Nanook of the North (1922)

Director:

Robert J. Flaherty

Writers:

Frances H. Flaherty (idea)
Robert J. Flaherty (writer)

Release Date:

11 June 1922 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

A story of life and love in the actual Arctic.

Plot:

Documents one year in the life of Nanook, an Eskimo (Inuit) and his family. Describes the trading, hunting...

Plot Keywords:

Inuit | Eskimo | Kayak | Snow | Igloo

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Allakariallak	...	Nanook (as Nanook)
Nyla	...	Herself (Nanook's wife, the smiling one)
Cunayou	...	Herself (Nanook's wife)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Allee	...	Himself (Nanook's son)
Allegoo	...	Himself (Nanook's son)

Also Known As:

Nanouk l'Esquimau (France)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA | France

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Portugal:17 (original rating) | Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Québec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Germany:6 | Spain:T | UK:U (re-release) (1947)

Filming Locations:

Hudson Bay, Québec, Canada

Company:

Les Frères Revillon

Trivia:

The film was sponsored by French fur company Revillon Freres which provided $50,000 for Flaherty's 16-month expedition halfway to the North Pole. Despite being rejected by five distributors, the film opened in New York City in 1922, after its success in Paris and Berlin, and grossed well over $40,000 in its first week.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Road Kill (1999)

Impressive effort by Flaherty

From a historical standpoint, this film really established the role of the documentary. While most of the scenes were set up and what-not, this is still an interesting tales to ponder. The whole idea of this film was to display the world of the Inuit, in all of its harshness. The cinematography was excellent, and the shot at the end is both haunting and breathless.