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Whisky Galore

  • 2016
  • TV-14
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
Gregor Fisher, Eddie Izzard, and Naomi Battrick in Whisky Galore (2016)
Trailer for Whisky Galore!
Play trailer1:58
2 Videos
17 Photos
ComedyRomance

Scottish islanders try to plunder cases of whisky from a stranded ship during WWII.Scottish islanders try to plunder cases of whisky from a stranded ship during WWII.Scottish islanders try to plunder cases of whisky from a stranded ship during WWII.

  • Director
    • Gillies MacKinnon
  • Writers
    • Compton MacKenzie
    • Angus MacPhail
    • Peter McDougall
  • Stars
    • Naomi Battrick
    • Sean Biggerstaff
    • James Cosmo
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.8/10
    1.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Gillies MacKinnon
    • Writers
      • Compton MacKenzie
      • Angus MacPhail
      • Peter McDougall
    • Stars
      • Naomi Battrick
      • Sean Biggerstaff
      • James Cosmo
    • 43User reviews
    • 25Critic reviews
    • 42Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    Whisky Galore!
    Trailer 1:58
    Watch Whisky Galore!
    Whisky Galore!
    Trailer 1:57
    Watch Whisky Galore!

    Photos17

    Whisky Galore (2016)
    Whisky Galore (2016)
    Sean Biggerstaff in Whisky Galore (2016)
    Whisky Galore (2016)
    Gregor Fisher, Eddie Izzard, Michael Nardone, Sean Scanlan, and Naomi Battrick in Whisky Galore (2016)
    Judas!
    Iain Robertson in Whisky Galore!
    Whisky Galore!
    Iain Robertson, Eddie Izzard and Tony Strachan in Whisky Galore!
    Iain Robertson at EIFF premiere for Whisky Galore!
    Naomi Battrick in Whisky Galore (2016)
    Gregor Fisher, Ellie Kendrick, and Naomi Battrick in Whisky Galore (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Naomi Battrick
    Naomi Battrick
    • Peggy Macroon
    Sean Biggerstaff
    Sean Biggerstaff
    • Sergeant Odd
    James Cosmo
    James Cosmo
    • MacAlister
    Matt Costello
    • Captain McKechnie
    Alan Cuthbert
    • First Officer
    Andrew Dallmeyer
    • Hector
    Ken Drury
    • Mr. Bain
    Gregor Fisher
    Gregor Fisher
    • Joseph Macroon
    Iona Fyfe
    • Girl at Wedding
    Kevin Guthrie
    Kevin Guthrie
    • George Campbell
    Holly Howden Gilchrist
    • Morag
    Eddie Izzard
    Eddie Izzard
    • Captain Waggett
    Ciaron Kelly
    Ciaron Kelly
    • Constable McPhee
    Ellie Kendrick
    Ellie Kendrick
    • Catriona Macroon
    Kevin Mains
    Kevin Mains
    • Farquharson
    Doug Mathieson
    • First Mate
    Alex Mathieson
    • Young Neil
    Jack Muir
    • Lorry Driver
    • Director
      • Gillies MacKinnon
    • Writers
      • Compton MacKenzie(based on the original motion picture, screenplay by))
      • Angus MacPhail
      • Peter McDougall
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Remake of a 1949 Ealing classic of the same name, which itself was based on a real-life incident that occurred in 1941 on the Hebridean island of Eriskay when the SS Politician ran aground. The tale of how a group of local Scottish islanders raided a shipwreck for its consignment of 24,000 cases of whisky quickly became legend. What's less well reported is the fact that the ship was also carrying a considerable amount of hard cash. According to official files recently released by the Home Office, there were nearly 290,000 ten-shilling notes on board as well (this would be the equivalent of several million pounds at today's prices), not all of which was recovered. The money was on its way to the West Indies, and the banknotes were of a specifically Jamaican design, making them, of course, immediately identifiable in the Outer Hebrides. Despite this, 20 years after the 1949 film was shown, the occasional visitor the gift shop on Eriskay would find a Jamaican ten-shilling note in their change.
    • Goofs
      Historically inaccurate vehicle. The motorcycle and sidecar combination used in the film clearly has telescopic front forks, these didn't become common until well after WWII - the bike used was a 1954 BSA model M21.
    • Quotes

      Macroon: We don't have a village idiot, we just take it in turns.

    • Crazy credits
      The last screen reads "No Alcohol was consumed during the making of this film."
    • Connections
      Remake of Whisky Galore! (1949)
    • Soundtracks
      Gairm na h-Oidche (Calling the Night)
      Music by Patrick Doyle and lyrics by Abigail Doyle with Gaelic translation by Iain S. MacPherson.

      Performed by Mairi MacInnes

    User reviews43

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    6/10
    Mildly Entertaining
    Set in the Second World War when whisky rationing is in effect, Scottish islanders of the Outer Hebrides try to plunder cases of whisky from a ship that is stranded on rocks just offshore, based loosely on the real events of the 1941 sinking of the SS Politician.

    The production story of this film may be just as interesting as the film itself. Producer Iain Maclean had launched the project as early as 2004 with writer-director Bill Bryden attached. Maclean raised funds through private investment to finance the development of the film. Bryden ended up getting fired, and Peter McDougall was brought on board; he wrote a new script with filming planned for the summer of 2006. This never happened, producers left the project and the film eventually collapsed. In 2014, a decade after his first attempt, Maclean decided to rekindle the project when he met retired farmer and businessman Peter Drayne, who agreed to finance the film completely, as long as the project was started from scratch. Thanks to Drayne, the film was finally green-lit in 2015 and principal photography commenced later that year in Scotland.

    Kevin Guthrie explains another part of the film preparation when he says, "I had no real understanding of whisky until we made the film but I think we're all self-proclaimed connoisseurs off the back of it now. We spent time going to distilleries, not just to have a drink, but to understand why it is what it is and why it's a global product. To understand why it's revered. We went to Glenfarclas distillery and they gave us a little sampling of the 105 which is special, too." This is an interesting insight, because such a trip and research was clearly not necessary, but does give food for thought on how deep the love and jot surrounding a social drink can be.

    According to director Gillies MacKinnon, the film is a modern interpretation, rather than a proper remake of the 1949 Alexander Mackendrick movie of the same name. He says, "The style is contemporary, embracing drama, romance and comedy, with an array of colorful characters providing a platform for a wonderful cast." Indeed, while still clearly a remake, the entire feel and tone of the picture is different and can easily be seen as its own creation in many ways. The very color scheme and rich cinematography separate this film from its earlier incarnation.

    The biggest name attached to the production (either behind or in front of the camera) is comedian Eddie Izzard (though Kevin Guthrie's stock is skyrocketing). Here, he plays the "straight" role, and interestingly enough Izzard does not claim that the film is a comedy at all. He prefers to think of it as a "quirky drama". That is a rather astute observation. While there are comedic elements, he is right -- this is more about family dynamics than a silly island film like "Hot Fuzz".

    There is not much in the negative that can be said about the film. Guy Lambert calls out the "seriously questionable Scottish accents", but that is relatively minor. Guy Lodge sums it up as "innocuous" but "unmemorable", which is really the biggest downside. In all technical aspects, the movie is good -- script, directing, camera, acting and so on... there is nothing to dislike. But nothing really stands out, either.

    While maybe not a film for repeat viewings, it definitely has its place. Arrow Films has released the movie on Blu-ray, with a few features. There are a handful of short interviews on their disc with just about every actor involved, as well as the director. Beyond that we get relatively little, which is a shame. It may have been nice to get a newsreel of the original (true) story or something to really put it all in context.
    helpful•11
    6
    • gavin6942
    • Oct 18, 2017

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 12, 2017 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Face Book Page
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Виски рекой
    • Filming locations
      • Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK(Location for harbour shots and exterior buildings.)
    • Production company
      • Whisky Galore Movie Ltd
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £5,400,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $20,991
    • Gross worldwide
      • $659,920
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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    Gregor Fisher, Eddie Izzard, and Naomi Battrick in Whisky Galore (2016)
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