Man of Aran (1934)

Man of Aran is a 1934 British fictional documentary (ethnofiction) film directed by Robert J. Flaherty about life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland. It portrays characters living in premodern conditions, documenting their daily routines such as fishing off high cliffs, farming potatoes where there is little soil, and hunting for huge basking sharks to get liver oil for lamps. Some situations are fabricated, such as one scene in which the shark fishermen are almost lost at sea in a sudden gale. Additionally, the family members shown are not actually related, having been chosen from among the islanders for their photogenic qualities.

More at Wikipedia.

Cast:

• 'Big Patcheen' Conneely of the West—Canoeman
• Colman 'Tiger' King
• Colman 'Tiger' King—A Man of Aran
• Michael Dillane
• Maggie Dirrane
• Maggie Dirrane—His Wife
• Michael Dillane—Their Son
• Patcheen Faherty—Shark Hunter
• Patch 'Red Beard' Ruadh—Shark Hunter
• Pat McDonough—Canoeman
• Pat Mullen—Shark Hunter
• Stephen Dirrane—Canoeman
• Tommy O'Rourke—Shark Hunter