They Are Forsaken A Tale of an Island of the Hebrides

Harris/Na Hearadh
1938
Silent
20m

A starkly beautiful portrait of crofting life in Flodabay on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides.

A starkly beautiful portrait of life in Flodabay on the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides. The film follows a family of crofters in their daily tasks - milking the cow, peat collecting, lobster pot making - and the fascinating processes of tweed making: washing the wool, collecting flowers and lichens for dyes, spinning warp and weft. A slow and studied yet compelling look at Hebridean life.

This strikingly accomplished amateur film is the work of William Henry George, a Derbyshire-based geography teacher. Intended as an instructional tool or teaching aid, it demonstrates the hardships of croft living, with a poetic and slightly whimsical tone ("the hard living of the crofts is eked out by the making of tweed and the harvest of the sea"). George clearly admired the "toil and skill" of the crofting way of life, yet recognised it as unsustainable: the crofter's son leaves Flodabay for a job in Stornoway at the end of the film.

Amateur Auteurs

Ever dreamed of shooting your own movie? These pre-digital cine-enthusiasts did - with all the passion and devotion of the true auteur.

These low- (or no-) budget creations reach beyond simple point-and-shoot, back-garden efforts towards something more ambitious and skilful, revealing their authors' passion for film and their often astonishing ingenuity with limited resources. No desktop editing software or digital special effects for these amateur auteurs. The films include fiction and documentary, competition prizewinners and private labours of love. They may be the work of cine-clubbers or individual enthusiasts. But they all show a devotion to filmmaking that far transcends hobbyism. So look out for the delightful handmade intertitles, table-top special effects and library soundtracks which decorate many of the quirky stories, ultra-local documentaries and painstakingly composed home movies featured here.