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The first documentary ever made for screening in public theaters
kijii
15 November 2016

As I began to watch this SILENT film, I had the impression of watching a black-and-white home movie--with title cards. However, my first impression was soon dispelled as I became riveted by the documentary—the first documentary ever made for screening in public theaters.

This fact, alone, makes Robert J. Flaherty a filmmaking pioneer. But, Flaherty--as revealed by his wife in a short interview, on the same Criterion DVD--was an explorer first and only became a filmmaker long after.

While working along the East Coast of Hudson Bay in 1910 for the English explorer, Sir William MacKenzie, Flaherty fell in love with the Eskimos that lived on the barren lands of the unexplored southern coast of Baffin Land. Flaherty wanted to film them to show the world a bit of their lifestyle and culture. His first attempt was a failure in that the film could not be developed on the spot, and when it was taken back to Toronto for development, much was lost and most of what was not lost was burned in a fire. His second attempt resulted in this film, Nanook of the North (1922), developed on the spot and done with better equipment.

Flaherty let the Eskimos become involved with the film so this was no 'hidden camera deal.' In fact, some scenes—like the building of the Igloo and the seal hunt--were staged. But then, don't most people know that they are being filmed when documentaries are made of them?

One soon falls in love with Nanook, his wife and children, and his extended family as they work, play, hunt, and eat. Unlike civilized society--where almost everything is done for you--these Eskimos, at that time, spent a great deal of their time and activities for survival. Roles were both defined and integrated into their society: good parenting seems totally enjoyable but has its long-range goal too. Children wanted to imitate their parents, and the parents encouraged it.

Their dogs were their pets, but they were also totally necessary for their for survival too. Almost all of the Eskimos' food, goods, clothes, homes furnishings, fun, and hunting supplies came out of what they were able to make, find, or hunt in their desolate environment. But, even there, they did trade at the white man's trading post.

Flaherty's film went on to become world-famous and probably gave us much of the information--such as building igloos, kissing by rubbing noses, etc--that we have adopted about the Eskimos of that time. Why? Because unlike popular articles written in magazines like 'The National Geographic,' the film brought the people and culture to life for us to see it in action.

I also appreciated Flaherty's film making per se. His photography and framing are very good for the time, with both effective long shots and close ups. It is hard to imagine such good work under such limited lighting and environmental conditions.

My only criticism of the film is length of the title cards. Since I am a slow reader, I was often forced to set the DVD player on the pause button in order to read the description of each upcoming scene. Nankook of the North is No. 41 on The Top 100 Silent Era Films.