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Robert Flaherty

Robert Flaherty

Robert Joseph Flaherty, FRGS (/ˈflæ.ərti, ˈflɑː-/; February 16, 1884 – July 23, 1951) was an American filmmaker who directed and produced the first commercially successful feature-length documentary film, Nanook of the North (1922). The film made his reputation and nothing in his later life fully equaled its success, although he continued the development of this new genre of narrative documentary with Moana (1926), set in the South Seas, and Man of Aran (1934), filmed in Ireland's Aran Islands. Flaherty is considered the "father" of both the documentary and the ethnographic film.

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Movies Made By Robert Flaherty (14)

A Letter to Freddy Buache (1983)

This short film is Godard's message to the people of Lausanne, specifically journalist and critic Freddy Buache, addressing his reasons why he will not make a film about their town's 500th anniversary. Rather than cynical or defensive, Godard's bemused nar ...

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The Titan: Story of Michelangelo (1950)

The life and works of the great artist Michelangelo Buonarroti are shown against the historical background of his time. Comprises his earliest artworks, and follows his life and career as he achieves lasting fame, and includes detailed looks at some of the ...

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Guernica (1949)

Put together from the pictorial space in the artwork. Flaherty was commissioned by MoMA and subsequently filmed Guernica, disregarding any external reference to the painting. ...

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Louisiana Story (1948)

Cajun boy Alexander Napoleon Ulysses LaTour lives with his family and his beloved pet raccoon in the Louisiana bayou. When his father allows an oil barge to drill on their land, the boy questions the process and its safety. ...

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Why We Fight: The Battle of Russia (1943)

The fifth film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, revealing the nature and process of the fight between the Soviet Union and Germany in the Second World War. ...

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Why We Fight: The Nazis Strike (1943)

The second film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series. It introduces Germany as a nation whose aggressive ambitions began in 1863 with Otto von Bismarck and the Nazis as its latest incarnation. ...

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Why We Fight: Prelude to War (1942)

Prelude to War was the first film of Frank Capra's Why We Fight propaganda film series, commissioned by the Pentagon and George C. Marshall. It was made to convince American troops of the necessity of combating the Axis Powers during World War II. This fil ...

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The Land (1942)

The least typical, least known, and most controversial of director Flaherty's films depicts a vast and vague territory across the southern and midwestern United States. Here, in the period between the Depression's end and the beginning of World War II, aba ...

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Elephant Boy (1937)

In India, Toomai, a young mahout, helps lead the British on a large expedition to round up wild elephants. ...

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A Night of Storytelling (1935)

A well known storyteller, Tomas O' Diorain tells tales of the sea around a fire in an old Irish cottage. His storytelling is juxtaposed with images of the sea. This film, thought lost was rediscovered by Houghton Library curators during a cataloging updat ...

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Man of Aran (1934)

A documentary on the life of the people of the Aran Islands, who were believed to contain the essence of the ancient Irish life, represented by a pure uncorrupted peasant existence centred around the struggle between man and his hostile but magnificent su ...

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The English Potter (1933)

A short, silent documentary by Robert J. Flaherty about pottery in England. ...

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Industrial Britain (1931)

Developed from John Grierson's opportunistic recruitment of the well-known director and anthropologist Robert Flaherty, Industrial Britain provides a traditional picture of Britain as is interrupted by industrial stacks billowing smoke. A dramatic illustra ...

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Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)

On the South Pacific island of Bora Bora, a young couple's love is threatened when the tribal chief declares the girl a sacred virgin. ...

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Movies Starring Robert Flaherty (3)

Monica in the South Seas (2023)

Finnish filmmaker and artist Sami van Ingen is a great-grandson of documentary pioneer Robert Flaherty, and seemingly the sole member of the family with a hands-on interest in continuing the directing legacy. Among the materials he found in the estate of R ...

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A Boatload of Wild Irishmen (2010)

Robert Flaherty is credited with being the father of the modern documentary after making "Nanook of the North" and classics such as "Man of Aran" and "Louisiana Story", but he is also criticized for engaging in distortion and stereotyping. ...

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The Land (1942)

The least typical, least known, and most controversial of director Flaherty's films depicts a vast and vague territory across the southern and midwestern United States. Here, in the period between the Depression's end and the beginning of World War II, aba ...

Watch Now