Nanook of the North

"A story of life and love in the actual Arctic."

1922 1h 19m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.6

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 335🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes★7.6IMDB · 14,039

DocumentaryDrama

Synopsis

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This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

“A story of life and love in the actual Arctic.”

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Cast

Allakariallak
Nanook
Alice Nevalinga
Nanook's Wife - the Smiling One
Cunayou
Cunayou - Nanook's Daughter
Allegoo
Allegoo - Nanook's Son
Allee
Allee - Nanook's Son

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Flaherty
Writers: Robert Flaherty
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

104 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Flaherty, shot by Robert Flaherty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Flaherty shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Allakariallak and Alice Nevalinga and Cunayou carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Flaherty directs. Robert Flaherty behind the camera. Robert Flaherty cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America, France. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3104 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Robert Flaherty, shot by Robert Flaherty. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Robert Flaherty shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Allakariallak and Alice Nevalinga and Cunayou carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A story of life and love in the actual Arctic.".
10IMDB entry: tt0013427 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "canada", "winter", "fishing", "polar zone".
12Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Flaherty
Editing: Robert Flaherty
Runtime: 79 min · 1h 19m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $53,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: Nanook of the North (1922)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.6/10 · 14,039 votes
MPAA: Passed

Awards

2 wins total

Also by

Robert Flaherty

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-02-16
★ 7/10
At times I thought this was filmed in the 1960s. It has an astonishing quality to it - the camerawork delivering quite a pristine image of this man and his family as they spend a year eking out a traditional existence. The terrain is inherently hostile. The weather cares little for him, his wife, his young children or his howling pack of dogs as they must constantly hunt for fish and seals to ensure continued survival. Who knew it only takes an hour to build a igloo? Well these architecturally creative structures provide essential shelter, even if the temperature inside must never exceed freezing - as the winds and snows batter down on them relentlessly. This is a documentary and although the family fairly gleefully engage with film-maker Ronbert J. Flaherty at times, we also have to be prepared for some fairly graphic images of how they capture and consume their prey. Virtually nothing is left to waste: the flesh, the skin and the blubber all proving crucial in getting them through these toughest of winters. The photography goes some way to illustrating just how truly subsistence and perilous their lives can be - and yet they still keep pets! Darkness and cold, winds and snow - but when the sun is up, a more beautiful and thriving landscape it's hard to imagine. Fascinating, in the truest sense of the word, and well worth wrapping up in front of the television for.

Production companies