/Rock-Pop/British / European

BRITISH SEA POWER
man of aran

Release Date: 18/05/2009

the package includes two discs - the re-scored 'man of aran' dvd, plus the soundtrack by itself on cd. "it's a wonderful film", says british sea power guitarist noble. "the images vary between huge drama and a brilliant kind of ridiculousness - check out the amazing foot-wide bobbled berets that the fishermen wear. it's a great look, like a 1930s irish version of jack white or kraftwerk. it's a film that's also relevant to the current era - a time when the idea of living a simpler life is in the air. the film shows something i'd like to think i could do, but know i never will". 'man of aran' is a powerful and provocative dramatised documentary from the late american filmmaker robert j flaherty. in a series of startling black-and-white sequences the film presents daily life on the inhospitable aran islands on the west coast of ireland. the film was both celebrated and controversial on its release. the film was created from half a million feet of film shot by flaherty while living closely with the islanders. but 'man of aran' isn't a straightforward documentary. the 'family' at the centre of the film weren't related, rather a group of islanders cast as the family unit by flaherty. the fishing expedition for basking sharks which forms the film's dramatic heart was based around methods that hadn't been employed on the aran islands for decades. blending reality and staged elements, flaherty arrived at a compelling document that captures the elemental power of the island's past and present. the film won the grand prix at the 1935 venice film festival and the eminent film critic pauline kael described it as, "the greatest film tribute to man's struggle against a hostile nature"