Sword Fishing (1939)

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…!