The Edge of the World (1937)

• Year: 1937
• Released: 09 Sep 1938
• Country: United Kingdom
• Adwords: 1 win & 1 nomination
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028818/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_edge_of_the_world
• Metacritics:
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English
• MPA Rating: Passed
• Genre: Drama, History, Romance
• Runtime: 74 min
• Writer: Michael Powell, John L. Balderston, John Byrd
• Director: Michael Powell
• Cast: Niall MacGinnis, Belle Chrystall, John Laurie
• Keywords: st. kilda,

	7.3/10
	100% – Critics
	78% – Audience

The Edge of the World Storyline

A trio wanders the cliffs of an Outer Hebridean island and encounters a gravestone at the edge of a precipice; it reads, “Peter Manson … gone over.” One man in the trio knows the story of the gravestone and tells it to the others… It is ten years earlier, and the way of life on the island is dying; steam trawlers from the mainland threaten its survival as a fishing port. Peter Manson, one of the community’s leaders, resists evacuating to the mainland, though his son Robbie is about to leave the island himself. Meanwhile, Robbie’s twin sister plans to marry his best friend, Andrew Gray. Andrew and Robbie argue over evacuation and decide to settle the matter by racing to the top of a cliff. Ruth is terrified: she may lose them both. The race ends in tragedy, which tears apart the families of Manson and Gray. Times passes and Ruth reveals she is pregnant with an illegitimate child. This promises to bring the two families back together, but not before desperation hits the islanders. Evacuation is inevitable. And so is one last tragedy.—sspurli

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The Edge of the World Movie Reviews

Beauty, Tragic Power and Poetic Simplicity

Michael Powell is best known for the films he made with Emeric Pressburger under the brand name “The Archers”, but “The Edge of the World” from 1937 is a solo project, predating his partnership with Pressburger. It was inspired by the evacuation of the remote Scottish archipelago of St Kilda in 1930. Here the island is named “Hirta”, which is the same name as that of the main island of the St Kilda group, but it is relocated from the Hebrides to the Orkneys or Shetlands. (Permission to film on St Kilda itself was refused, so filming actually took place on Foula in the Shetlands, although that island was, and remains to this day, inhabited).

A wealthy young couple, sailing around Scotland by yacht, arrive on the island where they discover abandoned cottages but no human inhabitants. They ask Andrew Gray, the skipper of their yacht and himself a native of the island, what happened, and he explains that the island has been deserted for ten years. He then tells them the story of how the population came to leave. The islanders were divided among themselves; some, including Andrew himself, wanted to stay whereas others, such as his close friend Robbie Manson, wanted to leave. Even families were split; Andrew’s father James sided with Robbie, whereas Robbie’s father Peter and his sister Ruth (who was also Andrew’s sweetheart) were both among those determined to stay.

The story told here is partly based upon the true story of the evacuation of St Kilda and is partly fictitious. As on the real St Kilda, the main factor which is drawing people away from the fictitious island of “Hirta” is the greater employment opportunities offered to young people on the mainland. There is also the fact that there are no medical facilities on the island. The people of Hirta are also concerned that competition from commercial trawlers is damaging the local fishing industry. (This was not a factor on the real St Kilda, where the rough and perilous seas meant that the local people did little fishing). As the younger generation gradually leave, this makes it more difficult for those remaining to follow their traditional way of life which relies on strong, fit young people to help with the fishing and crofting and to gather sea birds’ eggs from the cliffs. (This was an important source of protein in their diet).

Powell, born in Canterbury, may have been a native of southern England, but had a deep love of the Scottish highlands and islands; two of his later films with Pressburger, “The Spy in Black” and “I Know Where I’m Going!” were also set in the area. “The Edge of the World” can be seen as his tribute to the way of life of the local people, a life which Powell and his cast and crew shared for several months while on Foula. (No air service or regular ferry existed in 1937, meaning that they had to stay on the island for the whole length of the shoot).

While “The Edge of the World” tells a fictional story, it has a documentary feel to it, reminiscent of the documentary shorts such as “The Islanders” which were being produced by the GPO Film Unit around the same time. At this period life on remote islands was hard and lonely; the islanders of Foula, like those of St Kilda, had no gas, electricity or running water. They had never seen a car, an aircraft or even a bicycle. There were no radios and no postal service; their only way of communicating with the outside world was to launch a letter into the sea in a small wooden vessel, hoping it would be picked up by a passing ship. (They make use of this method during the film). The characters in the film refer to the mainland as “Scotland”, as through Scotland were somewhere foreign, not the country where they live.

Powell shows us not only the hardships and dangers of their life but also their simple religious faith, their democratic ways (all decisions of importance are taken by an island Parliament) and their independent spirit. He also captures, in some striking black- and-white photography, the austere natural beauty of the island. The film may not have the complexity of some of his “Archers” films, but it has a beauty, a tragic power and a poetic simplicity which make it unusual in the annals of British film-making, matched in these respects perhaps only by Bryan Forbes’ “Whistle Down the Wind”. 9/10

A goof. The main story is said to have happened ten years ago, presumably in 1927, but the characters refer to the evacuation of St Kilda, which did not occur until 1930.

Stunning visuals

This early effort by director Michael Powell is simply a stunning visual treat. Shot on location on one of the British isles,the visuals are both dramatic and beautiful.What amazed me was how different this movie was from others I’ve seen from the same period.It seemed so modern in the way of storytelling. The basic story of the film is quite predictable but the actors commitment heightens the drama’s impact. John Laurie is the standout in the cast.But what lingers is the powerful depiction of the harsh life on these isles,constantly battling nature’s forces.This movie is a cherished record of a way of life that now has almost completely disappeared. To fans of Michael Powell this is a must-see, and I recommend this amazing film to everybody.

The first major feature film from director Michael Powell

This British drama from writer-director Michael Powell features a story that charts the sad last days of the residents on Hirta, a small, isolated Scottish island. As more and more of the younger generations move away, the remaining residents are finding life, which was already a struggle, to be untenable. Young adults Andrew (Niall MacGinnis), Robbie (Eric Berry), and Robbie’s sister Ruth (Belle Chrystall) all dream of moving to the mainland, and while Andrew’s father James (Finlay Currie) can see the inevitability of it, Robbie and Ruth’s proud father Peter (John Laurie) is determined to maintain life on Hirta as usual. Also featuring Michael Powell as the Yachtsman.

This was the first major feature film for director Powell, and he’s already showing skill at composing imagery. The location cinematography is bleak yet beautiful, and the film’s editing ratchets up several scenes of suspense. The film’s one weakness lies in its performances. Currie and Laurie are both excellent, but MacGinnis is a bit green, and many of the supporting and bit players are obviously non-professionals. Still, this is a terrific debut from one of Great Britain’s greatest filmmakers.