Eskimo

Director: W.S. Van Dyke

1933 / 117min / 16mm

“Filmed on location in then-Alaskan Territory, Eskimo follows the life of Mala (Iñupiaq actor Ray Mala) and the everyday life of his community. After the death of one of his wives at the hands of corrupt fur traders, Mala enacts revenge and is forced to go on the run. Although a box office disappointment, Van Dyke’s motion picture received the first Oscar for Best Film Editing, and was also the first feature filmed in an Indigenous language, offering viewers today a unique look at early sound-era cinema’s experimentation with subtitles.”—Series curator Adam Piron

16mm print courtesy of the George Eastman Museum, gift of Warner Bros.

Introduction from series curator, Adam Piron, on Saturday, September 23rd at 4:30pm

Part of Save the Man: Pre-Code Hollywood's Native America