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O'Er Hill and Dale

The day-to-day life and work of a characteristic Scottish shepherd in the border country during lambing season.

1932 16 mins

Overview

This striking account of a Scottish shepherd's daily life was filmed in the Cheviot Hills, on a farm belonging to Walter Elliot - then Minister for Agriculture and a key figure at the Empire Marketing Board, which produced the film. This connection isn't mentioned in the film, however, which focuses solely on the shepherd, Mr Martin. Director and photographer Basil Wright worked without a crew, lugging his Newman Sinclair camera, tripod, lenses and film stock across the hills. Wright was extremely pleased with the result, and the film reveals something of the skill and confidence he would later display in Song of Ceylon (1934).

This film is one of a small group of Empire Marketing Board titles given theatrical release by Gaumont British in 1933, collectively known as the Imperial Six. Prior to this, most of the EMB's films had reached audiences in schools, clubs and societies via their non-commercial channels of distribution. As the EMB had no sound facilities of its own, Gaumont added narration and music to this film. Many EMB filmmakers were disappointed by this arrangement and considered the soundtracks unsuited to their style of work. This government film is a public record, preserved and presented by the BFI National Archive on behalf of The National Archives, home to more than 1,000 years of British history.

Director

Basil Charles Wright

Country

United Kingdom

Location

Cheviot Hills, ThePike Fell

Language

English

Subjects

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