The Arctic and Greenland where the film was shot are breathtaking. This Nicholas Ray film with a fictional script has the touches of Robert Flaherty's classic films "Nanook of the North' and "Man of Aran." The following facts make this film important.
The actors: It is Peter O'Toole's debut performance and he was so angry that his lines were dubbed that he did not want his name to be associated with it. Yet, his presence is wonderful. Anthony Quinn, who is the lead character, is able to look somewhat like an Eskimo though he is tall and his facial features contrast with the real inhabitants. Bob Dylan's song "The Mighty Quinn/Quinn the Eskimo" is a tribute to Quinn in this film.
The fictional tale: Franco Solinas is one of the three co-scriptwriters of this film. Solinas is famous for his contributions to the great film classics of directors Gilo Pontecorvo ("Quiemada/Burn!;" Battle of Algiers;" "Kapo"), Joseph Losey ("Mr Klein";"The Assissination of Trotsky") and Costa Gavras ("State Of Siege;" "Hanna K"). The Solinas touch is evident in the final confrontation between the white man (O'Toole) who has been saved from death by the savage innocent Eskimo (Quinn) of how each abide by their different social laws and traditions.
The documentary: The film has a very educative narration on the lives of the Eskimos. Apparently, the meaning of Eskimo is "the real people." There hangs another tale. The film has rare footage of walruses in large numbers, seals, and arctic bears. The film also shows that those who fall into the frozen sea water in the Arctic are not likely to survive even after rescue in the absence of modern scientific help. A reviewer of the film has pointed out social inaccuracies in the script, which are probably true. Beyond the social details, the film takes you to a part of the world rarely viewed or discussed.
The actors: It is Peter O'Toole's debut performance and he was so angry that his lines were dubbed that he did not want his name to be associated with it. Yet, his presence is wonderful. Anthony Quinn, who is the lead character, is able to look somewhat like an Eskimo though he is tall and his facial features contrast with the real inhabitants. Bob Dylan's song "The Mighty Quinn/Quinn the Eskimo" is a tribute to Quinn in this film.
The fictional tale: Franco Solinas is one of the three co-scriptwriters of this film. Solinas is famous for his contributions to the great film classics of directors Gilo Pontecorvo ("Quiemada/Burn!;" Battle of Algiers;" "Kapo"), Joseph Losey ("Mr Klein";"The Assissination of Trotsky") and Costa Gavras ("State Of Siege;" "Hanna K"). The Solinas touch is evident in the final confrontation between the white man (O'Toole) who has been saved from death by the savage innocent Eskimo (Quinn) of how each abide by their different social laws and traditions.
The documentary: The film has a very educative narration on the lives of the Eskimos. Apparently, the meaning of Eskimo is "the real people." There hangs another tale. The film has rare footage of walruses in large numbers, seals, and arctic bears. The film also shows that those who fall into the frozen sea water in the Arctic are not likely to survive even after rescue in the absence of modern scientific help. A reviewer of the film has pointed out social inaccuracies in the script, which are probably true. Beyond the social details, the film takes you to a part of the world rarely viewed or discussed.