A way of life is dying on an Outer Hebridean island fishing port, but some of the inhabitants resist evacuating to the mainland.
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Title: The Edge of the World (1937)
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1 win & 1 nomination.
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| John Laurie | ... | ||
| Belle Chrystall | ... |
The Manson Family: Ruth, His Daughter
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Eric Berry | ... |
The Manson Family: Robbie, Her Brother
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Kitty Kirwan | ... |
The Manson Family: Jean, Their Grandmother
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| Finlay Currie | ... |
The Gray Family: James
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| Niall MacGinnis | ... |
The Gray Family: Andrew, His Son
(as Niall Macginnis)
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Grant Sutherland | ... |
The Catechist
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Campbell Robson | ... | |
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George Summers | ... |
The Skipper
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
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. ... Written by sspurli
Certificate:
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Details
Country:
UKLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
10 January 1938 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
A l'angle du monde See more »Box Office
Budget:
£20,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (1940 re-issue) | (1990 NFA-restoration) | (Milestone print)Sound Mix:
Mono (Marconi's Visatone System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Words from the biblical 23rd psalm
Sung a cappella by the congregation in church
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The cast and crew stayed on Foula for many months. This was before the airstrip was built and they had to use local fishing boats as ferries. See more »Goofs
The wild Golden Eagle at the beginning has the falconer's jesses (leather straps) visible. See more »Crazy Credits
[at the end of the opening credits] And all the people on the lonely island of Foula where this story was made See more »Soundtracks
Psalm 23(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Words from the biblical 23rd psalm
Sung a cappella by the congregation in church
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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A new version was reportedly released in 1978 ,featuring a color sequence where the director and the actors-survivors went on a pilgrimage to Foula.It was called "return to the edge of the world" .This is not the version I saw and it seems that none of the other users could see it either.It's really a pity.
Powell is my favorite English director.He's the only one who 's got a sense of mystery.His pictures are art,poetry in motion.He films the sea (a harsh mistress) and the desolate landscapes in a dazzling way.His influence on David Lean ("Ryan's daughter") is obvious.But I'm almost sure old wave French Jean Delannoy (not meant pejoratively) had this movie in mind when he made his own "Dieu a Besoin des Hommes" (a story in a remote Breton island ).And the almost documentary side of the movie predates Robert Bresson's asceticism.
Some called it melodramatic:on the contrary,Powell avoids its clichés; the unmarried mother became generally an outcast,most of all the French Marcel Pagnol films revolved around this subject.But Ruth's child is a new hope for the inhabitants.The sequence when they dance to a violin tune is the one really happy moment in the whole film.
The times are changing.The way of life their fathers used to know is coming to an end.Powell's movie gains an universal meaning :the situation he depicted happened (and is still happening) here there and everywhere.