New Nanook

So the good joes at Flicker Alley (the ones behind the Chaplin at Keystone boxset, which I own and you should own) are releasing a new version of Nanook of the North. Ever fascinating, ever problematic, Nanook is one of my favourite silent films. This release includes some interesting extras, including a rare Norwegian talkie, The Wedding of Palo, which explores similar themes.

I posted a blog entry about Nanook a little while back. It was based on a live screening I'd attended at TIFF Bell Lightbox, in Toronto. The screening was accompanied by an Inuit throat-singer. Though the presentation wasn't entirely successful, it was certainly a memorable night.

Nanook of the North (1922)

This post is based on a screening of Nanook of the North, with live accompaniment, held at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Bell Lightbox on June 21, 2012. 

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Time keeps moving and with it, the boundary lines for acceptable artistic expression. Take, for example, Nanook of the North: an influential, successful documentary that would not be made today. At least, not the way it was made in 1922.