Summary
Drifters (1929) is silent documentary film by John Grierson, his first and only personal film.
| Drifters | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Grierson |
| Produced by | John Grierson |
| Cinematography | DOP Basil Emmott |
Release date | 1929 |
Running time | 61 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £3,000 |
It tells the story of Britain's North Sea herring fishery. The film's style has been described as being a "response to avant-garde, Modernist films, adopting formal techniques such as montage – constructive editing emphasising the rhythmic juxtaposition of images – but also aimed to make a socially directed commentary on its subject" (Tate Gallery: Liverpool 2006). The film was successful both critically and commercially and helped kick off Grierson's documentary film movement.[1][2][3][4] This film also showed that Grierson was not afraid to alter reality slightly in order to have his vision shown. For example, when the boat he was on returned without a catch he bought another boats catch and tried to fake it. He ended up scrapping that film as it was not authentic enough.[5]
Release edit
The film was shown alongside Battleship Potemkin's premiere in London.[6]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "John Grierson : 1898 - 1972" (PDF). Griersontrust.org. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ "DRIFTERS (John Grierson, 1929) | Dennis Grunes". Grunes.wordpress.com. 11 September 2007. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
- ^ "Tate Liverpool | Past Exhibitions | Making History". www.tate.org.uk. Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Montage Film Reviews - Written Reviews Section: 'Drifters' 1929 (Dir. John Grierson) "Dramatising the Mundane: The Working Man Hero in John Grierson's 'Drifters' "". Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ^ Evans, Gary. John Grierson: Trailblazer of Documentary Film. Montreal: XYZ Publishing, 2005. Print.
- ^ Khouri 2007, p. 90.
Works cited edit
- Khouri, Malek (2007). Filming Politics: Communism and the Portrayal of the Working Class at the National Film Board of Canada, 1939-46. University of Calgary Press. ISBN 9781552381991.
External links edit
- Drifters at IMDb
