Man of Aran
Brief Synopsis
Cameras follow Aran Islanders as they cope with the rough terrain and even rougher seas.
Cast & Crew
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Robert Flaherty
Director
Colman King
Maggie Dirrane
Michael Dillane
Harces Flaherty
Camera
John Goldman
Scen
Film Details
Genre
Documentary
Release Date
Oct
20,
1934
Premiere Information
London opening: Apr 1934; New York opening: 18 Oct 1934
Production Company
Gainsborough Pictures, Ltd.
Distribution Company
Gaumont-British Picture Corp. of America
Country
Great Britain and United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 15m
Film Length
6,832ft
Synopsis
This film explores the lives of the natives of the barren Aran Islands, in Galway Bay, north of Ireland.
Videos
Movie Clip
Film Details
Genre
Documentary
Release Date
Oct
20,
1934
Premiere Information
London opening: Apr 1934; New York opening: 18 Oct 1934
Production Company
Gainsborough Pictures, Ltd.
Distribution Company
Gaumont-British Picture Corp. of America
Country
Great Britain and United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 15m
Film Length
6,832ft
Articles
Man of Aran
Cameras follow Aran Islanders as they cope with the rough terrain and even rougher seas.
Man of Aran
Cameras follow Aran Islanders as they cope with the rough terrain and even rougher seas.
Man of Aran
The DVD extras on Man of Aran, unlike the extras on his Louisiana Story, are specifically focused on this particular film. How the Myth Was Made is a documentary taking you behind the scenes of the three years it took to make Man of Aran while Looking Back is Flaherty's own view of the events. Flaherty and Film is a filmed discussion between Frances Flaherty and noted ethnographic filmmaker Robert Gardner (Dead Birds). There's also another excerpt from Hidden and Seeking.
For more information about Man of Aran, visit Home Vision Entertainment. To order Man of Aran, go to TCM Shopping.
by Lang Thompson
Man of Aran
Man of Aran (1934), now on DVD from Home Vision, was documentarian Robert Flaherty's first sound film. It presents the struggles of people living on the island of Aran off Ireland's coast where fishing is tough and crops can't be grown until dirt and seaweed are harvested from rocks. Or at least that's Flaherty's story since he was aiming more for poetic effect than strict naturalism. In fact, the film's "family" was actually unrelated, several scenes were created specifically for the film and as usual Flaherty ignored the economic aspects. But Man of Aran has been recognized as memorable since the time of its release.
The DVD extras on Man of Aran, unlike the extras on his Louisiana Story, are specifically focused on this particular film. How the Myth Was Made is a documentary taking you behind the scenes of the three years it took to make Man of Aran while Looking Back is Flaherty's own view of the events. Flaherty and Film is a filmed discussion between Frances Flaherty and noted ethnographic filmmaker Robert Gardner (Dead Birds). There's also another excerpt from Hidden and Seeking.
For more information about Man of Aran, visit Home Vision Entertainment. To order Man of Aran, go to
TCM Shopping.
by Lang Thompson
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
This film was released in Great Britain at a running time of either 77 or 80 min. Modern sources include Producer Michael Balcon, Screenplay Robert Flaherty and Frances Flaherty, Sound Harry Hand and Music Director Louis Levy in the production.
