Product Details

• Actors: Allakariallak, Nyla, Allee, Cunayou, Allegoo
• Directors: Robert J. Flaherty
• Writers: Robert J. Flaherty, Frances H. Flaherty
• Producers: Robert J. Flaherty, John Révillon
• Format: Black & White, Silent, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Criterion
• DVD Release Date: January 26, 1999
• Run Time: 79 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305257442
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,689 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Nanook of the North (The Criterion Collection)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Description

Robert Flaherty's classic film tells the story of Inuit hunter Nanook and his family as they struggle to survive in the harsh conditions of Canada's Hudson Bay region. Enormously popular when released in 1922, Nanook of the North is a cinematic milestone that continues to enchant audiences. Criterion is proud to present the original director's cut, restored to the proper frame rate and tinted according to Flaherty's personal print.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic of ethnographic film October 21, 2000

By Alexander M. Moir

Format:DVD

Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North" is a true classic of ethnographic film. The principle behind anthropological film in the early days of its existence was to capture traditional societies in time, a sort of "salvage ethnography." In doing so, filmmakers like Flaherty and others particularly focused on Amerindian cultures, which were seen as a dying remnant of early America. In creating his silent masterpiece, Flaherty used actors of Inuit extraction, who still knew the traditional ways, and who could reproduce their culture for posterity through film. Though his methods have been criticized as contrived and retrogressive, post-modernist rhetoric has not succeeded in ruining this film in the popular or anthropological circles. "Nanook" remains a warm account of traditional Inuit/Eskimo life, despite their frigid setting. The DVD collectable edition contains some photo galleries and useful material about Flaherty and his subjects.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a great film about Inuits (Eskimos) April 6, 2004

By Ted VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

This film is credited with being one of the first documentary films. When first released it became known worldwide. Although the film was staged it is partially accurate. At the time of the film was being made, Inuit society was beginning to modernize and the film was made to portray traditional life for the Inuits.

To this day the film remains one of the most famous documentaries ever made.

The film is well photographed and is the first silent film the Criterion Collection has released on DVD. The new musical score is excellent and often appropriate for the particular scenes. This film is generally appropriate for all ages but near the end of the film there is a scene of brief female nudity.

The Criterion Collection has resotred the film to its original frame rate and the special features include photographs of the region where the movie was filmed and also inclused a rare interview with the director's widow.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars What a pity September 25, 2010

By M. Stanish

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I saw this movie on TCM and was transfixed. The documentary is a masterpiece of minimalism. In particular, I was impressed by the eerie, brooding score that accompanied the film, with it's haunting contrabass subtly reinforcing the film's icy, desert-like barrenness. It conveyed beautifully the quiet desperation of Nanook and his family as they courageously - and against all odds - eked out a meager existence against the backdrop of the unrelenting inhospitability of the Arctic. It was a magnificent merger of story, cinematography and score. Truly an achievement.

I can't begin to say how disappointed I was when I played the DVD. The original score had been replaced by a New Age ensemble accompaniment that completely altered the tenor of the movie. The evocative ambience of the original was lost. The new score is a completely incongruous loop of mediocre New Age ensemble music that occasionally mounts to inexplicable crescendos hopelessly unrelated to the action of the film; it is totally devoid of and in fact defies any empathic sensibility. I finally muted the sound and watched the movie in silence. It was a vast improvement, but still nowhere near the impact of the original. What were the producers of this re-release thinking?

For this reason alone, I cannot recommend buying this bastardized version. What a pity.