May 291954
 
two reels

Captain Mactaggart (Alex Mackenzie) is in danger of losing his broken-down “puffer” boat, but steps into a bit of luck when he is mistakenly hired to transport an expensive cargo for an American businessman (Paul Douglas).  When the businessman discovers what happened, he flies to meet the boat himself, and ends up taking a trip with the wily captain.

A lesser Ealing comedy from the ‘50s, The Maggie is a piece of nostalgia for a time that never was.  It is a light comedy, so light that would-be-jokes are downgraded to mildly amusing, picturesque moments.

The theme is recognizable for any fan of post-war British comedy: The fast paced, serious life is no way to live; real value can be found in a gentle, quirky, rural existence.  The basic plot, of the obsessed businessman traveling with the overly-relaxed, eccentric, and incompetent captain and crew, presents plenty of opportunity for comedy as well as for commenting on modern life (modern for 1954), but The Maggie always chooses sentiment first.

Writer/director Alexander Mackendrick worked on three more-satisfying Ealing comedies, Whisky Galore! (1949), The Man in the White Suit (1951), and The Ladykillers (1955). Recognizing that he’d stumbled with this film, he stated that it concentrates too much on his personal concerns, and not enough on things relevant to anyone else.  The second part is certainly true.

This isn’t a bad film.  The acting is good, the camera work is professional (if a bit too much like a documentary), and there are no huge mistakes or problems.  It is a quaint movie, of minor interest.

Released in the U.S. with the title High and Dry.