Review of Nanook of the North (1922) by B. C — 22 Apr 2007

Yes, it was highly staged. But for the time period, this was perhaps the closest one could get to Cinema Verite. The clunky camera necessitated the staged aspects of the film, and the filmaker emphasizing spears over the guns that had become prevalent in Inuit culture at the time, was instead a move by Flaherty to capture a part of the culture that was already of the verge of being forgotten.

The film lends firm authenticity to its events, and gives solid and truthful insight into its subject, even if the context is off, flawed, or contrived. A very important early work of cinema, not only for its subject matter but for being perhaps the first feature-length documentary ever made.