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film brilliantly to its limit. I am all for commending his fortitude in yet another sickening encounter with commercialism.
It is good to remember when these arguments arise how — till the gold plaque came in from Venice — lacking in unanimity was the first enthusiasm. Even Man of Aran was too difficult and too highbrow for the trade generally, and might have fizzled indeed if Flaherty has not gone out himself with his collection of Islanders to ballyhoo it into appreciation. It plainly is a difficult world to manage anything at all in, when the artist has to turn showman in self defence.
Flaherty not only had to make the film but he had to sell it. Wardour Street, which knows how to sell its own line of damarroids, has never the belief nor the salesmanship, to sell anything different. Where, as in the case of France, the Man of Aran job was left to the usual commercial agents, the film was cut to a five-reeler and billed below the line as a subsidiary feature. As they congratulate themselves on their gold plaque, Gaumont-British should pause to consider this strange anomaly.
A last consideration, which Flaherty himself urges strongly. Man of Aran has been blamed for distorting the life of the Islanders, for going back into time for its shark hunting and its dangers, for telling a false story. But is it unreasonable for the artist to distil life over a period of time and deliver only the essence of it? Seen as the story of mankind over a period of a thousand years, the story of the Arans is very much this story of man against the sea and woman against the skyline. It is a simple story, but it is an essential story, for nothing emerges out of time except bravery. If I part company with Flaherty at that point, it is because I like my braveries to emerge otherwise than from the sea, and stand otherwise than against the sky. I imagine they shine as bravely in the pursuit of Irish landlords as in the pursuit of Irish sharks.
In the commercial cinema, however, sharks are definitely preferable. You can stuff them and show them in a Wardour Street window. You can even cut them down, as G.-B. did, to fit the window. You cannot, unfortunately, do the same with Irish landlords. That is the case for Flaherty.
RECORD OF SUBSTANDARD FILMS
In response to numerous enquiries Cinema Quarterly is compiling a record of sub-standard films of a documentary, educational, or experimental nature. Both amateur and commercial producers are invited to submit details of such films, including contents, size, length, and also rates and conditions of hiring.
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