:18:03
was the balance
in the islanders' lives
:18:07
between the hard grind of survival
:18:10
and an almost mystical sense
of oneness with nature.
:18:16
This is a very remote community,
it's steeped in tradition
:18:20
and included in the traditions
is a belief
:18:23
that, for instance, being able
to see the hills of Scotland
:18:27
is a sign of ill omen.
:18:30
Something dangerous, alarming,
threatening is going to happen.
:18:36
So it's warning us
:18:38
and it's setting a different tone
in the film.
:18:40
We know that this life
that we've been introduced to
:18:43
will have a shadow cast over it.
:18:45
Meanwhile, there's
an urgent matter to discuss.
:18:48
And again, another aspect of
the traditional life of the island,
:18:53
which Powell had picked up
from his research,
:18:55
was the idea of the boat parliament,
:18:57
where all the men of the island
get together,
:19:00
close to the scene
of their primary activity, fishing,
:19:05
and they have a parliament,
a basic... council, where they sit
:19:09
and discuss
the most important issues.
:19:12
And here
the most important issue is
:19:15
whether to continue on the island
:19:18
or to accept that their traditional
way of life will have to end
:19:22
and that they have to
seek evacuation.
:19:27
(Dialogue) Year by year,
the population's shrinking.
:19:30
(Christie)
The background to this debate
:19:32
and the dilemma facing the islanders
:19:35
was the impact of new technology
on their lives.
:19:39
The steam trawlers
that we see later
:19:41
were already
scarring the northern seas,
:19:45
with their otter boards
dragging over the sea bed
:19:49
and damaging
the next spawn of fish.
:19:51
By contrast,
:19:53
the islanders'
traditional rowing boats
:19:55
had been replaced
by small power-driven boats
:19:58
that practised drifter fishing,