FILM HISTORY; ALASKA.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Photographs from the filming of Eskimo. A collection of behind-the-scenes photographs documenting the production of Eskimo (1933). With a mostly Native American cast, it was the first feature film shot entirely on location in Alaska and the first to incorporate the Iñupiat language. Produced over a 17-month period, it captured scenes of hunting and daily life with documentary realism.The photographs include images of the cast and crew, among them the Iñupiaq lead Ray Mala, Lotus Long, Peter Freuchen, and director W. S. Van Dyke, as well as indigenous actors in traditional parkas and mukluks. Also shown are scenes of walrus and moose hunts, extras posed in igloos, animal processing, and film equipment in use.Mala accompanied the Danish Arctic explorer Knud Rasmussen on an expedition from 1921 to 1924, collecting and describing Inuit songs and legends. The following year, Mala commenced his career in Hollywood, where he worked for almost 30 years.Eskimo, later re-released as Mala the Magnificent, was directed by Van Dyke and adapted from Freuchen's writings. Depicting encounters between Inuit communities and Western traders, the film was not a commercial success. Still, it was praised for its realism and awarded the inaugural Academy Award for Best Film Editing.Van Dyke, known as "One Take Woody" for his efficient work, made several other early sound films, including Tarzan the Ape Man (1932), The Thin Man (1934), and San Francisco (1936).

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.