Whisky Galore! (Tight Little Island) (1949)

100% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
82% of users liked it
(896 ratings)

Originally released in Great Britain as Whisky Galore!, Tight Little Island is a comedy predicated on the notion that all Scotsmen are lushes. The tiny Scots Island of Todday suffers from a wartime whisky shortage. Luck of luck, a ship full of the precious liquid is wrecked on a reef. The islanders… More Originally released in Great Britain as Whisky Galore!, Tight Little Island is a comedy predicated on the notion that all Scotsmen are lushes. The tiny Scots Island of Todday suffers from a wartime whisky shortage. Luck of luck, a ship full of the precious liquid is wrecked on a reef. The islanders conspire to smuggle the whisky off the ship right under the noses of the pesky British revenue officials. Numerous clever comic complications occur before the happy ending--which, we are told by the narrator, was not so happy once all the whisky was consumed. Tight Little Island is regarded by devotees of British comedy as the best and most representative offering from the short-lived Ealing Studios. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 23 min.
Directed By: Alexander Mackendrick
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 1, 1949 Wide
Studio: Universal Pictures

Critic Reviews

Philip French, Observer [UK]
A colourful contribution to the current debate on the future of Scotland.
Derek Malcolm, This is London
Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, Catherine Lacey and Gordon Jackson are among the players who got fed up with drinking cold tea and pretending it was the hard stuff.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Beguiling, subversive and a complete joy.
David Parkinson, Radio Times
Adapted by Compton Mackenzie and Angus MacPhail from Mackenzie's own novel, Alexander Mackendrick's sublime film is one of the jewels in the Ealing crown.
Jamie Russell, Total Film
A whimsical tale of Celtic self-reliance vs English stuffiness, this wee comedy dram warms the heart as surely as a blended malt.
Angie Errigo, Empire Magazine
Sharp and snappy Ealing comedy.

Read all 6 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ross C

A very accessible comedy thriller for a 1940s black & white movie. Full of Dad's Army, home guard humour and George Formby type characters. Explains a lot about the conservative ways of Scottish island live nowadays too...
Cassandra M

Delightful post-war British comedy illustrating for the umpteenth time the fighting spirit of the "ordinary Joe" (or in this case Jock) when set against the pomposity of the would-be ruling classes. Capt Waggett (Basil Radford) is the real star here as the middle class… More
Delightful post-war British comedy illustrating for the umpteenth time the fighting spirit of the "ordinary Joe" (or in this case Jock) when set against the pomposity of the would-be ruling classes. Capt Waggett (Basil Radford) is the real star here as the middle class representative of stiff upper lippery. Surely Jimmy Perry and David Croft must have drawn on him when they were dreaming up the Capt Mainwaring character for the long-running BBC TV sit-com "Dad's Army". Even one of Waggett's lines ("I was waiting to see when you'd spot that", a comment usually made when Mainwaring had just uttered some piece of logistical nonsense) made an appearance. Unmissable example of British comedy rooted in the style that made Ealing so succesful
Eric B

[Warning: Some might say this review contains spoilers, though I personally wouldn't have minded reading any of these comments beforehand.] I love many of those little British comedies of the '50s and early '60s, and I know this is regarded as a classic and one of the… More
[Warning: Some might say this review contains spoilers, though I personally wouldn't have minded reading any of these comments beforehand.] I love many of those little British comedies of the '50s and early '60s, and I know this is regarded as a classic and one of the first of its breed. But this film really frustrated me. The premise of an isolated, unhappily "dry" island suddenly finding itself with a motherlode of contraband alcohol is so wonderful, but the execution just doesn't pay off like it should. I envisioned a plot about the amusing repercussions of sitting on this bounty. Some people will get too drunk. Other people will do unwise things while drunk. Other people will covet others' stashes, resulting in a comic series of thefts and quarrels. Great fun. But instead, a large chunk of the film is devoted to simply *getting* the whisky and setting the story in motion. And once the town has its booze, not much happens beyond the authorities trying to claim it back. Very little in the way of human comedy results -- just car chases and action scenes. Furthermore, the final *minute* or so suddenly adds a buzzkill conclusion which comes off like something hastily inserted after the temperance board protested an early screening. What a drag!