Overview: One of the most important filmmakers France has ever produced, Jean Epstein was a film theorist, critic and a leading figure in the French Impressionist movement.

Perhaps best known today for directing the first adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher from a screenplay co-written with Luis Buñuel, Epstein produced several masterpieces during the silent period, including Faithful Heart (Coeur fidèle), The Three-Sided Mirror (La glace à trois faces) and Finis Terrae, the story of a group of fishermen stranded off the cost of Brittany.

Four fishermen set out on a three-month expedition to the islet, Bannec. They intend to harvest seaweed, which will fetch high prices if burned and processed properly - but cabin fever soon sets in. After two of the men brawl over a broken bottle of wine, one of them cuts his thumb on a piece of glass, while the other comes to suspect that his knife has been stolen with malicious intent.

As the situation escalates, conditions at sea make it impossible for the men to leave Bannec or for help from the mainland to reach them.

Blu-ray Verdict: One of the most outstanding directors of the more avant-garde silent movements; a daring, experimental and innovative era where the silent pioneers showed how to play with the cinematograph’s enormous possibilities, Jean Epstein brought forth a film in Finis Terrae that demonstrated that his innovative character always showed in his films, especially during his aforementioned silent phase.

That said, here in Finis Terrae, Epstein forsakes the true avant-garde feel and chooses instead a more realistic cinema. The film is a kind of documentary set in French Brittany and part of a trilogy (completed by Mor Vran (1931) and L’Or Der Mers (1932)) dedicated to that French coastal region for which the director had a special predilection.

Though the film belongs in the documentary genre, Epstein is more interested in the experimentation he can do. He dramatizes the story in a way consistent with his artistic purposes but does not forget to reflect in it the area, the people and customs with their special characteristics. However, the movie lacks the evident ethnologic importance of Flaherty or Grierson’s films.

Finis Terrae is more lyrical, a visual poem to experiment with. The simple story: four algae collectors are trapped on an island and at a later time are rescued by their neighbors. This very interesting film has a rhythm in its narrative and it’s lit in harsh natural way which perfectly reflects the artistic intentions of the French director.

In short, Finis Terrae is indeed a very slow-moving film, guilty at times of putting important core points on the back burners, the plot of taking a wounded man to Ouessant Island a thin one to stretch out over 90 minutes or so, but with the feel of a documentary embedded throughout if you stick with it and give it your full attention it will cinematically nourish you back, you have my word. [F.V.G.]

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Limited Edition of 2,000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by John Dunn
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring a new essay on Finis Terrae by Jean Epstein expert Christophe Wall-Romana and archival writing by the director
Finis Terrae presented in 1080p HD from a 4K restoration by Gaumont Film Company
Optional English subtitles
Impressions on Jean Epstein – new interview with film historian and critic Pamela Hutchinson on the life and work of the director
Stranded – new video essay on Finis Terrae
The Bottom of the Wave – an archival appreciation of Finis Terrae by Joel Daire

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