The Silent Enemy (1930) User Reviews

A docu-drama in the Robert Flaherty tradition

[psteier · 7/10 · 19 January 2001]

One of a number of fiction films of the 1920's and 1930's that attempt to show the life of primitive peoples before contact with European material culture. The best known example is Nanook of the North (1922).

Very well done, with much location shooting under trying circumstances for both the Ojibwe Indian cast and the crew. Interesting wild animal sequences, especially of the caribou.

The sound mostly is fine organ playing, with a short spoken introduction by Chief Yellow Robe (who played Chetoga, tribe leader).

Great cinematography, awful treatment of an important subject

[Zinjanthropus · 7/10 · 4 November 2009]

I was greatly impressed by the film's cinematography and direction, especially so under what must have been intensely difficult location shooting conditions. Beautiful scenes of migrating caribou, wolves running at top speed through the snowy forest, bears, and even a wolverine, elevate the diverse wildlife species represented in "The Silent Enemy" to par with the human actors. This Paramount production has an immediacy and a crisp air of authenticity rarely seen in films of the era.

The story line and acting are a different story, and together serve nearly to destroy the viewing experience. Anyone familiar with American Indian history and culture will wince at the one-dimensional stereotypes that almost uniformly obscure any chance of "The Silent Enemy's" helping to inform and enlighten the mass culture and broader audience that Paramount was able to reach. Sadly, the studio took the easy way out, playing to prejudice and racist attitudes of white audiences toward Indians. Some scenes of animal abuse may shock sensitive viewers.

Those glaring faux pas aside, though, this film is not to be missed. Few other titles come to mind that convey the drama and energy of wild nature as this does. The score is well done, and the visuals are full of life.

See it for the spectacular images and forget the story

[dbborroughs · 6/10 · 8 July 2009]

Docudrama about a tribe of Indians in the Canadian wilderness over the course of a year. The print I saw opened with chief of the tribe addressing the audience before the film itself started. The film proper is full of truly spectacular footage of the native North American's going through their paces from fishing to hunting to traveling in the snow or going down the river in a canoe. Almost 80 years on one still goes "Oh Wow" with much of the footage. Even while its clear that the footage was staged, its more stages in the way of "this is the way we do things". The only real problem is that some of the stuff that helps move the "story" seems creaky. Actually bits of the movie seem creaky. Most of the film is silent with music and narration which seems to slow the pace down and make much of what happens seem quaint. This doesn't mean its bad, it just makes the film okay and not as great as what's in the footage. Worth a look, as a rental if nothing else, more so if you want to see a life that's pretty much all gone now.

Once Seen, This Landmark Silent Movie Cannot Be Forgotten.

[TheCapsuleCritic · 9/10 · 10 May 2024]

I first saw THE SILENT ENEMY when it was released on VHS by Milestone Films and Image Entertainment. The movie was made in 1930 and, even today, remains a remarkable achievement. Although written and directed by non Natives and patterned after Robert Flaherty's NANOOK OF THE NORTH, the film makes no claims to being a documentary (as NANOOK did) but rather a recreation of a time in the Ojibway tribe's history before the arrival of Europeans in North America.

The movie was shot on location in Ontario and Quebec and utilizes a completely Native cast who, along with the filmmakers, endured great hardships in recreating a story of trial and perseverance concerning the Ojibway's search for food during a famine (the title refers to hunger) that drove them further and further North from their traditional homeland which was just South of Hudson's Bay. It was shot during the particularly harsh winter of 1928-1929 where temperatures at one point reached 40 degrees below zero. Everything in SILENT ENEMY from the birch bark canoes to the clothes and the animal hide teepees were completely authentic and were made by the then current descendants of the Ojibways.

Woven into the movie's migration saga is a fictional love triangle (thus further distancing SILENT ENEMY from NANOOK) that was hoped would give the movie more mainstream appeal to an audience in 1930. Most of this plotline was removed when the movie was edited down so that it could be used as an educational film in schools. For years that edited down version (including an added narration soundtrack) was the only version available. Finally in 1972, film preservationist David Shepard located a full length tinted and toned print in the vaults at Paramount (the film's original distributor) and it was acquired by the American Film Institute who began the task of preservation. They premiered it at AFI in 1973.

The original THE SILENT ENEMY VHS and later DVD featured an organ soundtrack that was taken from the original 1930 score which greatly enhanced the viewing experience. That release also featured a number of special features giving background on the making of the movie and the people involved with it. After a few years, this edition became no longer available and all there was to represent the film were cheap copies of the old educational version. Now Flicker Alley has given us back the original print and it remains a movie that once seen, cannot be forgotten. This Blu-Ray release comes with a booklet and two new soundtracks to choose from.