: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,
:30:01
which is there were no telephones,
:30:03
and probably mail was only
delivered maybe to the harbour,
:30:07
and everyone went down
to meet the mail boat,
:30:09
so therefore you had to
go yourself and announce it.
:30:13
And out of that comes
this terribly moving moment
:30:18
of Peter Manson and his daughter
:30:21
verbally announcing
the day and time of his funeral.
:30:26
Hovan, hovan, hovan eerie
:30:31
Scorsese and I have always loved
this funeral sequence,
:30:34
the editing of some
very beautiful shots
:30:39
and then the combination, obviously,
:30:41
of the music and the images
is so important.
:30:44
The beautiful idea that
the coffin is carried on oars
:30:47
which, for those of us
who are not islanders, is stunning.
:30:52
And then this moment
when the oars are raised
:30:55
just sends chills through you.
:30:57
Again, beautiful up-angle
across the waving vegetation,