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The Western Isles

The Western Isles

1941Short⏱️ 14m
DocumentaryShort
5.5
IMDB Rating
19 votes

How Harris Tweed is made by the islanders in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

Director
Terry Bishop
Writers
N/A
Stars
Bean Ailein, Somhaisle Mac 'Ille Mhoire, Ian Mac Néill Ghiolais
Release Date
February 20, 1941
Language
Gaelic, English
Country
United Kingdom
💬 1
Reviews
📽️ View on IMDB

🎭 Top Cast

👤
Bean Ailein
as Self - The Mother
👤
Somhaisle Mac 'Ille Mhoire
as Self - The Father
👤
Ian Mac Néill Ghiolais
as Self - The Son
👤
Kitty MacLeod
as Self - The Daughter

🎬 Technical Specs

Aspect Ratio
1.33 : 1
Sound
Mono
Filming Location
Western Isles, Scotland, UK
Production
Merton Park Studios, The British Council

🏷️ Keywords

year 19411940s20th centurytweedscotland

🎯 Categories

DocumentaryShort

⭐ Featured Review

As Always, Jack Cardiff's Camerawork Makes This Superior
by boblipton2025-10-29
7/10

"Ian Mac Néill Ghiolais has been at war in the Battle of the Atlantic. His ship has been sunk ; naturally, the fact that a local boy is missing is the headline of the local paper. Meanwhile, his family goes about their usual work of making Harris Tweed. I have a cap of Harris tweed, and I know its quality, so this short subject of how it is made is of interest to me, even if it is almost a century out of date. Still, what makes this movie of general interest is the lighting and camerawork of Jack Cardiff, one of the greatest of Technicolor artists. Here he makes all the faces look like silhoue..."

💡 Did You Know?

The sinking of the 'Atlantic Queen' and the survival of its crew is supposedly based off a real series of events where the S.S. Richmond Castle was torpedoed in the Atlantic Ocean, and crewman Angus Murray led the survivors' return to the UK in a lifeboat. Curiously, however, the sinking of the S.S. Richmond Castle occurred in August 1942, after The Western Isles was released.

📖 Synopsis

How Harris Tweed is made by the islanders in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.