Whisky Galore! (1949)

I can’t think of a better film to watch on New Year’s Day. The first time I saw this was over ten years ago on Saturday Night at the Movies—a show hosted by Elwy Yost on TV Ontario.

Whisky Galore (1949) was recently released on DVD by Anchor Bay in a 5 DVD set called the Ealing Comedy Collection.

Whisky Galore is based on the true story. In WWII a ship sailing for Jamaica sank outside the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It’s cargo, 250,000 cases of whiskey. Many of the locals gathered as much whiskey as they could before the proper authorities arrived.

The film takes place during the war on an island in the Outer Hebrides. The island has run out of whiskey and everyone is miserable, until, a shipwreck occurs. The ship is carrying 50,000 cases of whiskey which the locals try to salvage and hide from the authorities. It’s quite a funny film that has remained a favourite by many over the years including Sean Connery.

Sean Connery and several producers in the UK have been trying to raise enough money to do a remake of Whisky Galore! I think some films are better left alone. This is one of them. While it would be nice to see a colour version of this film shot in the Hebrides, I don’t think a remake could capture the charm of the original film.

DVD Times has a review of a two-disc special edition of Whisky Galore! released through Optimum Home Entertainment. Does anyone know if I can get this in Canada?

Posted in DVD Reviews at 1:40 PM