Loading...

«Nanook of the North» From 1922 to Today

The Famous Arctic Documentary and Its Afterlife

by Roswitha Skare (Author)
©2016 Monographs 160 Pages

Summary

Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North is one of the best-known documentaries of the silent era and has remained well-known throughout the world ever since its release in 1922. This study takes as its point of departure the changes Nanook underwent from its premiere at the New York Capitol on June 11, 1922, to the sound version of 1947, the film’s restoration in the 1970s, and later editions on different platforms. Accordingly, the book focuses on the different versions and editions of the film and the significant ways in which the different elements surrounding the film influence our perception.

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • About the Author
  • About the Book
  • This eBook can be cited
  • Table of Contents
  • List of Illustrations
  • Acknowledgments
  • 1. Introduction
  • 1.1 Genette’s concept of the Paratext
  • 1.2 Nanook of the North (USA, 1922/1947/1976/1998)
  • 1.3 The search for the original
  • 2. Ready for Triumph? – Nanook’s Path to Broadway
  • 2.1 “First I was an explorer; then I was an artist.”
  • 2.2 Previewings of Nanook
  • 2.3 Promotional material
  • 3. “Our True Intent Is All for Your Delight” – Nanook’s Premiere at the Capitol Theatre
  • 3.1 Nanook as part of a larger unit
  • 3.2 Opening sequence, film music and intertitles
  • 4. Nanook’s Journey Across the Country
  • 5. From the Silent Film to the Sound Version
  • 5.1 Narration and intertitles
  • 5.2 Film music
  • 5.3 Promotional material
  • 6. Nanook Restored: The Original Director’s Cut?
  • 6.1 The 1976 version
  • 6.2 The 1998 version
  • 7. The many Nanooks of the North
  • 8. Bibliography
  • Appendix
  • The intertitles of the silent film (1998 version)
  • Transcription of the narration by Ralph Schoolman

List of Illustrations

1.    “The Leader of Nanook’s Team”, full-page advertisements of Nanook of the North in Moving Picture World (June 10, 1922)

2    “Mrs. Nanook and the Snow Baby”, full-page advertisements of Nanook of the North in Moving Picture World (June 10, 1922)

3    “The Start of the Battle with the Fighting Bull Walrus”, full-page advertisements of Nanook of the North in Moving Picture World (June 10, 1922)

4    Front Page of Pathé Sun (April 15, 1922). Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

5    Front Page of Photoplay Sidelights (Number 276–277). Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

6    “ ‘Nanook of the North’ A Story of Life and Love in the Arctic”, front page, published by Pathé Exchange, Inc. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

7    “Every New York Newspaper Acclaims ‘Nanook of the North’ ”, back page, published by Pathé Exchange, Inc. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

8    Cover Page of the Campaign Book for Exhibitors. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

9    Capitol Theatre, New York City, program of January 5, 1921. Source: http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com/new_york_capitol_jan02_1921.htm, accessed October 15, 2015

10    Capitol Theatre, New York City, program of June 11, 1922. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty← 7 | 8 →

11    Capitol Theatre, New York City, program of June 11, 1922, back cover. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

12    Capitol Theatre, New York City, program of June 11, 1922, page 1. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

13    Capitol Theatre, New York City, program of June 11, 1922, page 2. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

14    Capitol Theatre, New York City, program of June 11, 1922, page 3. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

15    Capitol Theatre, New York City, program of June 11, 1922, page 4. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

16    Pathé Exchange, Inc. announces the world’s premiere of Nanook of the North. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

17    Screen shot from Nanook of the North, 1922. Frame 1 of the opening sequence

18    Screen shot from Nanook of the North, 1922. Frame 2 of the opening sequence

19    Invitation to an Exhibition of Motion Pictures taken by Mr. Robert J. Flaherty, September 6, 1919. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

20    Announcement of an illustrated lecture given by Mr. Robert J. Flaherty, Colonial Theatre, New Canaan Advertiser, January 1, 1920. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty

21    Announcement of Nanook’s screening at the Capitol Theatre. Source: Scrapbooks on the Capitol Theatre at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

22    Thematic Music Cue Sheet, Cover page, compiled by James C. Bradford. Source: Robert Flaherty Papers Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University in the City of New York. © The Flaherty← 8 | 9 →

Details

Pages
160
Year
2016
ISBN (PDF)
9783653068429
ISBN (ePUB)
9783653958461
ISBN (MOBI)
9783653957952
ISBN (Softcover)
9783631674772
DOI
10.3726/978-3-653-06842-9
Language
English
Publication date
2016 (April)
Keywords
Paratext Documentary Robert J. Flaherty Film history
Published
Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien, 2016. 160 pp., 46 b/w ill.

Biographical notes

Roswitha Skare (Author)

Roswitha Skare is Professor of Documentation Studies at UiT – The Arctic University of Norway. Her research interests include documentation theory, the impact of paratexts on literature and film, as well as the performance practices of silent films.

Previous

Title: «Nanook of the North» From 1922 to Today
book preview page numper 1
book preview page numper 2
book preview page numper 3
book preview page numper 4
book preview page numper 5
book preview page numper 6
book preview page numper 7
book preview page numper 8
book preview page numper 9
book preview page numper 10
book preview page numper 11
book preview page numper 12
book preview page numper 13
book preview page numper 14
book preview page numper 15
book preview page numper 16
book preview page numper 17
book preview page numper 18
book preview page numper 19
book preview page numper 20
book preview page numper 21
book preview page numper 22
book preview page numper 23
book preview page numper 24
book preview page numper 25
book preview page numper 26
book preview page numper 27
book preview page numper 28
book preview page numper 29
book preview page numper 30
book preview page numper 31
book preview page numper 32
162 pages