:36:00
but it also introduces
the next episode,
:36:03
which is the visit of the laird
to inspect his property.
:36:09
Again we're reminded,
er, very strongly
:36:13
that these are tough
economic facts of life.
:36:16
The islands survive
only if they're profitable.
:36:19
The islanders have to prove
that they're viable.
:36:22
And they have to prove
to the owners of the islands...
:36:25
We are in a...
not exactly feudal situation,
:36:28
but something very far removed
:36:30
from the experience
of most modern city dwellers.
:36:34
And it was the non-viability
of St Kilda
:36:38
which had led to its evacuation,
:36:41
back in 1930.
:36:42
This was a continuing story
:36:44
and Powell found,
as he travelled round Scotland
:36:46
and met historians and geographers,
:36:49
that there was a lot of enthusiasm
:36:51
for making a film
about this potential tragedy
:36:54
facing all of Scotland's islands.
:36:56
So this is an important sequence
:36:58
and it meant a lot to Powell to be
able to show the economic reality
:37:04
of islanders' lives.
:37:06
He wasn't just a romantic,
:37:08
he was somebody who understood
the difficulty of sustaining
:37:11
these small, remote communities.
:37:13
And so the dialogue
between Andrew and the laird
:37:17
about what the options are
:37:19
for him and Ruth
and for the islanders in general
:37:23
is an important strand of the film.
:37:26
It also, I suppose, reminds us
of the economic background
:37:29
to the making of the film itself,
:37:31
because film making in Britain
:37:33
was something of a cottage industry
at this time.
:37:37
The Quota Act of 1929
had made it possible
:37:41
for many small film-production
companies to come into existence,
:37:45
guaranteed some market for the films
that they made very cheaply.
:37:50
Michael Powell had cut his teeth
:37:52
making these so-called
"quota quickies",
:37:54
films made for as little as £5,000
:37:57
designed to fill the lower part
of a double bill.