Sword Fishing (1939)
0h 10m | PG-13
A group of fishermen, including Howard Hill, "the world's greatest archer," go in search of marlin off the California coast. With a fishing line attached to his arrow, Hill plans to spear the fish, which would then be brought aboard the boat by rod and reel.
Director: De Leon Anthony
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre: Documentary
Video: 720p
Cast
Ronald Reagan
as Narrator (voice)
Howard Hill
as Self
Reviews
There is some really impressive slo-motion photography in this short documentary narrated by Ronald Reagan, but I really couldn’t help but feel sorry for the marlin! It’s archery champion Howard Hill who is showing off his prowess on a yacht, effortlessly impaling flying fish to be used as bait, and then targeting these 250lb giants of the sea with an arrow adapted to host quite a substantial hook that really gives the fish precious little chance at all. He does have a fellow fisherman on his boat who, given the size of their quarry, keeps the end of his fishing rod in quite a precarious position before having to adjourn to a smaller dinghy that offers the heavily armed fish a chance to go out in style. It might have been fairer had he got into the water and evened up the odds a bit…!