That it wasn't exactly accurate does not obscure its importance as a cinematic milestone and a depiction of a vanishing way of life.
Nanook of the North (1922)
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Reviews Counted:21
Fresh:21
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.6/10
Runtime: 79 mins
Genre: Education/General Interest
Synopsis: This classic film by Robert Flaherty, shot in 1922, documents one year in the life of Nanook, an Inuit hunter and his family as they struggle to survive in the harsh conditions of Canada's Hudson... This classic film by Robert Flaherty, shot in 1922, documents one year in the life of Nanook, an Inuit hunter and his family as they struggle to survive in the harsh conditions of Canada's Hudson Bay region. Without the use of dialogue, this piece describes the trading, hunting, fishing and migrations of a group barely touched by industrial technology. NANOOK OF THE NORTH was widely shown and praised as the first full-length, anthropological documentary in cinematographic history. [More]
Director: Robert Flaherty
Director: Robert Flaherty
Producer: Robert J. Flaherty
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Reviews for Nanook of the North
Flaherty wasn't much of an ethnologist -- he routinely staged scenes for his camera and insisted that his subjects return to traditions they'd abandoned generations before -- yet he was a master dramatist.
By virtue of its timeless setting and straightforward approach to its subject, this portrait of the daily lives of an Eskimo man and his family is probably the least dated of any silent film extant.
Despite the comparatively primitive technique and the natural difficulties of shooting a film in the frozen Hudson Bay wastelands, every minute of Nanook lives up to its reputation.
These characters are plainly 'playing' themselves, and scenes such as the igloo-building manifest a sage grace and skill.
Nanook is one of the most vital and unforgettable human beings ever recorded on film.
Além de ser um fascinante retrato da árdua vida dos esquimós, este clássico ainda deve ser lembrado por ter praticamente originado o gênero documentário.
While still criticized for its creative distortions, Flaherty’s groundbreaking documentary of Eskimo life is among the most important films of the silent era.
Nanook's life, mainly concerning the perpetual quest for food as his family teeters on starvation, doesn't offer a lot of variety, but blisteringly real images like this don't come along any more these days.
Nanook of the North is considered to be the first documentary ever made and is a truly joyous film experience.
Although in some scenes it's pretty obvious that igloos have been constructed by the set designer rather than the Eskimos, there's a real beauty and an authenticity that renders these details insignificant.
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