Finis Terrae

A French silent movie from 1929 which masterfully depicts the rugged landscape of Bannec, a remote island off the coast of Brittany, FINIS TERRAE (literally meaning The End of the Earth) has been given the 4K restoration treatment and is now available as a Limited Edition Blu-ray set with 2,000 copies only.

To put it upfront, not much happens during the film’s running time and chopping off ten minutes or so may have been beneficial. That said, the stormy sea and the barren, rugged landscape are as much part of the ‘plot’ as the story itself and there is much to cherish about this tale of four fishermen who have come to the island to harvest and burn seaweed, because the ash of the seaweed will earn them a decent crust. Like every year, the fishermen will reside in Bannec for three months and with bugger all to do except harvesting seaweed and while away the time as best as they can. The fishermen in question are two elderly and two young men and are portrayed by amateur actors (or locals even). Although clearly conversing with each other, director Epstein decided to make this a silent film because the cast could only speak in their native Breton language, which none of the French cinema-goers would have understood. Instead, intertitles are used sparingly to follow the paper-thin plot.

Out of boredom, the two young fishermen - Ambroise and Jean-Marie - start a brawl although initially, this seems to be half in jest. Jest quickly makes way for anger when Ambroise accidentally drops Jean-Marie’s bottle of wine - and the last one available at that. Clearly an accident, Jean-Marie nonetheless makes it clear that he is angry with Ambroise, not least because he furthermore accuses him of having stolen his knife. What he doesn’t seem to realise is that Ambroise has cut his thumb on a shard of glass from the broken bottle and over the next couple of days, the wound becomes infected and Ambroise grows weaker. For whatever the reason, he doesn’t tell the others of his injury while they in turn accuse him of being work-shy and lazy. With his condition deteriorating fast, Ambroise decides to sail back to the island of Ushant (where the fishermen live) alone to seek medical help, but the elements are against him, the wind isn’t strong enough and soon he has to return to Bannec, where he collapses on the beach in a feverish delirium.

Meanwhile in Ushant, the locals begin to get worried as they are baffled by the lack of smoke coming from Bannec, as it would indicate that the seaweed harvest doesn’t go according to plan… but why? To make matters worse, Ambroise and Jean-Marie’s mothers are at loggerheads with each other and it doesn’t help the overall situation. Eventually, after church service, the locals decide that something must be wrong in Bannec and dispatch a rescue party led by the local doctor. Which is just as well, as by now Jean-Marie and the two elderly fishermen finally came to realise what’s really going on with Ambroise. Jean-Marie also discovers his knife on the ground and feels ashamed that he accused his friend of theft. Unaware that a rescue party is already on its way, Jean-Marie carries the now unconscious Ambroise in the boat and attempts to sail to Ushant though luckily, the rescue boat with the doctor and other volunteers spot them halfway.

There are moments of almost poetic tenderness between Ambroise and Jean-Marie which suggest there could be homosexual feelings simmering underneath (director Jean Epstein was homosexual) but it is done in a very subtle way and deliberately left open to interpretations. The stark b/w photography enhances the bleakness of Bannec and emphasises the isolation of the four fishermen. At the same time, we witness a slice of Breton life as it was back then and the daily goings-on of the locals in Ushant - even back then it looked like a way of life in danger of the unavoidable progress of time.

Bonus material included Collector’s booklet / Impressions of Jean Epstein / Video essay and an archival appreciation of Finis Terrae.