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.
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.