Clevercell Very disappointing...

GamerTab That was an excellent one.

ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Jackson Booth-Millard This silent film was made at the time when separation between drama and documentary did not exist, so is widely (and incorrectly) considered to be the first ever documentary film, I found it in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, and I was really looking forward to it. Basically filmmaker Robert J. Flaherty spent a year living with and documenting the life of Nanook and his family, a group of Eskimos, or Inuits, living in the Arctic Circle. The family consists of Nanook, a superb fisherman and hunter; his wife Nyla; his other wife Cunayou; and his sons Allee and Allegoo. Approximately three-hundred nomadic people live in the Canadian Arctic, on the eastern shores of Hudson's Bay, in a region called Ungava. The film mostly follows the family as they travel through the white wilderness, in kayaks and on dog sled, they occasionally encounter western civilisation, but primarily live a life of subsistence. Nanook and the men stay alive hunting food, which is very difficult, their food sources are primarily sea related - salmon, seal and walrus, but they do occasionally encounter land animals as well, such as white foxes, polar bears and deer. The harsh weather conditions provide uncertain opportunities, and the ice shifting causes problems for both travelling and hunting, but Nanook manages to find a way for him and his family through the difficult situations. The best scene of the film is Nanook's amazing architectural skill and speed when building an igloo for him and his family to spend the night, using his large knife to sculpt the structure, creating makeshift ice bricks and a "glass" window. I agree the film is perhaps primitive looking by today's standards, a man and his family surviving in the frozen wastes, and it is obvious a few of the scenes were setup, but it remains a historic, ground- breaking piece of work, it should be celebrated as an inspirational landmark classic silent documentary. Good!

bscrivener-50810 Nanook of the North is a 1922 silent documentary film, directed and produced by Robert J. Flaherty. Nanook of the North depicts the life of an Inuit family living near Hudson Bay in Quebec, Canada. The documentary takes us through various events that Inuits deal with in everyday life, such as hunting, dwelling and scaling the cold, barren Arctic wasteland. Nanook of the North shows us the hardships and constant fight for survival in the wilderness and shows us a very unique society these types of people live in. Flaherty's camera-work is magnificent, even in the cold plains of the Arctic, the documentary runs smoothly and feels crisp and perfected with a beautiful composition of classic melodies to break the silence and add tension when necessary. While the film runs smooth and does its purpose from a filmmaking point of view perfectly, Nanook of the North has at times been panned for being staged and forced in its production. Many claim is portrays a false image of Inuit life during its time, as many advancements had taken place in Inuit culture at the time of filming. Even names and events were faked to seemingly add drama and suspense. This realisation has often deterred many from the film, despite Flaherty claiming his intention was to portray traditional life of the Inuit people before Western influence. Overall, Nanook of the North is a hugely influential docudrama film with an intriguing look into traditional Inuit life, with beautiful harmonious melodies and crisp, clear camera-work, a hugely interesting and enjoyable film, with a slight sense of unfortunate doubt due to the controversies surrounding its production. 9/10

blitzebill for its day, "Nanook..." was well done, despite the liberties taken by Flaherty, the director.it can be argued that there is no such thing as a "true" documentary.that the director cannot be wholly objective.however, what Flaherty achieved here in this film is remarkable and significant for film-making.I saw this film tonight on TCM as part of a special monthly series on Native Americans.it was specifically mentioned that Allakariallak, who played Nanook, did not die from starvation, as several reviews here on IMDb.com have stated.He died from tuberculosis.

Edgar Soberon Torchia After failed tries in 1913 and 1915, Robert Flaherty finally returned to Hudson Bay to shoot the Eskimo life, and, unbeknownst to him, he was creating the basic rules of anthropologic cinema (or cinéma direct), living with the Eskimos, making them acquainted with the film equipment, working together in the production, and showing them the footage. Although his intent was realistic and he narrated through silent images, he took a free approach, and made his subjects reenact situations, a solution today unthinkable for the filmmakers of direct cinema. Made with financial backing from Révillon Frères, a French fur company (some sources consider it a Canadian film), "Nanook" was an economic and critical success since its opening. It was re-edited and re-released in 1947, but restored to its original form in 1976.