Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases


Whisky Galore! (1949)

Director: Alexander Mackendrick

Time Out rating

Average user rating
No reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

During and after WWII, a number of films were produced on both sides of the Atlantic intended to boost morale and strengthen national fibre. But while the likes of ‘The Best Years of Our Lives’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ depicted our American allies coming together in the face of adversity, their British equivalent was more likely to celebrate such characteristics as pig-headedness (‘The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp’), political rebellion (‘Passport to Pimlico’) and, in ‘Whisky Galore’, petty larceny, class warfare and rampant alcoholism. In the hands of Ealing stalwart Alexander Mackendrick, ‘Whisky Galore!’ isn’t just a jolly comedy about a boatload of the hard stuff washing up on a Scottish island, it’s an unabashed love letter to drink, depicting alcohol as the glue that binds communities together. The result is the sweetest, smartest and most joyous of all the Ealing comedies.

Author: Tom Huddleston

Time Out London Issue 2136: July 28 - Aug 3, 2011


  • Find Show Times

What do you think?
Post your review now

clear rating
Min 1 star. Zero stars will be treated as unrated.

*mandatory fields


Now showing

This film is showing at these cinemas

Cast & crew

Director: Alexander Mackendrick

Producer: Michael Balcon

Cast: Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, Jean Cadell, Gordon Jackson, James Robertson Justice, Wylie Watson, John Gregson, Duncan Macrae, Catherine Lacey full cast

Genre(s): Comedy

Rated: U

Duration: 82 mins

UK Release: Jul 29 2011

Related articles



Most popular on this site


Top Stories

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has David Cronenberg turned tame?

Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?

The 10 worst date movies

The 10 worst date movies

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films

Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas

10 unlikely badboy biopics

10 unlikely badboy biopics

Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'

The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day

Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing