NANOOK OF THE NORTH (1922)
Directed by Robert Flaherty
In 1920 Robert Flaherty went to the snowy northern reaches of Quebec with the aim of presenting Inuit culture in a manner that had the sweep and urgency of a fiction film. And, in the process, Flaherty invented the modern documentary with all of its strengths and contradictions. The film details the daily struggles of Nanook and his family, from building an igloo to seal hunting with a ...
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Directed by Robert Flaherty
In 1920 Robert Flaherty went to the snowy northern reaches of Quebec with the aim of presenting Inuit culture in a manner that had the sweep and urgency of a fiction film. And, in the process, Flaherty invented the modern documentary with all of its strengths and contradictions. The film details the daily struggles of Nanook and his family, from building an igloo to seal hunting with a harpoon. Never mind that Inuits at didn't actually live in igloos and that time preferred to hunt with guns; Flaherty created the illusion of reality and that proved to be hugely influential, not to mention hugely profitable.
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