Atanarjuat Essay

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Final Assignment: An Analysis of the Creative Process of Atanarjuat by Zacharius Kunuk with Comparisons to Robert Flaherty’s Nanook of the North

If a person were to watch both Nanook of the North and Atanarjuat in one sitting, the viewer would most likely spot a lot of similarities and differences, even in the way in which the Inuit are personally and habitually portrayed. It is obviously due to the work of the writers and directors, and the differences in how they see their film subjects. If a person were to watch both Nanook of the North and Atanarjuat in one sitting, the viewer would most likely spot a lot of similarities and differences, even in the way in which the Inuit are personally and habitually portrayed. It is obviously due to the work of …show more content…

Directors, actors and producers are all Inuit, most of which grew up in Igloolik so that the film is made by those who know their own culture from its own point of view best. The film Atanarjuat is based on an old Inuit story that has been passed down orally for generations. It is about conflict between members of a close community because of an evil spirit cast upon the by a Shaman. One of two brothers, Atanarjuat, becomes very skilled at hunting and eventually wins the previously betrothed of another brother. This causes hostility and jealousy from the other brother, Amaqjuaq, which leads to Amaqjuaq dead and Atanarjuat running naked into the freezing Arctic challenging his strength and endurance. Kunuk uses images of barren white land to show off the bitter cold, desolation, and hardships Inuit people faced every day. Nanook of the North is often compared to Atanarjuat in that it is also a story-based film about an Inuit family, with a strong male lead set in the barren Canadian North. While similar in ideas, the films take different approaches to the portrayal of the “authentic” pre-colonized

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