Robert Flaherty

Nanook of the North

Robert J. Flaherty

Allakariallak, Nyla

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization.

The English Potter

Robert J. Flaherty

A short, silent documentary by Robert J. Flaherty about pottery in England.

The Land

Robert J. Flaherty

Robert J. Flaherty

Documentary showing the poor state that American agriculture had fallen into during the Great Depression.

Man of Aran

Robert J. Flaherty

Colman 'Tiger' King, Maggie Dirrane

A documentary on the life of the people of the Aran Islands, who were believed to contain the essence of the ancient Irish life, represented by a pure uncorrupted peasant existence centred around the struggle between man and his hostile but magnificent surroundings. A blend of documentary and fictional narrative, the film captures the everyday trials of life on Ireland's unforgiving Aran Islands.

Moana

Frances Hubbard Flaherty, Robert J. Flaherty

Ta'avale, Fa'amgase

Robert J. Flaherty's South Seas follow-up to Nanook of the North is a Gauguin idyll moved by "pride of beauty... pride of strength."

Twenty-Four Dollar Island

Robert J. Flaherty

A visual celebration of Manhattan and its waterways on the 300th anniversary of purchase from the local Native Americans.

The Pottery Maker

Robert J. Flaherty

Elizabeth Bacon Custer, Ruth Raffo

A little girl watches the craftsman at work while inter-titles explain the particulars of pottery-making.

Louisiana Story

Robert J. Flaherty

Joseph Boudreaux, Lionel Le Blanc

The idyllic life of a young Cajun boy and his pet raccoon is disrupted when the tranquility of the bayou is broken by an oil well drilling near his home.

Elephant Boy

Zoltan Korda, Robert J. Flaherty

Sabu, W.E. Holloway

In India, Toomai, a young mahout, helps lead the British on a large expedition to round up wild elephants.

Oidhche Sheanchais

Robert J. Flaherty

Seáinín Tom Ó Dioráin, Maggie Dirrane

A well known storyteller, Tomas O' Diorain tells tales of the sea around a fire in an old Irish cottage. His storytelling is juxtaposed with images of the sea. This film, thought lost was rediscovered by Houghton Library curators during a cataloging update in 2013.

Industrial Britain

Robert J. Flaherty

Donald Calthrop

Grierson set out to make "propaganda," and this film--with it's voice-over proclaiming the great value of the British industrial worker, without a hint of ambiguity or doubt--fits that category well. The authoritatarian narrator feels out-of-date and unsophisticated, but the footage is well shot and interesting, and the transparency of the propaganda aspect is almost a reflief at a time when so many films have hidden agendas.

Guernica

Robert J. Flaherty

Put together from the pictorial space in the artwork. Flaherty was commissioned by MoMA and subsequently filmed Guernica, disregarding any external reference to the painting.

The Eskimo

Robert J. Flaherty

Illustrated travel lecture directed by Robert J. Flaherty, composed of film shot during his time with the Inuit in 1914-1915. After enthusiastic reception, the entire film stock was burned in an accident in 1916 leaving this a lost film. Soon after, Flaherty would return to the Inuit to reimagine his project as Nanook of the North (1922).