Nanuk, der Eskimo (1922)

Nanuk, der Eskimo: Directed by Robert J. Flaherty. With Allakariallak, Alice Nevalinga, Cunayou, Allegoo. In this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.

“Robert Flaherty is one of the more noted documentarians in the history of film. It is not without some concentration (ironically maybe) to watch his most well-known work, Nanook of North, which is as much documentary as it is almost the very first widely seen u0026quot;Home movieu0026quot;. Thereu0026#39;s no narration aside from the several title cards listing the obvious things that Nanook and his family/tribe are doing in the arctic. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTherefore this is much more of a visual kind of documentary, not as outrageous and experimental as those of Dziga Vertov of the same period (using what camera equipment available, shooting seemingly on the fly), but with a distinct view on what life is usually like for these people. We basically see them doing very elementary tasks, more based on living day-to-day in this harsh climate than anything overly dramatized. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat all of the scenes are really u0026#39;stagedu0026#39; (and, apparently, itu0026#39;s not even Nanooku0026#39;s real wife) doesnu0026#39;t deter the viewer from what is being shown. Itu0026#39;s like a mix of the objective and subjective- objective in the sense that u0026#39;this is what it is, the Eskimos hunting for food, raising their children, making their shelter in igloos, and making trips to ensure their survivalu0026#39;. Subjective in that Flahertyu0026#39;s camera is creating a specific view of these people, their faces captured memorably in the scratchy print of the film. In a way itu0026#39;s also like the first, and perhaps more groundbreaking, of the lot of nature documentaries to follow over the years, though to a primitive extreme.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn all, Nanook of the North is meant to above all show the versatility of these people, both the physical nature (i.e. hunting the seal, which is the most exciting in the film) and the nature of the spirit of these people, living this way as a cycle over and over again.”