The Alphabet Project: N is for...

Nanook Of The North (1922)

Documents one year in the life of Nanook (Nanook), an Eskimo (Inuit) and his family. Describes the trading, hunting, fishing and migrations of a group barely touched by industrial technology. Nanook of the North was widely shown and praised as the first full-length, anthropological documentary in cinematographic history. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: Rated #6 in 2002 by International Documentary Assn. on its list of Top 20 Documentaries of all time. All of the scenes are staged. The woman who plays Nanook's wife was not his actual wife. Nanook died of starvation in 1922, months after the film was completed.

This was actually pretty amazing to watch. It might have been staged but I believe that is only because of having to set up the camera to capture it. One of the cool parts was when Nanook built an igloo, they said it took him around an hour, he even cut out a large section of clear ice to make a window. There was also a scene where Nanook and his family go to a trading post in a kayak. Nanook paddled, his son sat on the his wife (the smiling one) was inside in the front, his other wife was inside in the back with a child and a dog, it was like an Eskimo clown car.

Next Up: "O" This weeks clue: One of the Bard's best tragedies. Now for last week's guesses:

The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad - Incompetent cop Frank Drebbin has to foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

A Nightmare on Elm Street - In the dreams of his victims, a spectral child murderer stalks the children of the members of the lynch mob that killed him.

Nowhere to Run - Escaped convict Sam Gillen single handedly takes on ruthless developers determined to evict Clydie - a widow with two young children.

The Naked Civil Servant - The life and times of Quentin Crisp, an outrageous and flamboyant homosexual, coming of age and growing into old age in conservative England.

No Sex Please: We're British - Porn store owner Pete orders some new stuff from his supplier Niko but Niko mixes up the address with the address of the local Barclays Bank. (Holy Cow, this is a real movie!?)

Naked Lunch - After developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally murders his wife and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in an Islamic port town in Africa.

The Night Listener - In the midst of his crumbling relationship, a radio show host begins speaking to his biggest fan, a young boy, via the telephone. But when questions about the boy's identity come up, the host's life is thrown into chaos.

North by Northwest - A hapless New York advertising executive is mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and is pursued across the country while he looks for a way to survive.

North Country - A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States -- Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.

North to Alaska - Sam (John Wayne) and George (Stewart Granger) strike gold in Alaska. George sends Sam to Seattle to bring George's fiance back to Alaska.

Nothing to Lose - Nick Beam's life couldn't get any worse. He discovers he has been living a lie and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Ned Kelly - This film is based on "Our Sunshine" by Robert Drew, a novel based on the life of Australian bushranger and icon.

North and South - Two friends, one northern and one southern, struggle to maintain their friendship as events build towards the American Civil War.