This is a remake of a 1949 Ealing comedy by the same name, which was originally based on a novel by Compton MacKenzie novel... which was loosely based on a real -life event that occurred in 1941 on the Hebridean island of Eriskay. Directed by Gillies MacKinnon, this 2016 version has a runtime of 98 minutes and features some popular acting talent from British film and TV.
The film is set in 1941 and follows the inhabitants of a small Scottish island called Todday as they come to terms with a whiskey drought during the second world war. With no way of replenishing stocks due to war time rationing all hope is lost, until one day a ship gets stranded just off the island. It turns out that the ship was carrying 50,000 cases of whiskey to America. The inhabitants of the island create a plan to salvage the whiskey for themselves but face issues at every turn; from the strictly followed sabbath day preventing their progress; to the local home guard officer calling in customs to try and reclaim the whiskey.
This is a credible remake of the 1949 film, it is funny at times and engaging enough, but it does not really capture what the first film had in my opinion. It's amusing enough and looks easy on the eye, but it always feels like it could be a lot better. I enjoyed that casting for the most part; Gregor Fisher, Sean Biggerstaff, and Eddie Izzard did well; the supporting cast generally do a great job too. The main issue I had was with some of the poor Scottish accents on show here. With the wealth of Scottish acting talent that there is available I'd argue that getting somebody with a genuine accent would be easy, but instead we have some English actors who are putting on a Scottish accent and not doing the best of jobs with it. It became slightly off putting. Despite this the scenery was beautiful and for the annoyance of the accents I was able to look at some lovely landscapes. The filming was done in various places, from Portsoy Harbour (Aberdeenshire), Saltcoats (Ayrshire), and Fife.
Harmless enough, gentle, tame, pretty, and watchable - but unlikely to be preferred over the original, and likely to be forgotten or remade in years to come. While I prefer the original, this film is family friendly and is not likely to offend mixed audiences who may find themselves in front of it.
The film is set in 1941 and follows the inhabitants of a small Scottish island called Todday as they come to terms with a whiskey drought during the second world war. With no way of replenishing stocks due to war time rationing all hope is lost, until one day a ship gets stranded just off the island. It turns out that the ship was carrying 50,000 cases of whiskey to America. The inhabitants of the island create a plan to salvage the whiskey for themselves but face issues at every turn; from the strictly followed sabbath day preventing their progress; to the local home guard officer calling in customs to try and reclaim the whiskey.
This is a credible remake of the 1949 film, it is funny at times and engaging enough, but it does not really capture what the first film had in my opinion. It's amusing enough and looks easy on the eye, but it always feels like it could be a lot better. I enjoyed that casting for the most part; Gregor Fisher, Sean Biggerstaff, and Eddie Izzard did well; the supporting cast generally do a great job too. The main issue I had was with some of the poor Scottish accents on show here. With the wealth of Scottish acting talent that there is available I'd argue that getting somebody with a genuine accent would be easy, but instead we have some English actors who are putting on a Scottish accent and not doing the best of jobs with it. It became slightly off putting. Despite this the scenery was beautiful and for the annoyance of the accents I was able to look at some lovely landscapes. The filming was done in various places, from Portsoy Harbour (Aberdeenshire), Saltcoats (Ayrshire), and Fife.
Harmless enough, gentle, tame, pretty, and watchable - but unlikely to be preferred over the original, and likely to be forgotten or remade in years to come. While I prefer the original, this film is family friendly and is not likely to offend mixed audiences who may find themselves in front of it.