The Edge of the World

[beloitpiper]

Has anybody seen this film? I really want to see The Edge of the World. I've been reading about St. Kilda and it fascinates me. For those of you not familiar, St. Kilda is a small island wet of Scotland which enjoyed relative solitude for hundreds of years until the last residents left in 1930.

Here's some interesting tidbits:

-After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, it was rumored that Prince Charles Edward Stuart and some of his senior Jacobite aides had escaped to St Kilda. An expedition was launched, and in due course British soldiers were ferried ashore to Hirta. They found a deserted village, as the St Kildans, fearing pirates, had fled to caves to the west. When the St Kildans were persuaded to come down, the soldiers discovered that the isolated natives knew nothing of the prince and had never heard of King George II either.

-In the late 19th century, the islanders could communicate with the rest of the world only by lighting a bonfire on the summit of Conachair and hoping a passing ship might see it, or by using the "St Kilda mailboat". The St Kildans would fashion a piece of wood into the shape of a boat and place in it a small bottle or tin containing a message. Launched when the wind came from the northwest, two thirds of the messages were later found on the west coast of Scotland or, less conveniently, in Norway.

-An excavation of the Taigh an t-Sithiche (the 'house of the fairies') in 1877 by John Sands unearthed the remains of gannet, sheep, cattle and limpets amidst various stone tools. The building is between 1,700 and 2,500 years old, but the food items were the same as those consumed by contemporary islanders, which suggests that the St Kildan diet had changed little over the millennia. Indeed the tools were recognized by the St Kildans, who could put names to them as similar devices were still in use.

-Theirs was not a utopian society; the islanders had ingenious wooden locks for their property, and financial penalties were exacted for misdemeanors. Nonetheless, no resident St Kildan is known to have fought in a war, and in four centuries of history, no serious crime committed by an islander was recorded there.

-After World War I most of the young men left the island, and the population fell from 73 in 1920 to 37 in 1928. After the death of four men from influenza in 1926 and a succession of crop failures in the 1920s, the last straw came with the death from appendicitis of a young woman, Mary Gillies, in January 1930. On 29 August 1930, the last 36 inhabitants were evacuated to Morvern on the Scottish mainland at their own request.
The morning of the evacuation promised a perfect day. The sun rose out of a calm and sparkling sea and warmed the impressive cliffs of Oiseval…. Observing tradition the islanders left an open Bible and a small pile of oats in each house, locked all the doors and at 7 a.m. boarded the Harebell… They were reported to have stayed cheerful throughout the operation. But as the long antler of Dun fell back onto the horizon and the familiar outline of the island grew faint, the severing of an ancient tie became a reality and the St Kildans gave way to tears.


The island is now a military base and nature conservancy. Sounds like an amazing place.

[James MacMillan]

If that's the one by Michael Powell, I think I have a copy of it.

[Andrewson]

I remember seeing this film at home in the late 1940s. My father borrowed a copy on the now defunct 9.5mm standard and we were made to watch this piece of social history. I can remember being moved by the story but not understanding the reasons why they were leaving (well I was 10 or 11 at the time).

Nowadays you can download a copy for GBP 12.50 from the British Film Institute

[BoldHighlander]

Here's a link about the film:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Edge_of_the_World

Thanks for telling us about this. I'd never heard of the film, and I see its coming soon to dvd to blockbuster.com so I've added it to my list

[pdcorlis]

Yup - another wonderful film by Michael Powell. He was really able to capture the challenge of living in stark and isolated beauty.

[SFCRick]

interesting film for sure

[Moosedog]

Now I want to see it--just finished watched I Know Where I'm Going on DVD last night and the extras included a lengthy clip and intro about The Edge of The World.

In 1974 I was lucky enough to spend the summer with my mother and brother on the far Northern coast of Scotland, outside of John O'Groats. It was a magical summer: we'd take the owner's dog down to the sea each morning to bathe. Rowing about, fishing, walking, bacon and fried tomatoes for breakfast. The people there were wonderful! And I thought it was truly the edge of the world. Seeing those clips really reminded me of that time.

Moosedog

[Andrewson]

Now I want to see it--just finished watched I Know Where I'm Going on DVD last night and the extras included a lengthy clip and intro about The Edge of The World.

Thanks for the reminder about I Know Where I'm Going. I now realise that one reason why my father was so keen for us to see Edge of the World (see post #3 above) was that, as a member of the Glasgow Orpheus Choir he had helped to provide the music for I Know ... in 1945 and he wanted us to see Powell's other Scottish film. Until you mentioned it I did not know there was a connection between the two films. Many thanks

[Arlen]

It's good. I saw it a wee while ago and it's very much worth the watch.

[Moosedog]

Andrewson, I noticed in the credits for "I know Where I'm Going" Petula Clark is listed...was she a member of that choir?

Moosedog