Nanook of the North 1922

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader: Flaherty wasn't much of an ethnologist -- he routinely staged scenes for his camera and insisted that his subjects return to traditions they'd abandoned generations before -- yet he was a master dramatist. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Nanook is one of the most vital and unforgettable human beings ever recorded on film. Read more

Time Out: These characters are plainly 'playing' themselves, and scenes such as the igloo-building manifest a sage grace and skill. Read more

Variety Staff, Variety: Despite the comparatively primitive technique and the natural difficulties of shooting a film in the frozen Hudson Bay wastelands, every minute of Nanook lives up to its reputation. Read more