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Nanook of the North
by (Cinematographer: Robert J. Flaherty) (Editor: Robert J. Flaherty) (Producer: Robert J. Flaherty) (Writer: Robert J. Flaherty) (Editor: Charles Gelb) (Editor: Herbert Edwards) (Producer: John Révillon) (Writer: Frances H. Flaherty)
Director: Robert J. Flaherty
Product Group: Video
Studio: Kino Video
ISBN: 6305073708
EAN: 9786305073703
UPC: 738329015534
VHS Tape
Running Time: 79 minutes
Original Release Date: 1922-06-11
Theatrical Release Date: 1922-06-11
Release Date: 2000-06-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
SKU: 08080327
Condition: Very Good Good
Comments: VHS tape in very good condition. From library with usual library markings and plastic clamshell case. Original artwork within clamshell case. Play-tested and has very good video and audio. Very nice tape.
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Editorial Reviews
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Amazon.com essential video
Robert J. Flaherty, who wrote, directed, produced, shot, and edited this landmark picture, will forever be remembered as the godfather of documentary filmmaking. While this landmark 1922 production, shot on the northeastern shore of Hudson Bay, isn't a true documentary by contemporary conventions, it remains the first great nonfiction film. With the help of Nanook and his friends and family, Flaherty undertook the mission of re-creating an Eskimo culture that no longer existed in a series of staged scenes. Nanook ice fishes, harpoons a walrus, catches a seal, traps, builds an igloo, and trades pelts at a trading post, all captured by Flaherty's inquisitive camera. Though he presents a "happy" culture bordering on primitive innocence (Nanook and his family were in reality quite westernized), his loving portrait is anything but condescending. Ultimately Flaherty shares his tremendous respect and awe for a culture that has learned to not just survive but thrive in such an inhospitable environment. On a purely visual level the film is a beautiful work of cinema, an understated drama in an austere, unblemished landscape of snow and ice. With unerring simplicity and directness, Flaherty re-creates the details and rhythms of a culture long gone and gives the world a glimpse. David Shepard's restoration, which is offered by Kino, shows a cleaner, brighter image than has ever been available on video and restores scenes missing for decades, and he has commissioned a new score by Timothy Brock, which incorporates and expands upon elements of the original score. A short interview with Flaherty's widow concludes the tape. --Sean Axmaker
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Amazon.com
In 1920, exploring American anthropologist Robert J. Flaherty traveled alone, with camera in hand, to the remote Canadian tundra. There, for over a year, he lived with Eskimos, documenting their daily lives and returning to his editing studio with the raw footage. The result of his rigorous study was groundbreaking; with Nanook of the North, Flaherty pioneered both a new cinematic genre, the narrative documentary, and created a timeless drama of human perseverance under the harshest of conditions. Flaherty obviously understood the charisma of one Eskimo in particular, Nanook, and much of the film's warmth, humor, and charm come from the mutual respect and sympathy between the filmmaker and his subject. Flaherty possessed an acute eye for simple detail and his presentation of the stark climate and unique culture remains breathtaking. Flaherty also had a knack for editing and manipulation, and along with pioneering a new cinematic form, Nanook too raised all of the problematic ethical dilemmas that still face documentarians. Many of the famous sequences--the seal hunt, the building of the igloo--were actually staged for "authenticity" purposes, thus starting debates on whether documentaries could truly capture truth or reality. Then there's the presence of the camera and whether that in itself alters or disrupts the natural behavior of its subjects. Yet, despite Flaherty's tamperings, there's no denying the film's power, its wondrous sense of adventure, and the touching portrait of one of cinema's truly courageous heroes. --Dave McCoy
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Customer Reviews
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Opinion
Rating  (4)
Date: 2008-10-18
An interesting film that tries to capture the Inuit Culture, while today it would be hailed as a Mockumentary given the information latered learned about "Nanook" being more modern than presented it is still informative and interesting.
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The great view of arctic life
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-02-22
Nanook of the North provides not only an extremely accurate view of Inuit life but makes one wonder why sub arctic families cannot live and love together. It is a world modern man could not survive which should make us envious.
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Pleased with this purchase
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-09-15
1 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
This film lives up to all I have read about it. For me as a documentary filmmaker it is important to make these kinds of connections with the pioneers of this format. Nanook of the North is a must-have for anyone who is serious about the documentary format.
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The beginning of Feature Documentary Filmmakin
Rating (5)
Date: 2007-04-09
3 out of 3 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is a glimpse into an amazing way of life which, for the most part, no longer exists. The Filmmaker was an explorer before he became a filmmaker, so great care is taken to tell these people's story, through the example of one main character: Nanook, the Bear. I was pleased at how well this work has been preserved and transfered to the new medium of DVD. If you are interested in the Arctic region, Anthropology, History, or even great Adventure, you will enjoy Nanook of the North.
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How Far We've Come
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-11-12
When I watched this classic documentary, I couldn't help but think that if we ever had to get back to the level of living portrayed here, we just wouldn't make it. What it took for Inuits to survive and the almost always smiling faces on them makes me think that despite our modern proclivity for shopping malls, body-piercing, Hummers and rap music, underneath it all is a heritage that is raw, rich and admirable; and thank god somebody was able to capture it to film before it was swallowed up. It would be interesting to produce Nanook II and show what goes on in this remote part of the world now.
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