Apparently, Flaherty's working method was to shoot a lot of footage, then piece together a scenario back in the cutting room. That clearly has to be an oversimplification. Regardless, he did a remarkable job of showing the daily drama in the lives of these people -- ordinary within their own society, and impervious to cold by the standards of ours -- and treating them with great warmth and humour.

Nanook is really quite a dashing and self-effacing hero.

Flaherty subsequently had trouble finding backing, and in any collaboration with another director, his influence is said to be the lesser of the two. Did he ever recapture quite this quality of mood? Perhaps he came closest with the delightful Sabu, in "Elephant Boy" (1937), collaborating with Zoltan Korda on that occasion.

Some people believe he did in "Man of Aran" (1934). At the moment, I remain unconvinced, although I have not had the opportunity to see that one projected on a proper screen.

If "Nanook" does not come to life for you at home, it will in a theatrical setting.

• Rated #6 in 2002 by International Documentary Assn. on its list of Top 20 Documentaries of all time.
• All of the scenes are staged. The woman who plays Nanook's wife was not his actual wife.
• Allariallak/Nanook died of starvation in 1922, months after the film was completed.