Nanook of the North

Nanook of the North
Directed byRobert J. Flaherty
Written byRobert J. Flaherty
Produced byRobert J. Flaherty
Starring
  • Allakariallak
  • Nyla
  • Cunayou
CinematographyRobert J. Flaherty
Edited by
  • Robert J. Flaherty
  • Charles Gelb
Production
company
Distributed byPathé Exchange
Release date
  • June 11, 1922 (1922-06-11)
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent film with English intertitles
Budget$53,000

Nanook of the North[a] is a 1922 American silent film that combines elements of documentary and docudrama/docufiction, at a time when the concept of separating films into documentary and drama did not yet exist.[citation needed][1] In the tradition of what would later be called salvage ethnography,[citation needed] the film follows the struggles of the Inuk man named Nanook and his family in the Canadian Arctic. It is written and directed by Robert J. Flaherty, who also served as cinematographer, editor, and producer.[citation needed]

Some have criticized Flaherty for staging several sequences,[2] but the film has been described by Roger Ebert as "stand[ing] alone" among Flaherty's films "in its stark regard for the courage and ingenuity of its heroes."[3][4]

It was the first feature-length documentary to achieve commercial success, proving the financial viability of the genre and inspiring many films to come.[5]

In 1989, Nanook of the North was among the first group of 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[6][7]


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  1. ^ Nanook of the North incorporates many docudrama elements, including the "casting" of locals into fictitious "roles" and family relationships, as well as anachronistic "staged" hunting scenes. It is not a docufiction (See: List of docufiction films)[citation needed]
  2. ^ "Nanook of the North". Criterion Collection. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ebert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Silver, Alain. "Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North"". One World Magazine. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Nanook of the North: Pioneering Documentary that Redefined Cinema". Criterion Collection. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "ENTERTAINMENT: Film Registry Picks First 25 Movies". Los Angeles Times. Washington, D.C. September 19, 1989. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 6, 2020.

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