This is a British documentary from Gaumont and Gainsborough Pictures, and directed by Robert Flaherty. The Aran Islands lie off the west coast of Ireland. They are nothing but craggy rock jutting out of the ocean, with no trees or soil. A handful of people live there, eking out a meager existence via fishing the treacherous waters and planting small food crops in piles of seaweed. They also hunt for basking sharks, a source of multiple items such as lamp oil, skins, and foodstuff.
It has stupendous location cinematography, but the endless shots of massive waves battering the rocky shore get old after about 30 minutes in, and there's still 45 minutes left. The basking shark hunt also goes on for about twice the length that it needed to. This is virtually a silent film, as all audio was added later, mainly the sounds of crashing waves and a smattering of mumbled words from the people depicted. The photography is enough to marginally recommend this, but there isn't a lot more to the proceedings other than wondering why these people choose to live this way . Some vague declaration of freedom is given as an answer.
It has stupendous location cinematography, but the endless shots of massive waves battering the rocky shore get old after about 30 minutes in, and there's still 45 minutes left. The basking shark hunt also goes on for about twice the length that it needed to. This is virtually a silent film, as all audio was added later, mainly the sounds of crashing waves and a smattering of mumbled words from the people depicted. The photography is enough to marginally recommend this, but there isn't a lot more to the proceedings other than wondering why these people choose to live this way . Some vague declaration of freedom is given as an answer.