The recent Icarus Films DVD release of the 2010 Irish documentary "A Boatload of Wild Irishmen" is tailor-made for the Icarus mission statement of distributing "innovative and provocative documentary films." This movie about "Nanook of the North" auteur Robert Flaherty awesomely analyzes the good, the bad, and the ugly about this undisputed father of documentary films. An especially intriguing look at Flaherty contracting Tundra Fever while filming "Nanook" offers legitimate evidence that non-fiction film is not the only offspring that Flaherty sires out of wedlock.
Although "Irishmen" does not directly address this contrast, the emphasis of the film on the technique of Flaherty using actors to depict actual events and customs differs from the cinema verite form of documentary that simply points the camera at the subject or subjects and typically lacks any narration.
"Irishmen" nicely establishes its theme in the opening moments with footage of the titular rowdies from the 1934 Flaherty documentary "Man of Aran." The footage shows the men out in a small boat during a storm. The narration for "Irishman" states that this a Flaherty-staged scene that effectively disregards the peril of the men for that sake of of "Aran." This incident in turn is the first of many examples of Flaherty staging "reality" to show that movies that depict everyday life can be as exciting (or more so) than fictional films.
Other early segments in "Irishmen" discuss the early life of Irish-American Flaherty and how he comes to make the truly game-changing "Nanook." Learning of the extent to which "Nanook" distorts reality is fascinating.
The skilled examination of the equally notable manner in which Flaherty manipulates life for the sake of his art must alter how any viewer looks at documentaries in the future. A related aspect of the film shows that the element of studios blatantly sacrificing art for the sake of commerce dates back several decades.
The Icarus release of "Irishmen" awesomely coincides with the Icarus 2-DVD set of the (Unreal TV reviewed) documentary "To Tell the Truth." The scope of truth includes a comprehensive exam of the issue of whether a film that tells the truth also can be propaganda. This question is particularly prevalent regarding the look at the Flaherty 1948 film "The Louisiana Story."
Flaherty makes "Story" under a contract with Standard Oil, which openly admits to funding the film to promote its business. The propaganda elements of that film extend well beyond the footage of a cute Bayou boy exploring a swamp with open amazement to Oil requiring that Flaherty include absurd narration with images that include mermaids and werewolves.
The elements of staging and propaganda merge regarding "Story" when failed efforts to fake a rig disaster result in rushing to take advantage of a real accident. "Irishmen" goes one step further in including footage of a cinematographer for "Story" depicting the need to go old school in capturing those images.
All of the reveals regarding the process of making "sausage" are wrapped in a loving tribute to Flaherty. As cliched as this term is, we see the lasting legacy of Flaherty. His actors become stars among their people, his films still regularly screen, and documentarians who come after him use his art as a means to equally educate and entertain while simultaneously enhancing their own commerce.
The Icarus extras include the usually provided awesome written essay on the film subject. The bonus features include the final filmed interview with documantarian Richard Leacock and reminiscences by the boy from "Story" and others familiar with the work of Flaherty.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Irishmen" is encouraged to email me; you also can connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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