Nanook of the North



A film now synonymous with the documentary form and with Inuit life, Robert Flaherty's filmed record of an Inuit family living in artic Canada set down many of the standards for non-fiction filmmaking while also expanding film's ability to document vanishing, cultures. Though Flaherty's authenticity has since been called into question, its emotional impact and artistic style still resonate.

Unfortunately, the film also perpetuated many stereotypes about the Inuit.

 was added to the National Film Registry in 1989.


 * The Great White North: This film codified the trope.