Nanook of the North

Nanook of the North follows an Inuit hunter named Nanook and his family as they travel across the Canadian Arctic, hunting, fishing and building shelter through the changing seasons. Robert Flaherty spent an extended period living among the Inuit, and the film mixes observed material with staged scenes and invented details to show how the family survives in a landscape far removed from settled life. Its central thread is the constant effort required to find food and withstand the cold, from seal hunting and fishing to the construction of an igloo during a winter journey, with a snowstorm forcing the family to take refuge along the way. Nanook, his wife, and their children appear as themselves.

The film was directed, written and produced by Robert Flaherty, whose first feature it was; he went on to direct Elephant Boy in 1937. The cast consists mainly of Inuit participants rather than professional actors, among them Allakariallak as Nanook, Alice Nevalinga, Cunayou, Allegoo and Allee, with Berry Kroeger providing narration for a later re-release.

Made in the United States and France and running 79 minutes, the film is rated 7.6 on IMDb from around 14,000 votes and 7.1 on TMDB from a few hundred votes, indicating solid and fairly steady approval. Film critics have been notably more enthusiastic, with a rating of 8.7 from 35 reviews.