Oct
15
Controversial, deplored and debated, praised and prized, Robert Flaherty’s 1922 profile of an Inuit man is a favorite movie in anthropology and film classes alike. But how real is this “documentary”? What are some of the ethical dilemmias inherent in the documentary process? How does the ethnographic lens distort our perceptions of indigineous cultures? Watch Nanook of the North and you decide.
Sep
17
As the semester gets underway, thoughts turn to films that are perpetual winners, thosecinematic treasures that hold up through the decades –and now even centuries! Such movies are simply never not not going to be used in film classes. One of those gems is Buster Keaton’s The General. “Death-defying” is such a cliche but ’tis an accurate description for the wild stunts Keaton fearlessly performs on a moving train. Kids, watch them all at Krasker …but don’t try them at home!
That's not CGI folks! Keaton in The General.