Nanook of the North (film)
"Nanook of the North," directed by Robert Flaherty and released in 1922, is often regarded as the first feature-length documentary film. Set in northern Quebec, it showcases the daily life of the Inuit people through its central figure, Nanook (whose real name was Allakariallak). The film captures the struggles of survival in the Arctic, illustrating feats such as hunting sea lions and building igloos, while also depicting family life and the lessons passed between generations.
Flaherty's approach blended documentary and fictional elements, as many scenes were staged for dramatic effect. For instance, he had his subjects use traditional hunting methods, ignoring the reality that they often used guns. Despite criticisms regarding the authenticity of its portrayal, "Nanook of the North" became a cultural sensation, reflecting the 1920s fascination with "primitive" societies and exotic locales. The film is credited with establishing the documentary genre, demonstrating that low-budget nonfiction could be both engaging and commercially viable, and it remains significant in discussions about representation and filmmaking ethics.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Nanook of the North (film)
Identification: A documentary film about an Inuit family
Director: Robert J. Flaherty
Date: 1922
Often described as the first feature-length documentary film, Nanook of the North capitalized on the increasing interest in the 1920s in so-called primitive societies. Audiences were fascinated by exotic locales and ways of life that seemed simpler and, in some ways, more admirable than the hectic, competitive world of 1920s America.
Director Robert Flaherty first set out simply to record the lives of the Inuits in northern Quebec. By his own account, he knew almost nothing about filmmaking, and his first efforts resulted in an undistinguished collection of scenes with no discernible plot or narrative. A fire that destroyed much of this early film proved a boon to Flaherty, who realized he needed to shape his film into an aesthetic whole and impose a structure on the raw footage he shot.
What Flaherty created is not a pure documentary, as it contains fictional elements. It focuses on a hero, Nanook, and his effort to feed and entertain his family. When viewed in the context of 1920s silent film, Nanook has much in common with the adventure films of directors such as Douglas Fairbanks Sr. Nanook performs great feats of strength and endurance, hunting sea lions and building an igloo for his family in a single day. He must live by his wits and physical prowess, but he is also a family man, playing with his young son and teaching him the rudiments of hunting. Thus, the film became a crowd pleaser, appealing to 1920s audiences who had never seen this austere Arctic world in which every day was a struggle for existence. Indeed, one of this silent film’s titles informs the audience that Nanook later died of starvation.
Perhaps because Flaherty had no precedents to follow, he did not consider the ramifications of his approach to documentary filmmaking. Many of his scenes were staged or manipulated for the camera. For example, he had his subjects hunt only with spears or harpoons, even though in reality they used guns. Nanook’s real name was Allakariallak, and his “wife” was recruited from the local population to play the part. Although Flaherty has been severely criticized for this distortion of reality, he believed that he could take certain liberties in his quest to portray a way of life that was rapidly disappearing.
Impact
Nanook of the North was a worldwide sensation, demonstrating to audiences the capacity of film to bring distant and far-flung cultures within reach. While his methods have since come under scrutiny, Flaherty is still considered to be a founding father of the documentary film genre, having been the first to establish that low-cost nonfiction films could be entertaining and profitable.
Bibliography
Barnouw, Eric. Documentary: A History of the Non-Fiction Film. 2d rev. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
Hockings, Paul, ed. Principles of Visual Anthropology. 3d ed. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 2003.
McGrath, Melanie. The Long Exile: A True Story of Deception and Survival Amongst the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic. New York: Harper Perennial, 2007.