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Lobsters

Follow the life cycle of the king of crustaceans in this quirky documentary by Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy.

Documentary 1936 15 mins

Overview

From seabed to seafood restaurant, this charming short documentary follows a band of intrepid Sussex fishermen as they venture out to sea to lay their lobster pots. The action moves below the waves for some fabulous underwater scenes illustrating the life cycle of this "most pugnacious creature", as the endearingly plummy narration puts it. A jaunty score by Arthur Benjamin adds to the fun.

The quirky approach to the subject and beautiful photography are due in no small part to Bauhaus artist László Moholy-Nagy, who was commissioned to work on the film (with co-director John Mathias) after fleeing to Britain from Nazi Germany in the mid-1930s.