Drifters (1929 film)
Encyclopedia
Drifters is silent documentary film by John Grierson
, his first and only personal film. It tells the story of Britain's North Sea herring fishery. The film's style has been described as being a "response to avant-garde, Modernist films, adopting formal techniques such as montage - constructive editing emphasising the rhythmic juxtaposition of images - but also aimed to make a socially directed commentary on its subject"(Tate Gallery: Liverpool 2006). The film was successful both critically and commercially and helped kick off Grierson's documentary film movement.
John Grierson
John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...
, his first and only personal film. It tells the story of Britain's North Sea herring fishery. The film's style has been described as being a "response to avant-garde, Modernist films, adopting formal techniques such as montage - constructive editing emphasising the rhythmic juxtaposition of images - but also aimed to make a socially directed commentary on its subject"(Tate Gallery: Liverpool 2006). The film was successful both critically and commercially and helped kick off Grierson's documentary film movement.