With my viewing of MAN OF ARAN (1934), I have now worked my way through all of the major works of filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty (1884-1951). In addition to ARAN, they are NANOOK OF THE NORTH (1922), MOANA (1926), and LOUISIANA STORY (1948). Two movies, TABU (1931) and ELEPHANT BOY (1937) were collaborative efforts with traditional mainstream directors (F. W. Murnau & Zoltan Korda) and the films were more their work than Flaherty’s especially TABU. With the exception of STORY which takes place in the real life present (ca.1948), all the others are not documentaries in the true sense of the word as was often claimed by distributors (but not by Flaherty) but rather docudramas intent on capturing a way of life among the people depicted that was no longer current.
The Aran Islands are three small rocky islands off the West Coast of Ireland. Flaherty set up shop on Inishmore, the largest of the three in 1931 and spent the next two years shooting over 200,000 feet of film (approximately 37 hours) for what would be a 76 minute movie. While using real life Aran Islanders in his cast, the family featured in the film were not related but were chosen for their photogenic qualities. Some of the events depicted, notably the shark hunt, were recreated although the hunt was actually and authentically shown. The practice of drying seaweed to provide soil for growing potatoes was also accurately done. MAN OF ARAN was shot as a silent film which enabled Flaherty to get his amazing shots of the waves crashing into the rocks. The soundtrack was added later.
Since Flaherty used authentic local people, they spoke in a thick half Gaelic, half English dialect which would be virtually unintelligible to movie audiences and while their dialogue is unimportant to the story, it does add local color when it can be heard. The musical background features a composed score based on Irish tunes which is played by a symphony orchestra which was the norm in the 1930s. The movie was a financial success upon its initial release but it sparked a controversy that continues t o this day between those who condemn it for not being a true documentary versus those who praise it for its cinematic qualities. How you feel about MAN OF ARAN will depend on which point-of-view you take but even those who disagree with Flaherty’s approach do not deny the power of his poetic imagery.
The Capsule Critic 