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This was the first film to be shot on the Hebridean island of St Kilda, and
should not be confused with the later film from 1928 (St. Kilda - Britain's Loneliest Isle), which is more closely
concerned with the population that would later be evacuated from the island
forever. This earlier film was by the pioneering bird cinematographer, Oliver
Pike, and focuses on the island's bird population, as well as the St Kildans'
remarkable methods of snaring sea birds for food and gathering eggs from the
precarious cliff face. To achieve the spectacular shots of the bird colonies and
birds in flight, Pike had to develop his climbing skills, with the aid of the
locals, burdened as he was with a heavy film camera. In one of many books on
filming wildlife, he describes the scene with characteristic sang-froid:
"The photography of birds on cliffs and mountain slopes calls for the
greatest skill, not so much as a photographer but as a climber. It is no good
attempting this work unless he has a steady head and [is] able to withstand
heights. The best test I know is to stand on the extreme edge of a precipice
several hundred feet high and drop a stone to the sea beneath. If you can watch
the stone on its journey without having a strong desire to follow it, you are
fit to climb on almost any rocks."
Bryony Dixon
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Complete film (5:38)
