Salmon Fishing In The Yemen (2011)

 

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen - 2011

Coming up next we have 2011's "Salmon Fishing In The Yemen", a story about the impossible odds of bringing salmon to the desert regions of Yemen.  We also have a love story between two people who find themselves who have opposing opinions about the success of the project.

The film's cast includes Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked, Rachael Stirling, Conleth Hill, and Tom Mison.

Yemeni Sheikh Muhammad, an enthusiastic fisherman, wants to bring salmon fishing to his home country of Yemen.

To do this, he enlists the help of Ms. Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, a financial advisor who oversees the sheikh's British assets.

She reaches out to fish expert Dr. Alfred Jones, who sends her an email stating why the project is "fundamentally impossible".

Due to some unrest in the Middle East, the Prime Minister's office is in need of some good PR.  The PM's press secretary, Patricia Maxwell, is anxiously looking for a story to put a positive spin on the region's conflict.

She gets word about the salmon fishing project, and all of a sudden, Dr. Alfred Jones is roped into working on a project he has no wish to be a part of.

Alfred takes a meeting with Harriet.  It does not go well.  He brings up a large amount of good points about the unfeasibility of the venture.  She tells him why she thinks it will be possible.

As they continue to work, Alfred continues to explain to Harriet why the project is impossible.  She just smiles.

Patricia Maxwell approaches Alfred and tells him that this has become a top priority project.  She is especially excited when she finds out about two million potential voters and the prospect of the prime minister appearing on the cover of a magazine called "Bass-Mania".

To further stimulate her argument in favor of the project, Harriet invites Alfred to visit the sheikh at one of his Scottish estates, where he particularly enjoys salmon fishing.

After having met the sheikh, Alfred is brought round, and he agrees to start working to make the project a reality.  He also begins to take more notice of Harriet.

Back in London, the two begin to work quite closely on the specifics of the daunting operation.

The project hits a pause when Harriet's boyfriend goes missing in action while on deployment in the Middle East.  Alfred arrives at her apartment and comforts her, which she appreciates.

At the invitation of the sheikh, Harriet and Alfred travel to Yemen to check on the progress of the salmon fishing venture.  This also provides an opportunity for the two of them to grow closer.

In Scotland, Patricia Maxwell arrives at the sheikh's estate.  She tells the group that it will be impossible to use wild-caught salmon from British waters, but she has an idea that will save the day.  They can use farm-raised salmon.  This is not something that the sheikh is overly enthusiastic about.  (Side note: Patricia's arrival is quite funny.  When she sees the sheikh's guard of honor lined up, she smiles and exclaims, "Happy Birthday, Patricia!")

After giving it some thought, Alfred considers that using farmed salmon may not be such a terrible idea.  He convinces Harriet and the sheikh that it is the right move.

And so, after months of hard work, it is back to Yemen to see the project fully realized.  Harriet and Alfred have realized their romantic feelings for each other and fully give way to them.  The salmon are released into the waters and everyone is excited at the project's success.

Sadly, something happens which threatens the very viability and longevity of the salmon.  Something also happens which threatens to derail Harriet and Alfred's relationship.

But, have no fear.  Everything is not lost.  The catastrophe doesn't seem to be as terrible as it seemed, and Harriet and Alfred watch with renewed hope, for themselves and for the project.

Cast rundown:

   Emily Blunt..................................Harriet Chetwode-Talbot

   Ewan McGregor.............................Dr. Alfred Jones

   Kristin Scott Thomas.....................Patricia Maxwell

   Amr Waked..................................Sheikh Muhammad

   Rachael Stirling.............................Mary Jones

   Conleth Hill..................................Bernard Sugden

   Tom Mison...................................Capt. Robert Mayers

And that's it for Salmon Fishing In The Yemen.  For the film, Ewan McGregor had to learn how to fly fish.  The British scenes were filmed in London and Scotland, with Adverikie House serving as the sheikh's Scottish estate.  The Yemeni scenes were shot in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

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