I don't know if you guys are into flyfishing movies but I've seen a few of varying quality so I figured I'd just run this up the mast and see if it flies. I'm thinking anything goes here from casting tuition videos to A River Runs Through It to Rock Hard Flyfishers Hit Babetown. If flyfishing is featured in it, I figure it belongs here.
So without further ado, the first cab off the rank is a film I saw at this years RISE Flyfishing Film Festival, it's........::drum roll::......
Only The River Knows
It's important to know, right off the bat, that this film is FICTION! Think of it as the Kenny of flyfishing (I don't know if you guys are aware of this Aussie film from a few years back). It's shot in documentary style and played for truth when, in fact, it's all a crock of shit. This is an important point because if you buy into this as truth then you're going to be left with a sour taste by the end. Which describes somewhat how I felt about it.
The film follows a young Danish (I think) dude, Rolf Nylinder, who launches himself into the NZ wilderness in search of the bug fush. There he stumbles across a cabin containing a hand-written diary from some uber guru flyfisherman, Lars Lenth. Dear young Rolf has his soul sucked into the romanticism of Lenth's zen-like approach to fishing, and so do we. The flashback sequences illustrating Lenth's noble respect for his calling in life represents the best this film has to offer and I found it utterly convincing. Lenth exquisitely articulates (perhaps a little sentimentally at times) the precise reasons which draw us all into this splendid and elegant sport.
The sequences depicting Nylinder's journey, however, are much less affecting because, frankly, he's a bit of a twat. Nylinder represents the kind of gung-ho fisherman which fashionably features in most fishing videos these days. You know the type: the boisterous wise-cracking Rambo who can't shut up as he tramples through the wilderness yanking as many fish out of the pond as he can get his hook into. To this guy, it's about the body count, not the experience.
The films biggest problem, though, is when it turns out that Lenth is not all he's cracked up to be. In fact, he's a lying arsehole, worse even than Nylinder. And herein lies the films central deceipt: all the footage of Lenth and his romantic storyline, the beauty of which sucked you in in the first place, turns out to be the most fraudulent part of this false history. In a sense, the film kind of plays you for a fool for falling for its romanticism.
Despite these drawbacks, however, the films depiction of the passion which we all feel for our chosen sport is amongst the best I've seen and the film is worth seeing for those segments. I've half a mind to edit out those sequences into a stand alone short film and just watch that in future.
Score? Well it certainly ain't the Full Krieger, but for the bits that are truly great in it, I'm awarding it 3 Lefties and a half Joan.
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Stu Jamieson
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Stu Jamieson
- Posts: 218
- Joined: Tue May 28, 2013 7:16 pm
- Location: Buccan, Qld, Australia
Film Thread
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is one of the few (is there another other than A River Runs Through It?)) major films to feature the fine sport of fly fishing and for this alone it ought to be commended. Unfortunately, its foreign-sounding arthouse title will probably scare more than one or two punters away. This is a shame because the film is much in the vein of other crowd pleasing British comedies such as The Full Monty, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Brassed Off! and the like.
Given the films pedigree in director Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, The Cider House Rules) and writer Simon Beaufort (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire and the aforesaid The Full Monty) this is unsurprising and the resultant level of quality in this film is broadly compliant with the production talent. Throw into the mix stars, Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas and nothing much can go wrong with the formula. The film also includes some astute political satire which, while not quite the quality of Yes Minister, will do in its absence.
Fred Jones (McGregor), an uptight Scottish anorak employed in the UK government as a fisheries expert, is approached by Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Blunt), an aspiring high flying business consultant, representing a Yemeni Sheikh (Amr Waked) who wants to install salmon in his home town dam. The unlikely proposal is considered an impossibility by Jones, that is until press secretary to the prime minister, Patricia Maxwell (Scott Thomas) seizes on the project as a distraction from the war in Afghanistan. Predictable events ensue albeit in a highly entertaining, amiable manner.
Performances from McGregor and Blunt are fine and of the quality one would expect from them but the film belongs to Kristin Scott Thomas whose sharp witty delivery steals every moment she features in the film.
The clichéd but inevitable romantic subplot threatens to get in the way of the fish and political satire in the films last quarter but on the whole this is a very amiable, entertaining movie showcasing everything that is wonderful about understated British humour. It's also better than the book by a good margin!
I'll give it 4 Joans.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is one of the few (is there another other than A River Runs Through It?)) major films to feature the fine sport of fly fishing and for this alone it ought to be commended. Unfortunately, its foreign-sounding arthouse title will probably scare more than one or two punters away. This is a shame because the film is much in the vein of other crowd pleasing British comedies such as The Full Monty, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Brassed Off! and the like.
Given the films pedigree in director Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, The Cider House Rules) and writer Simon Beaufort (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire and the aforesaid The Full Monty) this is unsurprising and the resultant level of quality in this film is broadly compliant with the production talent. Throw into the mix stars, Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas and nothing much can go wrong with the formula. The film also includes some astute political satire which, while not quite the quality of Yes Minister, will do in its absence.
Fred Jones (McGregor), an uptight Scottish anorak employed in the UK government as a fisheries expert, is approached by Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Blunt), an aspiring high flying business consultant, representing a Yemeni Sheikh (Amr Waked) who wants to install salmon in his home town dam. The unlikely proposal is considered an impossibility by Jones, that is until press secretary to the prime minister, Patricia Maxwell (Scott Thomas) seizes on the project as a distraction from the war in Afghanistan. Predictable events ensue albeit in a highly entertaining, amiable manner.
Performances from McGregor and Blunt are fine and of the quality one would expect from them but the film belongs to Kristin Scott Thomas whose sharp witty delivery steals every moment she features in the film.
The clichéd but inevitable romantic subplot threatens to get in the way of the fish and political satire in the films last quarter but on the whole this is a very amiable, entertaining movie showcasing everything that is wonderful about understated British humour. It's also better than the book by a good margin!
I'll give it 4 Joans.
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Stu Jamieson
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Film Thread
Kiss The Water
Eric Steel's Kiss The Water is an admirable attempt to capture the essence of highly-regarded Scottish fly tier, Megan Boyd - who, it must be said, I had no knowledge of prior to this film. Boyd was an enigmatic and eccentric technophobe who loved fly-tying but never fished for fear of killing her quarry. Regarded the world over for her tying prowess, she was a supplier of salmon flies to Prince Charles and a recipient of the British Empire Medal (which she refused to collect on account of the presentation ceremony clashing with her weekly Bridge night).
Steel presents an intensely personal film for himself and for those who participated in the featured interviews. So personal, in fact, that for the casual viewer this documentary will be a very dry experience indeed. For the most part, Boyd is portrayed as nothing more than a garden variety minor eccentric. It's not until the film's final quarter where Boyd's regal ties are revealed, along with her ailing eyesight and some brief salmon fly history does it become clear that there's actually a story worth telling here. By this time, though, the casual viewer will have ejected the disc and thrown on their favourite Trout Bum DVD.
Oil painting animations dispersed throughout the film provide sumptuous and poetic metaphors to the tying process and perhaps reflect Boyd's outlook towards her art and life. But they add little real substance to the story and I suspect they actually over reach a little in defining who Boyd was. In fact they probably say more about the animator and/or director than they do about Boyd.
Kiss The Water's home resides squarely on the international film festival circuit. It's quiet and sublime and arty and will appeal to a tiny audience who will ruminate endlessly on it's merits while sipping chardy at the after-party. The fishing enthusiast, however, will find this hard going unless, of course, they have a specific interest in the films subject.
Given that Megan Boyd is a worthy subject, however, the film is not entirely without merit and is a fitting ode to a humble woman greatly admired for her art.
I'm giving it 2 Hank Patterson's and a half Lefty.
Eric Steel's Kiss The Water is an admirable attempt to capture the essence of highly-regarded Scottish fly tier, Megan Boyd - who, it must be said, I had no knowledge of prior to this film. Boyd was an enigmatic and eccentric technophobe who loved fly-tying but never fished for fear of killing her quarry. Regarded the world over for her tying prowess, she was a supplier of salmon flies to Prince Charles and a recipient of the British Empire Medal (which she refused to collect on account of the presentation ceremony clashing with her weekly Bridge night).
Steel presents an intensely personal film for himself and for those who participated in the featured interviews. So personal, in fact, that for the casual viewer this documentary will be a very dry experience indeed. For the most part, Boyd is portrayed as nothing more than a garden variety minor eccentric. It's not until the film's final quarter where Boyd's regal ties are revealed, along with her ailing eyesight and some brief salmon fly history does it become clear that there's actually a story worth telling here. By this time, though, the casual viewer will have ejected the disc and thrown on their favourite Trout Bum DVD.
Oil painting animations dispersed throughout the film provide sumptuous and poetic metaphors to the tying process and perhaps reflect Boyd's outlook towards her art and life. But they add little real substance to the story and I suspect they actually over reach a little in defining who Boyd was. In fact they probably say more about the animator and/or director than they do about Boyd.
Kiss The Water's home resides squarely on the international film festival circuit. It's quiet and sublime and arty and will appeal to a tiny audience who will ruminate endlessly on it's merits while sipping chardy at the after-party. The fishing enthusiast, however, will find this hard going unless, of course, they have a specific interest in the films subject.
Given that Megan Boyd is a worthy subject, however, the film is not entirely without merit and is a fitting ode to a humble woman greatly admired for her art.
I'm giving it 2 Hank Patterson's and a half Lefty.
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Paul Arden
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Awesome reviews Stu. Would love to see more.
Thanks! Paul
Thanks! Paul
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Stu Jamieson
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Cheers, mate. I'll keep throwing them up here as long as you guys are interested in reading them. 
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Stu Jamieson
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Film Thread
Predator
Most fishing adventure films follow a bunch of burly guys travelling to exotic locales to find huge fish and then film whatever happens, including the many obligatory hijinks which happen along the way. Gin Clear are a different kettle of fish, however, striving for a loftier goal. Not content merely with footage of fellas fishing, Nick Reygaert and his team aim to capture the precise moment of the catch; that moment in time where the fish opens it's craw and latches onto it's quarry, in lavish high definition slo-mo detail and filling the frame too, if you please. In other words, Gin Clear are not about capturing guys with their rod in their hands, they're about capturing the money shot, and that they do.
Predator is a case in point. If intricately detailed shots of trout lurching out of the water to catch damsels on the wing is your bag, then Predator is your candy. The time expended to capture some of these shots must be considerable indeed given that many of them are the product of being in the right place at the right time. Which insect drifting on the surface film do you follow exactly? It is surely a lucky dip and a problem which can only be solved with large investments of time and patience. Clearly Reygaert and crew have these qualities in abundance.
Like the previous Hatch and the forthcoming Leviathon, Predator is a hybrid of fishing adventure and nature programme. From catching eto in Japan to snagging samson fish off the West Australian coast to the ever-reliable brown trout in New Zealand, Predator seeks out interesting locations across the globe to catch brutes on fly. But the film is also informative, educating us on the behaviour and habitat of the targeted species as well as the social culture of the various locales. Gin Clear admirably recognises that there's more to fishing than yanking Pisces out of the pond; there's so much more for us to learn.
In terms of information, production values and capturing the seductive spirit of flyfishing, Predator is hard to beat. The quality of a fishing film is in the minutiae and Predator, as with all Gin Clear films to date, has this in spades.
4 Joans and a half Krieger
Most fishing adventure films follow a bunch of burly guys travelling to exotic locales to find huge fish and then film whatever happens, including the many obligatory hijinks which happen along the way. Gin Clear are a different kettle of fish, however, striving for a loftier goal. Not content merely with footage of fellas fishing, Nick Reygaert and his team aim to capture the precise moment of the catch; that moment in time where the fish opens it's craw and latches onto it's quarry, in lavish high definition slo-mo detail and filling the frame too, if you please. In other words, Gin Clear are not about capturing guys with their rod in their hands, they're about capturing the money shot, and that they do.
Predator is a case in point. If intricately detailed shots of trout lurching out of the water to catch damsels on the wing is your bag, then Predator is your candy. The time expended to capture some of these shots must be considerable indeed given that many of them are the product of being in the right place at the right time. Which insect drifting on the surface film do you follow exactly? It is surely a lucky dip and a problem which can only be solved with large investments of time and patience. Clearly Reygaert and crew have these qualities in abundance.
Like the previous Hatch and the forthcoming Leviathon, Predator is a hybrid of fishing adventure and nature programme. From catching eto in Japan to snagging samson fish off the West Australian coast to the ever-reliable brown trout in New Zealand, Predator seeks out interesting locations across the globe to catch brutes on fly. But the film is also informative, educating us on the behaviour and habitat of the targeted species as well as the social culture of the various locales. Gin Clear admirably recognises that there's more to fishing than yanking Pisces out of the pond; there's so much more for us to learn.
In terms of information, production values and capturing the seductive spirit of flyfishing, Predator is hard to beat. The quality of a fishing film is in the minutiae and Predator, as with all Gin Clear films to date, has this in spades.
4 Joans and a half Krieger
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Stu Jamieson
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Film Thread
Hatch
After achieving notable success in distilling the essence of great trout fishing in the finest locations across the globe with their Source films, Gin Clear turn their attention to fish behaviour in their next trilogy of films: Hatch, Predator and the forthcoming Leviathan.
Hatch represents the pinacle of Gin Clear's achievements thus far and, in the stable of their existing work, this is saying something! The wonderful footage of predatorial trout shown in Predator applies tenfold here. All our greatest fishing moments are captured: trout taking duns on the wing; oh so gently supping spent spinners; patiently stalking potential prey; seductively nuzzling suspect quarry before - rather infuriatingly - rejecting it outright - it's all here, richly presented in gorgeous detail.
Part fishing adventure, part feeding habit thesis, Hatch is as entertaining as it is informative and the wonders of nature bleed into every frame. Once again the Gin Clear crew are joined on their adventures with an array of characters who are both informative and passionate; just the kind of guys you'd like to share a river with.
If there's a criticism, it's in the final chapter documenting trevally feeding on krill. This segment is covered rather superficially compared to the rest of the film but it's a forgivable trespass; how would one film such tiny creatures as krill being preyed upon anyway. Ultimately, I guess the segment is included for completeness.
And the presentation would certainly benefit from a Blu-ray release but as far as DVD goes, this is the goods.
Without a doubt Gin Clear's pinnacle achievement thus far, Hatch is also a pinnacle achievement for flyfishing films generally. It raises the benchmark for other production houses to follow and as a document of fish feeding behaviour it is without parallel.
A worthy recipient of the full 5 Kriegers.
After achieving notable success in distilling the essence of great trout fishing in the finest locations across the globe with their Source films, Gin Clear turn their attention to fish behaviour in their next trilogy of films: Hatch, Predator and the forthcoming Leviathan.
Hatch represents the pinacle of Gin Clear's achievements thus far and, in the stable of their existing work, this is saying something! The wonderful footage of predatorial trout shown in Predator applies tenfold here. All our greatest fishing moments are captured: trout taking duns on the wing; oh so gently supping spent spinners; patiently stalking potential prey; seductively nuzzling suspect quarry before - rather infuriatingly - rejecting it outright - it's all here, richly presented in gorgeous detail.
Part fishing adventure, part feeding habit thesis, Hatch is as entertaining as it is informative and the wonders of nature bleed into every frame. Once again the Gin Clear crew are joined on their adventures with an array of characters who are both informative and passionate; just the kind of guys you'd like to share a river with.
If there's a criticism, it's in the final chapter documenting trevally feeding on krill. This segment is covered rather superficially compared to the rest of the film but it's a forgivable trespass; how would one film such tiny creatures as krill being preyed upon anyway. Ultimately, I guess the segment is included for completeness.
And the presentation would certainly benefit from a Blu-ray release but as far as DVD goes, this is the goods.
Without a doubt Gin Clear's pinnacle achievement thus far, Hatch is also a pinnacle achievement for flyfishing films generally. It raises the benchmark for other production houses to follow and as a document of fish feeding behaviour it is without parallel.
A worthy recipient of the full 5 Kriegers.
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Paul Arden
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Wow serious praise indeed, Stu!
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Stu Jamieson wrote:Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
It's also better than the book by a good margin!
I'll give it 4 Joans.
Hi Stu
I am sorry but I cannot agree with you.
The book was good entertainment and was about fishing.
The movie has changed the whole thing into a love story that is not convincing.
The acting is wooden and it rates as one of the worst films I have ever seen.
Pete
IANACI
Film Thread
Really, Pete?
I found the movie not to bad. I found the imagery brilliant (like when Ewan turns and walks against the flow of people like a salmon going upstream). Maybe because I was a government fisheries biologist/bureaucrat, I also found the office interactions to be spot on, with a touch of humour that was just right.
It's a movie and book that I enjoyed and thought better than most of the crap that makes its way to the screen now-a-days.
I found the movie not to bad. I found the imagery brilliant (like when Ewan turns and walks against the flow of people like a salmon going upstream). Maybe because I was a government fisheries biologist/bureaucrat, I also found the office interactions to be spot on, with a touch of humour that was just right.
It's a movie and book that I enjoyed and thought better than most of the crap that makes its way to the screen now-a-days.