Classic Movies on Sky Arts Series 2 Episode 2 - The Story of - Whisky Galore

 

From Ealing Studios comes another little classic from 1949, Whisky Galore. A film set in the second world war but miles away from it's impact. The island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides stands in for the fictional Todday and Ian Nathan is there to describe how it came into being. Based on the book of the same title and adapted by the author Comptom Mackenzie, it recalls something that actually happened. The little island has run out of whisky and this catastrophe effects the whole population. We are shown clips of the distraught population including one man who takes to his bed and stays there.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel when a ship runs aground off the coast and as luck would have it, there were 50,000 cases of whisky on board. The undercover salvage operation by the delighted islanders is filmed mainly at night. But one person is not impressed. Captain Waggot, the Englishman who is the commander of the local home guard. Played by Basil Radford, Ian Nathan tells us he is unique in Ealing films, being the villain in a far larger role that usual but at the same time a quite likeable character, almost the most charming of all the others. So somewhat contradictory in that he becomes a sympathetic role. Steven Armstrong tells us that it "gives him humanity". He goes on to say that the film is made in almost documentary style with it being nearly all shot on the island and that the cast are shown as "real islanders". So a very long way from the suburbs of London where nearly all other Ealing movies were made. 

We hear about director Alexander McKendrick, this is his debut feature film. His background was in propaganda films and it seemed that every other director was not available. He was the last choice. He  included some sub plots with two very different romances and one wedding. Obviously with bagpipes. His scene where the bottles are hidden was superb. Ian Nathan adds it is a "comedy of observational character". But it came as no surprise that filming was interrupted by lots of rainy days. Producer Charles Balcombe was apoplectic with shooting overrunning. a five week schedule to became ten.  So it ended up well over budget. Balcombe was very disappointed with the results. He thought it was very amateurish. Where are the jokes? He wanted it more like an Ealing comedy. He cut the running time down to an hour before it was restored by way of Charles Crighton who was parachuted in to make it better. He filmed some additional scenes in the studio which pacified the producers. 

The only two actors I recognised were Gordon Jackson and James Robertson Justice. In the end, the film received excellent reviews on it's release. The critics found it's concentration on character over plot worked very well. At the BAFTA's it was up against Passport to Pimlico and Kind Hearts and Coronets from Ealing as well as The Third Man. Ian Nathan summed it up with the words that it was unique for a British film. In the aftermath of WW2, it had an echo of Britishness that brought audiences flocking to see it.