SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: Approx. 24:33 Min.
Locally produced by Norman MacLeod for Aberdeen-based Grampian Television, this 2001 documentary examines the unknown fates of Eilean Mór lighthouse keepers James Ducat, Thomas Marshall, and Donald McArthur, who vanished in December 1900. The remote isle of Eilean Mór is part of The Flannan Isles nestled within Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.
Often buffeted by raging winds and monstrous waves, the recently-established Eilean Mór lighthouse was a vital resource for sea vessels passing through that region. Ominous reports in mid-December 1900 of the non-functional lighthouse necessitated sending relief keeper Thomas Moore aboard the Northern Lighthouse Board vessel, the Hesperus, to investigate. Due to impermissible weather, the Hesperus could not reach Eilean Mór for nearly two weeks. Moore’s team subsequently found fleeting traces of his colleagues’ last day inside the lighthouse, but the cause of their disappearance remains an enigma.
Apart from one brief reenactment, most of the footage depicts the local area and the lighthouse itself. Interviews are conducted with the following: former lighthouse keepers Jim Oliver, Murdo MacLeod, & Murdo MacLean; author Bella Bathurst; the Fraserburgh Lighthouse Museum’s Sarah Swallow; historian Merrilyn Macaulay; Rev. Donald Macaulay; Kenny MacLennan; the Northern Lighthouse Board’s James Taylor; psychologist Donald MacLeod; Donnie G. MacLeod; Neil MacArthur; and the H.M. Coastguard’s Simon Riley.
REVIEW:
This very low-key documentary avoids sensationalism, aside from acknowledging the potential for tight-quarters anxiety amongst Ducat, Marshall, and McArthur. Including historical details, various plausible theories are speculated upon without being exploitative.
Though this documentary becomes dull in its second half, The Flannan Isles: An Unsolved Mystery compensates with visually stimulating cinematography and a poignant, piano-driven score. Further, local perspectives on the incident makes for some good viewing.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
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