EDGE OF THE WORLD (1936) Powell takes the directorial plunge

Michael Powell’s very first directorial effort, EDGE OF THE WORLD, is about the inhabitants of a small, isolated island in the Scottish Hebrides who, because of their rapidly dwindling number, vote to relocate to the mainland. Not everyone wants to go, and therein lies the tension of the tale. Based on a true event, this magnificently photographed film features a wonderful cast, some of whom became Powell regulars, most actual residents of the island Powell found to be the stand-in. Forty-two years later, Powell (by then, in his 70s) and the film’s star (the superb John Lowry, in his 80s) journeyed back to the island for a reunion with those few of the cast and crew who were still alive. The resulting short documentary, RETURN TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD (1978), in some ways is even more emotionally engaging than the original film, revealing, as it does, how time can ravage bodies, tradition and land!