In this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuit living in the Arctic Circle.
What is unfortunate about this film is how it can be seen as a docudrama more than a documentary. A film about the Eskimo or Inuit culture would have been fascinating and important, especially as indigenous cultures continue to fade away. Yet, we now know that much of this film was staged, with the "wives" being fake and a spear used for effect when the actual hunter typically had a gun.
There is still historical value to the film, of course, but it must be taken with that grain of salt. The very fact someone brought a camera as far north as Flaherty did probably deserves some credit.
What is unfortunate about this film is how it can be seen as a docudrama more than a documentary. A film about the Eskimo or Inuit culture would have been fascinating and important, especially as indigenous cultures continue to fade away. Yet, we now know that much of this film was staged, with the "wives" being fake and a spear used for effect when the actual hunter typically had a gun.
There is still historical value to the film, of course, but it must be taken with that grain of salt. The very fact someone brought a camera as far north as Flaherty did probably deserves some credit.