Nanook of the North
In 1922, Robert Flaherty debuted his epic ethnographic film entitled Nanook of the North. At the time, nobody knew of the impact that it would have on the entire industry of filmmaking. One of the innovators of the ethnographic film, Flaherty took his camera into places that no one had ever imagined. His expedition into the Arctic brought forth a new style of filmmaking that is still used in many films today.The first thing that everybody must notice about Nanook of the North is the cinematography. At this point in the era of film the equipment was obviously quite primitive when compared to everything that we have today. This, however, did not hinder Flaherty in any way as his film still contains many of the most breath-taking images still available for viewing. For example, the opening sequence to the film contains an incredible deep-focus shot of the icebergs floating around in the sea, as the sun is high above the water. Everything in the shot seems to be in place and a type of peace is established before you are introduced to the film's main character, Nanook. Later in the film the camera revisits similar shots using the barren landscape behind the action to further reveal the desolation of the Eskimo pe
Flaherty himself chooses what shots he wants to include in the final film making it a slanted view. Since Flaherty probably worked with a similar ratio, he had plenty to choose from to make his story work and provide his views on the lives of the Eskimo's. Over the years, this film has been cut and recut so many times that there are several versions available. The key phrase here is "participatory camera," as Flaherty placed the viewer inside of the action with his personal camera. In David Parkinson's History of Film, Parkinson states "shot with a 'participatory camera', the scenic footage and dramatic reconstructions of Nanook of the North captured the spirit of the Eskimo lifestyle through an inspired montage of close-ups, 'reverse angles', pans and tilts"(45). Flaherty "had been able to anticipate editing problems, providing crucial close-ups, reverse angles, and a few panoramic movements and tilts to yield moments of revelation"(Barnuow 39). As a matter of fact, the key to the success of Nanook of the North was his innovative camera techniques. In most films, the ratio of film shot to film actually used is somewhere around the ratio of 9 to 1. Nanook of the North has obviously stood up to the test of time. Flaherty was also able to pull off many other things than beautiful imagery with his camera work, though. Escaping from the idea that this film should be discarded due to its societal implications, I once again return to the technique employed by Flaherty. You are not told what they are doing; you are left to find out for yourself through the camera. Without the use of inter-titles the film seemed more like a documentary as it just showed the every day life of the Eskimo people. One scene in particular has Flaherty basically de-humanizing the Eskimo people and setting them on the same level of savage beasts.
Common topics in this essay:
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Cinema Actually,
Uncertainty Principle,
Walter Goldschmidt,
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Acceptance Essays
