The Savage Innocents

I am a fan of Anthony Quinn but my expectations were dipped in ice water as I watched him portray "Inuk", a thinly disguised Nanouk ripoff who is a bit daft, treats women as property and hunts cute animals with excessive cruelty (though his killing of a Christian missionary later on makes up for that). Whereas Flaherty's treatment of the Eskimos was quaint, understandably naive but filled with genuine curiosity, The Savage Innocents crosses over into condescension and racism.

Viewed November 8, 2020. A work of pure mise en scene. It makes a strong case for Ray's visual prowess and emotional intensity.

80.50

Deadening, poorly produced drama at least has flashes of attractive cinematography, but meanders repetitively on Quinn's rather dreary lead character, and offers precious little insight into the Eskimos outside of their being 'weird' and 'different', bordering on condescension and racism, as observed by another reviewer. Not even an oddly dubbed O'Toole can bring any spark or excitement to the dull goings-on.

If you enjoy campy goodness, this movie is a whole lot of fun.

The second half, way better than the first, proves that this one should be greater than it already is: a more contundent clash between naive primitive human beings and civilized, destructive civilized human beings. It's funny as hell either way.

Great acting by Quinn. But this movie is kinda slow, following the rhythm of that icy faraway place.