Tilbury (1987) is an Icelandic made for television film set during WWII that deals with the tilberi. A tilberi is a creature of Icelandic folklore that is summoned by women to steal milk to create butter. In the case of the film Tilbury the tilberi is used to create the chocolate of the occupying forces; first the British and then the Americans. This magical imp is rendered in the film as a creature with long nails and a hooked nose that does the bidding of a young Icelandic woman.
It’s interesting that in the film the tilberi assumes the identity of a major in the British army named Tilbury. Since only women can control these creatures the role of the army becomes subordinate to her will for a time. When the creature runs amok and kills its master the implied threat to her autonomy is made literal. The monster could be seen as an allegorical representation of the occupation and its effects on Icelandic culture in the forties.
The film, directed by Viðar Víkingsson, lasts barely an hour. In that short time Víkingsson must condense the history of the tilberi and tell his own tale of occupied Iceland. Víkingsson accomplishes this with a workman-like economy that, at times, feels rushed yet never diminishes the impact of its gross-out scenes of puking teal butter. For Víkingsson the mounting suspense of the narrative is secondary to the fantastic spectacle of the tilberi.
It’s a pity that the plotting, and as a consequence the direction, should be so uneven. There’s great potential on display in Tilbury; particularly as a metaphor for the culture clashes between Iceland and Britain. As it is, TIlbury is little more than a creature feature that suggests more complex themes and ideas.
