Nanook of the North (1922)

At times I thought this was filmed in the 1960s. It has an astonishing quality to it - the camerawork delivering quite a pristine image of this man and his family as they spend a year eking out a traditional existence. The terrain is inherently hostile. The weather cares little for him, his wife, his young children or his howling pack of dogs as they must constantly hunt for fish and seals to ensure continued survival. Who knew it only takes an hour to build a igloo? Well these architecturally creative structures provide essential shelter, even if the temperature inside must never exceed freezing - as the winds and snows batter down on them relentlessly. This is a documentary and although the family fairly gleefully engage with film-maker Ronbert J. Flaherty at times, we also have to be prepared for some fairly graphic images of how they capture and consume their prey. Virtually nothing is left to waste: the flesh, the skin and the blubber all proving crucial in getting them through these toughest of winters. The photography goes some way to illustrating just how truly subsistence and perilous their lives can be - and yet they still keep pets! Darkness and cold, winds and snow - but when the sun is up, a more beautiful and thriving landscape it's hard to imagine. Fascinating, in the truest sense of the word, and well worth wrapping up in front of the television for.