''Finis Terræ'' is a 1929 French silent drama film written and directed by

Jean Epstein Jean Epstein (; 25 March 1897 – 2 April 1953) was a French filmmaker, film theorist, literary critic, and novelist. Although he is remembered today primarily for his adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's '' The Fall of the House of Usher'', he direct ...

. The story centres on a small group of men harvesting seaweed off the coast of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period o ...

, and the problems which arise when one of them gets an infected thumb. The film's title is the old Latin name of the region

Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.

, where the story is set, and means "End of the Earth". The film is shot in a documentary-like style, with local non-actors in all roles, and frequent handheld camerawork. Also, Epstein often inserts

slow motion Slow motion (commonly abbreviated as slo-mo or slow-mo) is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use ...

footage.

Plot

On the islet Bannec, off the coast of

, four fishermen have set up camp for three months to harvest seaweed. If processed correctly, the ash of the seaweed can be sold for high prices. It is therefore burnt in several large piles on the island. The two youngest fishermen, Ambroise and Jean-Marie, begin brawling when Ambroise drops Jean-Marie's only bottle of wine. Ambroise cuts his thumb on a piece of glass. After the quarrel, Jean-Marie cannot find his knife and believes Ambroise has stolen it. At work next day Ambroise starts to feel weak. He discovers that the thumb is infected and swollen. He does not tell the others about it; instead, his attempts to hide the injury makes them accuse him of laziness and immature behaviour. After a feverish night, Ambroise decides to sneak out and sail to

Ushant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of gover ...

to see a doctor, but the voyage fails due to low wind and a strong current. On his way back to the camp, Ambroise collapses on the beach. On Ushant, people are concerned that only one plume of smoke is coming from Bannec. A disquieted group of fishermen's wives, parents and widows go to the island doctor and ask him to go to the islet, which he promises to do as soon as the tide allows. Meanwhile the other men on Bannec discover Ambroise on the beach and carry him to the camp. Jean-Marie suddenly finds his knife and realises he has judged Ambroise unfairly. He tries to convince the other men to bring Ambroise to Ushant, but is told that it is impossible without more wind. Jean-Marie then carries Ambroise to the boat. Struggling both with the boat and to keep Ambroise conscious, he sets out to get him to the doctor himself. At the same time, the doctor has enlisted a crew of volunteers and sets out to reach Bannec. A thick fog appears and both boats have a hard time to see anything. Eventually, as they pass close to each other, Jean-Marie sees the doctor's boat and calls for it. The doctor hears the call. He boards Jean-Marie's boat and quickly lances Ambrose's thumb. Ambroise is brought ashore at Ushant and put to bed. Jean-Marie visits him and tends him. The tired doctor receives a message about a sick man on the other side of the island and sets off.

Production

had discovered the islands of Brittany soon before the production of ''Finis Terræ'', and immediately became fascinated and impressed by both the environment and the local community of fishermen. The film was produced by Société Genérale de films. It was shot on location on the islands Bannec and

, and starred local non-actors. It is supposedly based on actual events.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Finis Terrae 1929 drama films 1929 films Films directed by Jean Epstein Films set in France Films shot in France French drama films French silent feature films Seafaring films based on actual events French black-and-white films Silent drama films Silent adventure films 1920s French films 1920s French-language films

Plot

Production

See also

References

External links