Robert Flaherty & American Documentary (1920's) - Essay Example

Robert Flaherty Biography Was born in February 16th and died on 23rd July 1951. Flaherty was an American filmmaker and a director. He produced various films in his life. Despite the challenge of film production Flaherty still managed to produce quality films that attracted many audience. Flaherty was married to Frances Flaherty from 191 4untill he met his death. They were blessed with only one child. The wife helped his husband through film production. They received an Academy award for Louisiana story.

Robert Flaherty Nanook of the North: This is a story about a family that is struggling to survive undergoing very harsh condition such as lack of food, lack of shelter and racial discrimination (Ebert). The book written in 1922 has been produced as a video but its production faces various controversies that are worth noting (Barnouw). According to the Inuit, spears were used in hunting during those times before the influence of the European that led to hunting using guns (Stern). The controversy is that the use of the gun is a European influence.

Another controversy is the staging of the players in the film especially the two females which include Nyla and Cunayou his wife and daughter respectively. The actors are not his real wife and child respectively. Robert Flaherty Personal Life ExperiencesFlaherty as a filmmaker enjoyed both good and rough moments in his life. he was forced to travel all over the US and Europe and other countries while trying to make his films. He also suffered in terms of proper skill in film production that has led to great critics on his Nanook film.

He was ones fired for production of long films. However, his struggle has met several success and to date he is regarded as one of the best filmmakers in the history of US. Amongst some of his works that caught the attention of the Us government is his documentary on US agriculture. Flaherty highlighted the rural life of American, the process of soil erosion, competition between natives and immigrants such as Philippines in terms of agriculture, and rural urban migration not forgetting unemployment and great competition in the agricultural sector in the US.

Robert Flaherty Legacy The film industry respects the works of Flaherty and regards him as the pioneer of documentary filming. Flaherty engaged mostly in fiction and non-fiction filming basing most of his stories from books. Some of his works contained poetry and they include Flaherty Island, Belcher Island, and Hudson Bay. After his death, Flaherty is remembered in an international annual event usually held in New York. However, this legacy is argued to be having no effect on recent generations due to the rampant rise in technology.

Robert Flaherty AwardsRobert Flaherty received three important awards in his life. The first award he received was BAFTA, which was presented to Flaherty for production of one of the best documentaries as per the time. The second award he scooped was the prestigious Oscar Academy award. This was also awarded for production of the Best documentary feature in 1950. The award story is; The Titan-Story of Michelangelo. Flaherty also received an award from Royal Geographical Society in 1913 on his film Fellow.

Works CitedBarnouw, Eri. Documentary:A History of the Non-Fiction Film. Oxford: Oxford University Pres, 1993.Duncan, Dean. "Nanook of the North. Oxford: Oxford University, 2008.Ebert, Roger. ""Nanook of the North (1922." Chicago Sun Times (2005): 1.Elephant Boy. Dir. Robert Flaherty. Perf. Toomai. 1937.Flaherty, Robert J. "How I Filmed "Nanook Of The North": Adventures With The Eskimos To Get Pictures Of Their Home Life And Their Battles With Nature To Get Food. 4 August 2009. 2012 .Man of Aran. Dir. Robert Flaherty. Perf. Colman Tiger King. 1934.McGrath, Melanie.

The Long Exile, A True Story of Deception and Survival Amongst the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic. Oxford: Oxford Publishers, 2006.Moana. Dir. Robert Flaherty. Perf. Faagase Sua-Filo. 1926.Robert J. Christopher, Robert and Frances Flaherty. A Documentary Life, 1883-1922. Montréal and Kingston: McGill-Queens University Press, 2005.Stern, Pamela R. Historical Dictionary of the Inuit . Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2004.White Shadows in the South Seas. Dir. Robert Flaherty. Perf. Monte Blue. 1928.