Drifters (1929 film)
1929 British film by John Grierson
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Drifters is a 1929 silent documentary film by John Grierson, his first and only "personal" film.
companies
Empire Marketing Board Film Unit
| Drifters | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | John Grierson |
| Produced by | John Grierson |
| Cinematography | DOP Basil Emmott |
Production companies | New Era Films Empire Marketing Board Film Unit |
Release date |
|
Running time | 61 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £3,000 |
It tells the story of Britain's North Sea herring fishery. The film's style has been described as being a "response to avant-garde, Modernist films, adopting formal techniques such as montage – constructive editing emphasising the rhythmic juxtaposition of images – but also aimed to make a socially directed commentary on its subject" (Tate Gallery: Liverpool 2006). The film was successful both critically and commercially and helped kick off Grierson's documentary film movement.[1][2][3][4] This film also showed that Grierson was not afraid to alter reality slightly in order to have his vision shown. For example, when the boat he was on returned without a catch he bought another boat's catch and tried to fake it. He ended up scrapping that film as it was not authentic enough.[5]
Release
The film was shown alongside Battleship Potemkin's premiere in London.[6]
