Finis terrae (1929)

Finis terrae: Directed by Jean Epstein. With Gibois, Jean-Marie Laot, Malgorn, François Morin. On an island off the coast of Brittany four isolated men collect seaweed. Two young best friends have a quarrel and when one’s thumb becomes infected his friend must risk his life on the ocean to bring him to the doctor.

“Made when the silent era was coming to an end ,I do not think that u0026quot;Finis Terraeu0026quot; can appeal to a modern audience,the way Marcel Lherbieru0026#39;s u0026quot;Lu0026#39;Homme Du Largeu0026quot;(1920) still can.The latter ,although its depiction of the life in Bretagne is as vivid as colorful and as precise as in Epsteinu0026#39;s effort ,was a melodrama ,a genre that the great creators of the silent age (Griffith,Gance)took to unbelievable heights. Besides,Lherbieru0026#39;s pictures,although they were as beautiful as these of Epstein ,had something mad something grandiose which is not present here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Finis Terraeu0026quot; is a very slow-moving film and at times it becomes boring.It would have been a very good short,but at a running time of 80 min+,itu0026#39;s inevitably too long.The plot -taking a wounded man to Ouessant Island- is very thin,and the movie is close to documentary .Nice cinematography but is it enough to make it classic?”