:28:04
(Christie) This sequence of grinding
:28:07
is one of those moments in the film
where the ethnographic aspect of it,
:28:11
showing the islanders' lives
and what they do,
:28:14
also has a symbolic force,
:28:17
because we do get a strong sense,
watching this great stone turning,
:28:20
of, if you like,
the turning of life in the island
:28:25
after the tragic death of Robbie.
:28:28
(Schoonmaker-Powell)
The image of wheat being ground here
:28:31
is a very strong theme
in Michael Powell's life.
:28:35
In his autobiography,
he does a paean of praise
:28:38
to the mills that he saw
in his childhood in Kent.
:28:42
I've always felt that, uh...
:28:44
one of the reasons
he's such a wonderful director,
:28:47
understands people so deeply,
:28:49
is because he was lucky enough
to be brought up on a farm,
:28:52
where he experienced
all levels of humanity,
:28:56
and always had an extremely
strong connection to the earth.
:29:02
(Water ripples)
:29:09
(Dialogue) James and Andrew of Burns,
:29:11
I bid you to the funeral
of Robbie Manson, tomorrow, at 12.
:29:15
We will come.
:29:24
Jessie and Jean of Grisengarth.
:29:26
I bid you to prepare for the funeral
of Robbie Manson, tomorrow, at 12.
:29:31
(Christie) The repetition
of this solemn phrase
:29:34
has an interesting ritual quality.
:29:37
It reminds us, in a strange way,
of something Biblical,
:29:40
where a character goes
from point to point,
:29:43
repeating the same phrase.
:29:45
Again, it reminds us of the elemental
nature of the islanders' lives,
:29:49
the fact that
they're all bound together
:29:51
in sickness, health and death.
:29:54
(Schoonmaker-Powell)
This sequence is really so stunning,
:29:58
partially because
a simple fact of life on an island,