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 were 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, occasional visitors to the gift shop on Eriskay would find a Jamaican ten-shilling note in their change.
