of Passport to Pimlico, Whisky Galore!'s humour has an often cruel bite, most of it at the expense of the pompous English Home Guard commander, Waggett ( Radford), whose efforts to frustrate the islanders' pursuit of whisky result only in his own undoing. The constant attentions of the islanders helped the cast to perfect their accents. Its success owes much to its remarkable feeling of authenticity: with the exception of Basil Radford and Joan Greenwood most of the cast were Scots, with the extras coming from among the islanders of Barra where much of it was filmed. It is also one of its most fondly remembered, particularly in Scotland. Producer Monja Danischewsky called the film 'the longest unsponsored advertisement ever to reach cinema screens the world over.'ĭespite a difficult production beset by often appalling weather, and a slow start at the English box-office, it became a worldwide hit and Ealing's most profitable film. The novel, and Mackendrick's film, relocates the story to the fictional island of Todday, and is not only a celebration of the islanders' single-mindedness, but a homage to the restorative powers of Scotch, which magically restores a community in deep depression for want of a 'wee dram'. Dozens of boats from every nearby island soon set upon the wreck, rescuing some 7,000 cases from a watery end. Whisky Galore! was adapted by Compton Mackenzie and Angus MacPhail from Mackenzie's novel, itself based on the true story of a famous incident in 1941, in which the SS Politician - whose cargo included 22,000 cases of whisky - was wrecked near the Hebridean islands of Eriskay and South Uist. It also marked the directorial debut of Alexander Mackendrick, previously a screenwriter and storyboard artist on several Ealing films. Robert Hamer) - which forever linked 'Ealing' and 'comedy' in the public imagination. Henry Cornelius) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (d. Whisky Galore! was the second of three films released in 1949 - the others were Passport to Pimlico (d. But first they must outwit the English Home Guard commander who is determined to protect the cargo at all costs. But when by chance a ship is sunk with a cargo of 50,000 cases of whisky, they see their salvation. When a Scottish island falls prey to a whisky shortage, the islanders are desolate.

Whisky galore by compton mackenzie