Made when the silent era was coming to an end ,I do not think that "Finis Terrae" can appeal to a modern audience,the way Marcel Lherbier's "L'Homme Du Large"(1920) still can.The latter ,although its depiction of the life in Bretagne is as vivid as colorful and as precise as in Epstein's effort ,was a melodrama ,a genre that the great creators of the silent age (Griffith,Gance)took to unbelievable heights. Besides,Lherbier's pictures,although they were as beautiful as these of Epstein ,had something mad something grandiose which is not present here.
"Finis Terrae" 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+,it'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?
"Finis Terrae" 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+,it'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?