The Edge of the World (1938)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

If I had to name one of my favourite film directors, a few always come to mind, and they always include Michael Powell. He has made some of the (for me) most fascinating, thrilling, strange, intriguing and often exhilarating movies ever. He has made about 60 films in about 40 years and plenty of them would easily fit into my all time favourite top-10 films: The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Peeping Tom, Gone To Earth, A Canterbury Tale, 49th Parallel, One of Our Aircraft is Missing, A Matter of Life and Death, I Know Where I'm Going, Contraband, A Spy in Black - I can recommend them all as essential viewing if you are interested in English cinema of the 1940s and 1950s. Now the Arts Channel (in New Zealand) decided to screen one I hadn't seen before, The Edge of the World, from 1937. A tragic and powerful tale of an isolated island off the coast of Scotland (in Roman times known as Ultima Thule, the island of Foula standing in for St Kilda) affected by diminishing local resources of fuel and manpower, causing emigration, economic, social and environmental decline. It was fascinating and moving to see the stories of local families intertwined with the larger social and economic issues driving change. A constant recurrence of a cinematic theme throughout the film was gravity, which of course pulls everything down: people and sheep falling off cliffs, the pull of the wider world out there affecting the economic base of the island, fishing, livestock and crofting. The camera angles are fascinating throughout as every scene is filmed either from a upward or downward position, emphasising the will of men to fight for what they want and believe in, or being looked on by the camera acting as mother nature overwhelming the actors by the majestic cliffs, pounding seas and constant winds. You'd wish there could have been another outcome for the people involved but in the end it seems it's not possible to live at the edge of the world: you either choose to leave or die on the island.

This is a lovely movie and was a work of love--it's obvious that the people who made this film really cared about making an artistic film that chronicled the exodus of residents from lonely and practically god-forsaken islands to the mainland. It's easy to see how important this project was to them.In this case, the film is set on a windswept and very barren Scottish isle. Now the locals, to a degree, love their land and are reluctant to leave but also life is so darn harsh the viewer is left amazed that anyone would choose to live in such a relentless land. How they showed this was highly reminiscent of the later Italian Neo-realist films, as most of the actors were normal folks, not big-name actors AND the subject matter was so mundane (both trademarks of the style). But unlike the Neo-realist films, the artistic bent of the film is truly unique. The island and all its many sights are simply stunning--especially the cliff-side shots. They look almost like the cinematographer had the eye of an Ansel Adams--it just looked gorgeous due not only to stunning geography but a deft hand at the camera--employing filters and framing the shots so well. The "ghost scene" towards the beginning is also very stunning and exceptionally well handled.So with so much going for it, why do I say the film is so dull? Well, think about it...the land is very, very stark and not a whole heck of a lot happens during the film. While there are a few interesting vignettes, watching these very taciturn (i.e., close mouthed) people was at times quite a chore. I just wanted SOMETHING eventful to happen and I wanted some emotion out of the actors--though this would have resulted in a more watchable but less realistic film. So instead of seeing this as fun or entertaining (which it isn't), I see this more as a documentary with a simple story that is meant simply to record this style of living before it completely disappeared. So at least historically it is a very important film--much like NANOOK OF THE NORTH or STROMBOLI (without the bad story) and other ethnographic films. But don't watch this unless you have a pot of coffee nearby--otherwise, you'll probably fall asleep again and again.

Odd little film directed by Michael Powell long before his huge success once teamed with Emeric Pressburger.Subtitled "the death of an island," the film chronicles the dreary lives of island folk as seen in flashback by the former residents years after. Victims of the changing world, commercialized fishing, and isolation, the islanders finally pack it in and move to the mainland after the death of one young man and a near miss with a baby.Set in an era before electricity and telephones the film shows just how isolated the people are on the various islands north of Scotland. Independent and stubborn, they cling to their rock even though they know the end is coming.The story is slim: the young people are in crisis of whether to stay and keep the island going or go to the mainland and get good-paying jobs. The story shows us their lives on the island of Hirta (which means death) and the draw of the cities.Almost shot in documentary form, Powell constantly shows us the majestic beauty of the sparse rock of island versus the drab lives of the people. Their lives are built around church, social interaction, and trying to keep going.The acting is minimal with a few familiar faces. John Laurie is the hard father who sees his son (Eric Berry) die in a stupid accident while climbing the face of sea rock. Belle Chrystall is Ruth and Niall MacGinnes is Robbie. Finlay Currie co-stars.The island scenery is just gorgeous and Powell has a good eye for the incredible backdrops of sea and rock and waving grasses.

It was very strange watching a film that was shot on an Island that I can see out of my living room window (on clear days).The film touched on many issues that affected people of the Shetlands around that time, but you should glad hearted, because in REAL life the people of Foula (the REAL Island) still managed to survive, there are approx 30 people living on Foula (Pronouced "Fulla") at this time, and they now have (as from the end of 2004), for the first time 24 hour electricity! (previously only 15 hours a days worth).Of course, none of the main characters are from Shetland, because they sound Scottish. (The Shetland accent is a mix of Scots and Norwegian Dialect), but the film does its best.. and people who lived in Shetland NEVER spoke Scottish Gaelic.. ever.. tho they did speak Danish before the 17th Century...This film is available in the Shetland Libraries, and it is watched with much mirth by us... watch and enjoy!