Man of Aran

A magic film that you can watch again and again for its majesty and drama. I cannot recall another black and white movie that so well captured the terrifying grandeur of the sea. If you saw and enjoyed "Ryan's Daughter", do see this classic of cinema and compare it's storm sequence. What magic Flaherty captured in astonishing cinematography and editing! The setting is wonderful, so do see this film, and hope you too get the opportunity to see the West coast of Ireland when the sea is up and the wind is shrieking. Times may have changed even these more remote parts of Ireland, but nothing will ever overcome the stark and rugged beauty of this glorious landscape so ably captured in "Man of Aran".

If you were to ask passers-by on the street if they'd be interested in seeing a 1934 documentary about the harsh day-to-day existence of a tiny community living on a remote island off the coast of Ireland -- well, you'd be standing there all day before you could find someone who'd say, "sure!". Which is really a disappointment because they don't know what they're missing!

Think of every poem you've read about the sea and man's relation to it and you might get a clue as to the depths of feeling that this film has. It's like Hemingway, Pablo Neruda and W.B. Yeats all rolled into one. It's extremely simplistic, just shots of how a small family fishes, hauls seaweed for fertilizer (there is no soil on the island) and dodges waves so high that its foam sprays above the cliff-tops. Not to mention an incredible sequence where five fishermen try to catch and kill a shark that is a good deal larger than their boat!

What's most exhilarating about this film is that while you're watching it, you can't help but think that these people are crazy to choose to live in such a desolate and difficult place, but then you try to imagine them elsewhere and you know that they are as much a part of that environment as the stubborn sea-worn cliffs are. After even thirty minutes of the film, the roar of the ocean and the cries of the gulls fill your head to such an extreme that you know that such people could live no where else. This film is reminiscent of Roberto Rossellini's film, "Stromboli" about the inhabitants of a small village on a volcanic island. There are a few brief pockets of sentimentality due to the score, but the filmmakers thankfully left out the music during all of the film's most important scenes. Overall what you have is an incredible cinematic experience that makes you think and imagine what it would be like to live a life where every day is a struggle with the elements of nature and a fight for survival, yet filled with the deepest awe and respect for nature and for living.

I really enjoyed this film. It is best to ignore any questions about the plot and whether it is a movie or a documentary and just sit back and be transported back in time. The island is a beautiful, yet harsh and isolated place and the people are a product of that environment. I just saw the film after returning from a trip to Ireland, where we spent several enchanting days on the island, hiking in the rain. The locals told me about the movie, I had only a vague knowledge before then.

What has really sold me on the movie was the DVD edition we viewed it on. There is a wealth of details about the movie, the director, the island, and much more now available. Fans wedded to todays ultra-slick color and CGI productions might be disappointed, but for the serious movie fan this is a gem!

Next time you feel the need to gripe, complain, sit-back, loaf and refuse to get-up and get going, you need to watch this movie which expertly makes the point of you don't work you don't eat and it is not a threat but a reality. You got people living on what amounts to a giant rock of an island trying to make it all make sense in huts with weather, hardships and work being your everyday challenge to exist. If you enjoy it and it appears that they do, then they are living out their lives to their satisfaction. Nice shots of the background and how people respect what they have and become good stewards of it. It appears getting wet and cold is the price to pay for living and working on this island. Some fascinating events and surprises come-up of which I wont mention that cause intrigue and capture the viewer every step of the way. I had a couple of moments where I said "so that's what is going on and why they do that" which were very enjoyable. Remember, this movie goes back decades ago in a remote place meaning, no 7-11, TV, phones, Internet or bar visits. You work from sun-up to sun-down and retire to your little hut where animals, a hot liquid and rest awaits. Working together is a must or it gets even worse too. This is very well demonstrated. Good movie to snack with or have a sandwich with a tasty drink. Stop complaining about anything and everything and see how others live and love with less...

Another movie by a master movie maker.

His documentaries make one feel the hardship his subjects undergo, whether real or not.

A must see along with Nanook.

The visuals are stunning as is the empathy of the director for his subjects.

Would there be a documentary director like him today -- except for Frederick Wiseman whom I am sure was inspired by Flaherty's movies such as Nanook (a picture of a long lost world) and Man of Aran.

I wonder if people are still farming Aran or if they have all left for the big city.

There are other documentaries by the BBC -- See South Georgia Island or the re-creations of Shackleton's unsuccessful trip to the South Pole and you will feel as well as ache along with them.

A true pioneer when making films was difficult at best, impossible at worst. But Flaherty make the impossible real and captured a world that no longer exists.