John Grierson's documentary - he is credited onscreen with the camerawork, but he surely had a hand in more - is about a voyage of the trawler Isabella Greig. It's a study that is largely a work of,silent film making, showing the men, the ship, the fish and the seagulls that follow the ship and feed off the offal thrown off the ship as they clean the fish.

I don't know if there is a full-scale biography of Grierson, but there should be. He wrote several books himself. He created the term "documentary" in writing about Robert Flaherty's movies. He helped bring Eisenstein's BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN to the English-speaking world. He worked for the GPO's film unit during its early documentary days, and became the first Commissioner of Canada's National Film Board in 1939, and stayed with the Board, in one form or another, through the end of the War. Afterwards he drifted through the industry as an elder statesman, with posts at UNESCO and Group Three and taught film courses at McGill University. He died in 1972 at the age of 73.

The documentary is a form of non-fiction storytelling that aims to present factual information, insights, and perspectives on real-world subjects, events, issues, or people. Documentaries can cover a wide range of topics, including history, science, culture, social issues, nature, biographies, and more.

Dziga Vertov in Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

Documentary about the fishing trawler, "Isabella Grieg". We follow her from her base in Granton Harbour, in Edinburgh, right up the east coast of Edinburgh, up to the fishing grounds between Shetland and Norway.

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

The Jealous Doll; or, The Frustrated Elopement

The Jealous Doll; or, The Frustrated Elopement (1909)

Granton Trawler

Photos3

User reviews1

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed