Richie-67-485852 Next time you feel the need to gripe, complain, sit-back, loaf and refuse to get-up and get going, you need to watch this movie which expertly makes the point of you don't work you don't eat and it is not a threat but a reality. You got people living on what amounts to a giant rock of an island trying to make it all make sense in huts with weather, hardships and work being your everyday challenge to exist. If you enjoy it and it appears that they do, then they are living out their lives to their satisfaction. Nice shots of the background and how people respect what they have and become good stewards of it. It appears getting wet and cold is the price to pay for living and working on this island. Some fascinating events and surprises come-up of which I wont mention that cause intrigue and capture the viewer every step of the way. I had a couple of moments where I said "so that's what is going on and why they do that" which were very enjoyable. Remember, this movie goes back decades ago in a remote place meaning, no 7-11, TV, phones, Internet or bar visits. You work from sun-up to sun-down and retire to your little hut where animals, a hot liquid and rest awaits. Working together is a must or it gets even worse too. This is very well demonstrated. Good movie to snack with or have a sandwich with a tasty drink. Stop complaining about anything and everything and see how others live and love with less...

forgottennmantra This is a magnificent portrait not only of a dying way of life (dying in 1934 and still dying) but a portrait of the human struggle to find life in the most desolate of places. The photography is magnificent, the pacing is perfect and the piece transcends culture and even the very idea of "documentary" film. But this is true of all of Flaherty's films. Flaherty wasn't a documentarian. He didn't purport to be a disinterested observer (whatever that is). He staged his films, this has never been in dispute and he never made any attempts to hide the fact. He referred to films he made as "travel films", a phrase common in the 1930s. Make no mistake this film is a piece of art.

bscardozo Another movie by a master movie maker.His documentaries make one feel the hardship his subjects undergo, whether real or not.A must see along with Nanook.The visuals are stunning as is the empathy of the director for his subjects.Would there be a documentary director like him today -- except for Frederick Wiseman whom I am sure was inspired by Flaherty's movies such as Nanook (a picture of a long lost world) and Man of Aran.I wonder if people are still farming Aran or if they have all left for the big city.There are other documentaries by the BBC -- See South Georgia Island or the re-creations of Shackleton's unsuccessful trip to the South Pole and you will feel as well as ache along with them. A true pioneer when making films was difficult at best, impossible at worst. But Flaherty make the impossible real and captured a world that no longer exists.

Glaschu An amazing document and well worth seeing.It is strange to watch a classic documentary film on this brave community and not get a single chance to hear them speak one word in their own language (Irish Gaelic). The voice-overs were all in English, for the audience of course. But we would not have been harmed by even a smattering of dialog in Irish.I also missed seeing a little more of domestic life. What did they eat, how did they cook, what was their religious life like? We see only the sea, the source of their existence, but not much of what they did beyond it.