England's Ealing Studios became famous for their dryly witty comedies in the 1940s and 1950s and Alexander Mackendrick became of their greatest directors with his 1949 feature debut "Whisky Galore!," released in the U.S. as "Tight Little Island." Set in a rural Scottish town on a remote island in the Outer Hebrides during World War II, it's a classic comedy of simple provincial folk outwitting the English Home Guard Captain (the comically arrogant Basil Radford) when a cargo of whisky shipwrecks off the island. It's a hilariously deadpan war of wits between the sly islanders and the pompous British figures of authority, who would rather let it sink than let the islanders "loot" the cargo. Mackendrick achieves a masterful balance of the absurd and the understated, colored with delightful characters, delicious Gaelic accents, and warm scenes of communal joy over shared glasses of spirits and a high-spirited betrothal ceremony. It was a hit in both England and the U.S. and is revered as one of the greatest British comedies of all time. Mackendrick returned to the clash of provincial Scottish characters with the modern world in the 1954 comedy "The Maggie," named after a barely seaworthy cargo boat captained by a cantankerous old salt with more tenacity than ability. Paul Douglas stars as the self-made American businessman who inadvertently sends his precious cargo on the unreliable coal-fired "puffer" and ends up accompanying the crew along its detours through local coastal villages. It's more low-key than "Whisky Galore!" but has the same deadpan humor and affection for its characters and Gaelic village culture. The double-feature is presented on Blu-ray and DVD with two bonus documentaries on "Whisky Galore." Not rated, fine for all ages. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)