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Robert Flaherty (1884-1951)



I was an explorer first and a motion picture maker
a long way after.


Filmography

Nanook of the North (1922) Criterion / Editions Montparnasse (R2 FR)*

The Potterymaker (short, 1925)

Moana (1926)

The Twenty-Four-Dollar Island (short, 1927)

White Shadows in the South Seas (directed by W.S. Van Dyke with some scenes by Flaherty, 1928)

Tabu (directed by F.W. Murnau with some scenes by Flaherty, 1931) Milestone (R1) / Masters of Cinema (R2 UK)

Industrial Britain (1933)

The Glassmakers of England (short, 1933)

The English Potter (short, 1933)

Art of the English Craftsman (short, 1933)

Man of Aran (1934) HVE (R1) / Editions Montparnasse (R2 FR)*

Elephant Boy (1937) Network (R2 UK)

The Land (1942) Editions Montparnasse (R2 FR)*

Louisiana Story (1948) HVE (R1) / Editions Montparnasse (R2 FR)*

The Titan: Story of Michelangelo (1950)


* Coffret Robert Flaherty (Editions Montparnasse, R2 FR)


DVD

Louisiana Story (HVE)

Nanook of the North (Criterion)

Robert Flaherty Boxset (MoC)

66 Tabu - A Story of the South Seas


Recommended Web Resources

Cinemaweb -- a very nice selection of essays by Flaherty on the making of his films, and an appreciation written by Dennis Doros

Film Reference

Images Journal -- Review of Home Vision's DVD releases of Man of Aran and Louisiana Story by Derek Hill

Not Coming -- Review of Louisiana Story (July, 2004)

The Robert Flaherty Film Seminar

Robert J. Flaherty - A Biography by Paul Rotha -- Paul Rotha's biography of Flaherty available in its entirety online

Senses of Cinema -- Profile of Robert Flaherty written by Deane Williams

Screenonline -- Career overview by Annette Kuhn

Shooting Down Pictures -- Extensive blog entry on Louisiana Story by Kevin Lee (May, 2007)

With Tabu released in a sumptuous edition by Masters of Cinema, I thought it was time to go back and revisit this thread. Aside from the short films, Moana is now the only major work not available on DVD. Has anyone ever seen this film, and can comment on it and its place in Flaherty's body of work?

Amongst other links added to the profile above is a very nice collection of essays by and on Robert Flaherty at Cinemaweb, as well as Paul Rotha's entire biography on Flaherty, which is available online.

Industrial Britain is the first film on the BFI's Land of Promise documentary collection.

(It can also be watched in full on BFI Screenonline, but only in UK-based educational establishments and public libraries. Clips from Man of Aran and Elephant Boy are also available, as is a biography)

As for Moana it probably most closely resembles Tabu at least in terms of Flaherty's work. It was part of a series of films made at the time that showed "exotic" tropical paradises but doesn't really say much new. Unfortunately I haven't watched it for about a year and didn't take very good notes when I did so I can't provide further details. A rather low grade VHS does exist however if you're desperate to see it.

wpqx wrote:As for Moana it probably most closely resembles Tabu at least in terms of Flaherty's work. It was part of a series of films made at the time that showed "exotic" tropical paradises but doesn't really say much new. Unfortunately I haven't watched it for about a year and didn't take very good notes when I did so I can't provide further details. A rather low grade VHS does exist however if you're desperate to see it.

I saw it very recently, it is a good film, but maybe it lacks the harshness of NANOOK or MAN OF ARAN. On the other hand it surely isn't Murnau's poetic vision of TABU, so it comes off as slightly unmemorable though there are some very remarkable moments as seeing a boy climbing up a single standing palm tree, the camera moves up a bit, the boy climbs on, the camera moves up ... and so it goes until it's frightening and astonishing to see how high the boy goes.

There's a shot like that in Tabu, too. When the boat arrives to announce the taking of Reri.

The palm tree scene was definitely what stuck with me the longest, but this probably has more to do with a pathologic fear of heights, no thanks for that I don't even like coconuts.

I think 1928's White Shadows in the South Seas should be listed. I know directorial credit is given the W.S. Van Dyke, but Robert Flaherty is listed as having directed some scenes.

I'm not sure how involved he was, but stylistically it looks very much like a Flaherty film, and works as a companion piece of sorts with Tabu as a piece of narrative-documentary fiction set in the South Pacific.

I've always understood that Flaherty left the production of White Shadows before any significant filming took place. Of course, since we're listing Tabu, which basically has the same production history, perhaps we ought to list it as well -- although we really ought to asterisk both entries if we do. Both films in their finished form have virtually no footage of Flaherty's, and anyway, doesn't Tabu merely give Flaherty writing and production credit?

I wouldn't pin White Shadows's authorship on its style, though. Van Dyke was an extremely gifted documentary filmmaker himself, and he was primarily known in his lifetime for his efficiency at on-location filmmaking. Certainly, he was heavily influenced by Flaherty. But White Shadows's style is very similar to Van Dyke's 1933 film Eskimo, which has no connection to Flaherty (apart from the obvious influence of Nanook.)

Ok, I wasn't aware of Flaherty's minimal involvement. Just watching the film and seeing Flaherty's name attached, I assumed his influence was substantial. Even without Flaherty, it's still a darn good film, that's virtually unknown. Heck the only version I could find had spanish intertitles.

Thanks for the info on Van Dyke, I seen a few of his films, but didn't know of his documentarial bent. I've just thought of him as "one-take Woody". Eskimo sounds interesting, is it any good?

myrnaloyisdope wrote:Eskimo sounds interesting, is it any good?

It's not bad, and since you liked White Shadows, there's a very good chance you'll like Eskimo, too. It also deals with the corruption of a "primitive" people by white colonialism. In fact, Van Dyke made a group of films along this same line, of which my favorite is probably The Pagan even though it's the least documentary-like. The last one was probably Laughing Boy, and it is easily the worst -- possibly Van Dyke's worst. After that, he seemed to work primarily at the studio itself.

I can definitely see an influence in White Shadows, but I'm also under the impression Flaherty's involvement was negligible at best.

UK band British Sea Power have revealed that they are planning to record a soundtrack to Robert Flaherty's 1934 film 'Man Of Aran'. Flaherty's estate are also hoping to release a DVD of the film along with their soundtrack.

Live performance of soundtrack on youtube in three parts.

broadwayrock wrote:UK band British Sea Power have revealed that they are planning to record a soundtrack to Robert Flaherty's 1934 film 'Man Of Aran'. Flaherty's estate are also hoping to release a DVD of the film along with their soundtrack.

Live performance of soundtrack on youtube in three parts.

CD/DVD combo of the British Sea Power album is out now. Anyone picked this up yet and care to comment on the presentation of 'Man of Aran'?

Not many posts related to Flaherty for now...
I just wanted to mention (sorry if that's already been done seomewhere else) that, much to my surprise, when doing a routine check-up of the movies my collection painfully misses, I found Moana on sale for $22 on Amazon - I had to buy it there rather than on the publisher's site, myriahsbazaar.com ("Myriah's Polynesian Bazaar", no less !), that charges out of this world prices for shipping abroad (I'm in France).
OK, they fully admit it's a DVD-R, unrestored, and you can clearly see the VHS lines before the film begins, but hey, call it much better than nothing : image is acceptable, frame is a bit jumpy but apparently not tampered with, and getting the only missing Flaherty film (reminder : The 24 dollar island is on the "Unseen Cinema : Picturing a Metropolis" disc) is a joy whatever the details...

The brand new restoration of Moana is playing as part of the New York Film Festival's Revival Series. They still have tickets (just $10 for members, $15 for the public), but it's showing in one of their smaller theaters, so get them quick! It screens this Tuesday, Sep. 30 at 6:15pm. It will also be screening with a long-lost Flaherty short, A Night of Storytelling / Oidhche Sheanchais, that was only recently discovered in the Harvard Film Archive.

I think this may be the U.S. premiere - the restoration premiered in Moscow over the summer, and you can read about it (and this unique restoration) at IndieWire.

I didn't realize Louisiana Story had a DVD released from HVE. FWIW, MoMA is currently running When the World Broke Open: (Hurricane) Katrina and Its Afterlives, and one of the films in the program was Louisiana Story, which had its second and final screening this afternoon. GORGEOUS 35mm print, virtually in pristine condition (with minimal blemishes even on the reel ends) and the closing restoration credits make it clear this is the 1998 restoration, so unless they struck the print fairly recently, they've done a fantastic job of preserving it. It's possible it's the museum's own print as the opening restoration card credits three institutions for the restoration: the Library of Congress, the UCLA Film Archive, and MoMA. Some details that are much easier to see compared to old video transfers: the oil on the surface of the water in one of the shots where the boy rides his boat towards the derrick, and a cloud of some unknown substance that accentuates the force of a heavy chain wrapping itself around a metal rod (startling given the absence of any visible protection or safeguards for the boy or people working around it). I don't think the film gets screened very often even here in NYC, but I hope more people get to see it soon.

Really disappointed by Moana, which is by far the weakest of the four Flaherty features. I guess two years wasn’t enough time to focus on anything interesting? Can’t believe this movie climaxes with the exciting manhood ritual… which is just the guy getting a large tattoo. Not quite the spectacle offered by Nanook or Aran is it? I did find it amusing that between this and Man of Aran, he really trusted these kids to not kill themselves on camera as they climb great heights unaided!

Flaherty Feature Power Ranking:
Louisiana Story
Nanook of the North
Man of Aran
Moana