Whisky Galore!

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.