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In 1922, Robert Flaherty made the first-feature length documentary, Nanook of the North. Because of this, he is generally considered the father of documentary film. But as we'll see, Mr. Flaherty fathered more than that.
- What is Flaherty known for?
- What did Flaherty do in making the film that today is usually considered deceptive?
- Who is considered the father of the documentary?
- What was Robert Flaherty's most important contribution to documentary filmmaking?
- What is Nanook?
- Why is Nanook of the North an important documentary?
- How was Nanook of the North filmed?
- What happened to Nanook?
- Who termed the documentary?
- How did Grierson define the documentary?
- Who is the person who coined the word documentary?
- How many movies did Robert Flaherty?
- Why is Nanook of the North controversial?
- What was the goal of observational documentary during the cinema verite movement?
What is Flaherty known for?
Robert Joseph Flaherty, FRGS (/ˈflæ. ərti, ˈflɑː-/; February 16, 1884 – July 23, 1951) was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature-length documentary film, Nanook of the North (1922). ... Flaherty is considered the "father" of both the documentary and the ethnographic film.
What did Flaherty do in making the film that today is usually considered deceptive?
Flaherty defended his work by stating, "one often has to distort a thing in order to catch its true spirit." Later filmmakers have pointed out that the only cameras available to Flaherty at the time were both large and immobile, making it impossible to effectively capture most interior shots or unstructured exterior ...
Who is considered the father of the documentary?
Robert Flaherty, in full Robert Joseph Flaherty, (born February 16, 1884, Iron Mountain, Michigan, U.S.—died July 23, 1951, Dummerston, Vermont), American explorer and filmmaker, called the father of the documentary film.
What was Robert Flaherty's most important contribution to documentary filmmaking?
Robert Flaherty occupies a special place in the documentary pantheon. He is often called the father of documentary, best known for his first completed feature Nanook of the North (1922), which the Library of Congress numbered among the first 25 American films to be chosen for preservation in the nation's archives.
What is Nanook?
In Inuit religion, Nanook (/ˈnænuːk/; Inuktitut: ᓇᓄᖅ [naˈnuq], lit. "polar bear") was the master of bears, meaning he decided if hunters deserved success in finding and hunting bears and punished violations of taboos. ... Bears would stay away from hunters who failed to pay respect.”
Why is Nanook of the North an important documentary?
Nanook of the North is an important cinematic milestone. The sensitivity of its director and his selection and arrangement of material made the film different from and far superior to the travelogues of its day. Flaherty was the first to successfully combine documentary footage with the art of storytelling in cinema.
How was Nanook of the North filmed?
Keen to play along with Flaherty's wish to represent the Inuit as living a simpler way of life, 'Nanook" was filmed hunting with a spear, despite the fact that in reality the tribe had long before abandoned spears in favour of guns.
What happened to Nanook?
There are also moments of hazard, as they are nearly lost in a sudden snowstorm, and times of great hunger and desperation. These are suggested in the film, but became real in the aftermath: Nanook, lost in a storm, died of starvation two years after Flaherty filmed him.
Who termed the documentary?
Pioneering Scottish filmmaker John Grierson (1898-1972) is often considered the father of documentary film and credited with coining the very term “documentary” in his review of Robert Flaherty's film Moana in the February 8, 1926, issue of the New York Sun.
How did Grierson define the documentary?
Grierson defined documentary as 'the creative treatment of actuality'. ... An examination of the rela- tionship between art, creativity and documentary production and consumption will rationalize and reconceptualize creativity for documentary practice.
Who is the person who coined the word documentary?
John Grierson CBE (26 April 1898 – 19 February 1972) was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. In 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in a review of Robert Flaherty's Moana.
How many movies did Robert Flaherty?
Flaherty is credited with eight films, all distinguished by an instinct for finding lyrical images. He made three of them during his eight-year stay in Britain during the 1930s. The eldest of seven children, Robert Joseph Flaherty was born in Iron Mountain, Michigan on 16 February 1884.
Why is Nanook of the North controversial?
Nanook of the North has been embroiled in controversy because of its extravagant claims to documentary realism. ... After all, Nanook and others like him really did hunt their own prey and the walruses and seals we see being hunted weren't in on any joke.
What was the goal of observational documentary during the cinema verite movement?
The filmmaker's intention was to represent the truth as objectively as possible, freeing the viewer from deceptions in how those aspects of life were formerly presented to them.
