The 1949 Ealing Studios classic was voted the 24th greatest British film of all time by the BFI
A classic WW2 film is airing on the BBC this Bank Holiday weekend.
Back in 1949, Ealing Studios unleashed their comedy classic Whisky Galore! featuring Basil Redford, Bruce Seton, Joan Greenwood and Gordon Jackson.
Based on the 1947 novel of the same name, the storyline is a faithful account of a Second World War event.
Scottish islanders off the coast of the Outer Hebrides have exhausted their whisky supplies owing to wartime rationing.
However, their fortunes change dramatically when they discover that the SS Politician has run aground, with the shipwreck containing 50,000 cases of the beloved spirit.
The whisky enthusiasts meet their match, though, as it is a Sunday and the local teetotallers alongside the Customs and Excise men object to the salvage, reports the Express.
Whisky Galore! was filmed on the island of Barra, where treacherous weather caused the shoot to overrun its 10 week schedule by five weeks, pushing the production £20,000 over budget.
Released in 1949, it arrived in the same year as Passport to Pimlico and Kind Hearts and Coronets, making it one of the most celebrated years for Ealing comedies. In 1999, the film was voted the 24th greatest British film of all time by the BFI.
A remake of the same name, starring Gregor Fisher, Eddie Izzard, Sean Biggerstaff, and Naomi Battrick, was released in 2016.
Over the years, the film has been highly praised by fans with many calling it one of the best made from Ealing Studios.
One person said: “Brilliant. Often imitated, never bettered. If not the best of the Ealing Comedies, it’s certainly the best-loved. Gordon Jackson’s mum steals the show.”
Another fan commented: “Brilliant. A black and white film that even manage to keep my 11-year old daughter all the way through. British craftmanship with a good story and great actors. A real classic that is still good today.”
While another shared: “This is worth watching, it is like peeping into another dimension, those people’s lives at that time. It does however still have the power to make the audience laugh.”
Whisky Galore! is on BBC Two at 10:20am on Bank Holiday Monday, and its 2016 remake is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
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