This short documentary film demonstrates how lobster fishing was traditionally done in 1910 along several French coasts (such as in Normandy). The camera lingers on the fisherman’s rough hands; he weaves his own wicker traps. Aboard the small boat, two fishermen set bait and lower their traps before hauling them in. It’s a good catch! Many lobsters are thrashing about, much to the delight of the operator who focuses his lens on the fisherman’s rhythmic and precise movements. The film’s very stable shots were in fact likely filmed from land.

Noémie Jean