Over eighty years ago Robert Flaherty was living among the Eskimos and recording basic "home movies" about them, only realizing upon his return to "civilization" that the subject matter could make a fascinating film. Without experience or professional equipment, that first film was too amateurish for public viewing; besides, the film stock caught fire and was lost. However, it inspired Flaherty to return to the northern climes of the Hudson Bay with professional equipment to record a year in the life of an Inuit family. After all, he knew the people and their ways, and was convinced that he could persuade one of his Inuit friends to serve as "movie stars." For a people who had few material wants and lived in such extremes, they were the happiest people Flaherty had ever encountered. This idea evolved into the 1922 classic Nanook of the North, which continues to stand up well and is now definitively preserved for home viewing with the Criterion Collection treatment.

Simple joy with daily life shines clearly with Nanook and his family: his two wives Cunayou and Nyla (the smiling one) and his two children (Alle and Allegoo). Although some of the action is obviously staged, the early background narration informing us that Nanook would starve to death a year later when hunting inland for deer, adds to the urgency of their daily habits. The harshness of the climate doesn't allow for many leisure activities—you just don't head to the supermarket, nor do you have the luxury of practicing vegetarianism in the frozen northland. The diet consists of fish and meat, and survival requires expert hunting and fishing skills.

Nanook is a true master, and one of the more fascinating sequences shows the great fisherman navigate the treacherous ice flows, find a suitable fishing spot, dangle an ivory lure, use his three pronged spear to retrieve salmon, and bite the fish heads to kill them. Also enjoyable is the seal hunt, which basically requires patient waiting over an air hole. No need to fear the gruesome images you've seen with brutal beatings of those cute little seal pups—Nanook hunts the big guys strictly for survival. A good-sized seal can feed the family for a few days, and give Nanook a chance to play with the kids.

The real bonanza comes when landing a walrus, however. These two-ton "Tigers of the North" are not to be messed with in the water, but are relatively helpless on land and ice. Still, hunting walrus requires a team effort, and Flaherty captures a successful hunt, complete with the difficult retrieval from the sea's undertow and the immediate hacking at the walrus meat to satisfy the hungry hunters.

Modern audiences can gain a great deal of insight into the Inuit character and culture through the magnificent The Fast Runner; however, the focus of that three hour epic remains on the fictional story rich with Shakespearian betrayals and plot twists. Anyone who has seen that film will want to check out Nanook of the North, historically significant as the first true documentary. Flaherty effectively shares traditional Inuit culture in his educational 79-minute film that has no dead spots.

Most will cite the great hunting and fishing sequences and igloo construction. Small details bring equal pleasure, though. One that left my mouth open was an early sequence of Nanook kayaking into shore and disembarking. After he gets out, his two wives and children emerge from the hole like magic. But it's no tricks with this documentary, despite a few obvious poses for the camera. Thankfully, Flaherty gives us an intimate peek into Inuit culture, allowing insights into a truly happy people without requiring that we freeze our asses off firsthand. As amazing as the hunting and fishing sequences are, just as mind boggling is the camerawork that also required nimble navigation under extreme conditions.

Perhaps we've grown more sophisticated with the widespread use of television to grant immediate cultural awareness wherever National Geographic or CNN can venture, resulting in more docu-dramas like The Fast Runner and Himalaya that package cultural awareness as an aside. It's good to know that an old traditional documentary like Nanook of the North can still provide pleasures, and give a feeling of authenticity.