Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7339 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-01-12
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Black & White, Colour, Full Screen, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 74 minutes

Special Features

• Daniel Day Lewis reads from Michael Powell's memoir 200,000 Feet On Foula
  
• Commentary by film critic Ian Christie and Thelma Schoonmaker (Oscar winning editor and Powell's wife)
  
• Return To The Edge of the World (1978) in which Powell returned to the island 40 years later
  
• Travelogue film St Kilda - Britain's Loneliest Isle (1928)
  
• Michael Powell's home movies

DVD Technical Information:

• Running Time: 74 minutes
  
• Region Code: 2
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33 Full Screen
  
• Subtitles: English for the Hearing Impaired

Synopsis
On a remote Scottish island, poor harvests and bad weather are bringing an end to the traditional ways of life. The islanders must decide whether to abandon their homes and seek employment on the mainland. Director Powell's breakthrough film, shot on the island of Filou, was a particularly meaningful project for him.

Customer Reviews

An epic undertaking
This is a fascinating film written and directed by Michael Powell. The story is based around the real island of St Kilda which was abandoned by the inhabitants in the early 1930s. St Kilda is an extremely remote island out in the Atlantic West of the Hebrides. Its remoteness lends it a romantic mystique. But for those inhabitants at that time life on the edge of the world was extremely tough. Famine was a reality. If storms kept them from the sea they often went hungry. Life was often as short as it was hard. The great director Flaherty had already explored this life in his landmark documentary "Man of Aran". Powell had actually watched Flaherty wrestle with the raw material for 3 years for this film. Well that is the brief background.

If you watch this film I would thoroughly recommend you read Powell's magnificent book "200,000 feet on Foula". I usually find books on the cinema to be tedious but this one is not. The book is all about Powell's preparation for and the making of " Edge of the World". In my humble opinion the best book ever about the industry. It is an epic story in itself and is an insight into the great man. The film was shot on location on the Isle of Foula in the Shetlands some way north of the Scottish mainland and every bit as remote as St Kilda itself. Foula is remote even among the Shetland group. Foula has the feel of Ultima Thule which is from the ancient Greek and refers to the place at the end of the world. As you can imagine the logistics of filming here in the thirties must have seemed daunting. Which indeed it proved to be. But the location is everything for this film. It lends it an impressive sweep and air of authenticity. Foula has dramatic cliffs and seascapes just as St Kilda does. It also has atrocious changeable weather conditions which made filming hard. Powell went to similar lenths as Kurosawa did to bring in "Dersu Uzala", battling heroically with the elements for the sake of art. Does he pull it off. A resounding yes on every level. Pause to bear in mind when this film was made in 1938. Powell shows his vision early in his illustrious career.

The casting was perfect. The great Scottish actors Hugh Lawrie and Finlay Currie being the best known amongst a modest cast of actors and actresses. The locals of Foula were also used. Nothing bigger happened at Foula before or since. Powell shows how the locals lived with surprising accurracy. The gathering of sea birds eggs from vertiginous cliff faces being the most memorable.

But there is more to this film than historical accuracy. Look out for Powells brilliant fade outs and double exposures which enhance this film. Thank goodness for the National Film Archives wonderful and deserving restoration. It also contains the very welcome little documentary return to Foula which unlike so many extras is actually very worthwhile. I heartily recommend you immerse yourself in this lovely film. If you have a true heart for the joy of cinema you will love this.

Peter Manson Gone Over
It has been 10 years since The Shadow of Death fell on the outer isles of Scotland. This is the tale of Peter Manson, his family and the last days of inhabitance on the island called “Ultima Thule” The Edge of the World. You will come to identify with the inhabitance and their plight. But with all the triumphs and tragedies the worst for me was when they let the cats fend for themselves and the dogs (due to economics) drowned.

The filming was spectacular and there is a social statement. Many facets go into making this a first class movie. The film was shot by Michael Powell on the island of Foula in the North Sea. Michael Powell is the visiting yachtsman that hears the story.

Foula
The island of Foula in the Shetlands is the leading player in this visually stunning and dramatically satisfying film. Other reviewers have filled in the historical events behind Powell's idea for the film. To fit the stark, wind swept geography he has created a story equally sharply etched (a touch of Greek tragedy, one feels about it), carried off with conviction and gusto by an excellent cast. As with many Powell films, there is great value in the achievement as a social document, as well as an entertainment. The picture and sound quality are brilliant for their age, and the film-making methods quite stunning at times. Enduring cinema.