Life In A Fishing Village: Sweden (1948)

in many lands bordered by the sea fishing is an important means of making a living this film is about the fishing village of crow vana on the western coast of Sweden with access to the North Sea in many ways fishing villages throughout the world are like this one small communities of people whose lives centre about the harbour where the boats come in with our caches of fish fishing is a lifetime activity to these people people such as Nils Larsen and his father mending nets is an endless task in the life of a fisherman from his father young Nils has already learned how valuable the nets are to men who make their living from the sea and Nils has also learned to be quite skillful with his fingers someday when Nils is older he will go out with his father and catch herring and mackerel in the North Sea just as important as the fishing nets is the fishing boat belonging to father Larsen before going to sea on a fishing trip mr. Larsen always inspects the boat and the tackle after a final look to make sure that the boat is shipshape for the fishing trip at dawn Nils and his father begin the pleasant walk from the docks to their home almost everywhere we look we see the main product of the village boxes and barrels of fish Nils and his father know almost everyone in the village this is Oskar Anderson another fisherman who's going out with a fishing fleet in the morning here is Chris Johnson who sells vegetables in the village we can see that most of the houses in the village are of wood which is plentiful in Sweden large swanson the village woodcutter supplies cut wood for fuel it's a steep climb from the docks and harbor up the hill to the Larson home in this part of Sweden the coast along the sea is high and rocky near the top of the hill is the village church where the Larsen family and the other villagers worship on Sunday well-kept buildings neat houses and clean streets these are common sights in most Swedish towns and villages but to Nils and his father the best sight of all is their own home with mother waving a greeting she's pleased that the weather is good for drying clothes to father the weather is even more important or it can mean success or misfortune to a fisherman there will be a good wind tomorrow father says let's hope we can fill our nets and now to get some rest where the fishing boats will leave before sunrise in the early morning hours the little fleet of fishing boats set sail and heads out into the cold waters of the North Sea although the boats carry sails they rely mostly on their engines rather than on the wind wind and rough sea are part of a fisherman's life the big nets are dropped as soon as the boats have reached the fishing grounds a number of miles offshore usually the boats stay out for a week sometimes for only a day or two depending on the weather and the size of the catch the nets are out just as the Rising Sun begins to break through the clouds over the eastern edge of the sea we should remember as we watch the Swedish fishermen at their work that their pattern of living is very much like that of fishermen of England or France or Newfoundland or New England cooperation and teamwork are important in this kind of commercial fishing every man has his job to do and at the end of the trip each member of the crew shares in the money when the fish are sold but will there be fish to sell let's see here comes the first haul it's a full nut and here are mackerel and herring and cod the silvery wealth of the sea and the reward for the fisherman's labor back at the village while the fishermen are gone other men are working to the big nets torn on the sea bottom and in the boats always require mending and of course there are fish to pack and send to market nearby other men are working at another kind of job the job of constructing a new house of course the children of the village have their job too the job of going to school Nils and his sister are joined by other children of the village on their way to the schoolhouse it's easy to see why there isn't much farming on the rocky land with a fishing village is located the village school looks like one you might find in some of our own towns children are required to attend the public elementary school modern methods of teaching are part of the class routine some of the studying is done with the help of these radio manuals they contain lessons that are read while similar lessons are broadcast on the radio the broadcasts are on many subjects including the study of America and how we live over here while the children are in school mother Larsen goes about her daily work as a housewife shopping of course is a regular chore for most mothers whether they live in the village of Gravano or in our own town and some of us are probably noticing that this bakery shop looks very much like the one in our own neighborhood after school Nils and these youngsters usually run home for a bite to eat or gather to play games outside but not today the fishing boats are coming into the harbour the fishermen are returning everyone wants to see the boats coming in and so do we the arrival of the fishing fleet is an important event in any fishing village soon there will be work to do salting and canning the fish which have already been cleaned while the boats were at sea the trip has been a good one the Larson boat is loaded with herring mackerel and Cod and here's father holding up a big one that didn't get away unloading begins at once the fish are hoisted out and trucked over to the warehouse where they are kept before being sent to the cannery some of the fish such as herring are preserved at once by packing them into barrels and salting them down perhaps some of the fish you've eaten in your home came from this very fishing village and after all the fish have been packed and a careful record made of the amount the barrels are neatly stacked for shipment now near the end of the day father Larsen finds time for a bit of rest and relaxation with his family a cup of tea is just the thing for a quiet half-hour in the late afternoon father reads his paper to keep up with the news of the world while Nils turns to a favorite book and mother does the family mending high on the hill above the harbor the family enjoys the cool breeze that comes up from the sea the sea that is so important in the life of a fishing village [Music]