the savage innocents

one worthless woman has just finished watching this wonderful film, alongside her redundant mother and would like to share the manner in which they were mesmerized. *the savage innocents* tells the story of Inuit life in a tranquill and non-dramatizing style. someone feels lucky to be able to take a glimpse into an igloo filled with bear fur, old meat with worms-their finest food-and laughter. 

nevertheless, this 1960 film, would raise a lot of eyebrows of the *politically correct* dogmatised. starting with the role of women, who are considered by both men and themselves as worthless, save a few minor tasks they can perform, among which laughing with the husband (yes, that is Eskimo's cute way of saying 'sex') and mending his socks. moreover, you have the brutal treatment of animals: just as mom and i were softening at the sight of baby seals, the lead character played by Anthony Quinn, drives a spear through its bubbly head. we turn to each other, thinking .....true, an Arctic man's gotta live.....

another point of moral collision springs from the understanding of customs. when Inuk wants to offer a man who entered his igloo (white man christian missionary) the greatest favour of laughing with his young wife, the man starts shouting about the evilness of the deed, and offends both. the eskimo tries to shake his own sense into him and cracks the man's head against the igloo. quite pardonable. symbolical punishment of an unwanted invasion, but not the same as wild dogs or polar bears would punish an intruder on their territory. murder is taboo for Inuits and a murdered cannot enter another man's igloo again. Inuk wants to prove to white men, decided to judge and punish him, that the death was an accident and his soul is not murderous. however, that cannot be done, white men, as well as Inuits in white man's clothes cannot understand this custom and would chastise it.

for the eskimo, life is pain and only death is painless. the old (needless to say worthless) mother-in-law travelling with the hunter's family decides to lessen their burden by staying behind to meet her end. she sits on a skin and awaits serenely for a bear to come and eat her, afterwards be hunted, and thus return to her family as food.

the film also envisaged a dangerous form of ignorance, through the young couple's dilemma of whether they should kill their newborn because it lacks teeth and would lead a suffering life in their absence. on the other hand, the Eskimo is wise enough to appease the gods of wind and snow to his advantage, let go of life when it clearly dissapeared from the body, but use whatever at hand to preserve it. most beautiful is how they know to let go of people, a woman is not a man's property (maybe because she is worthless?), and men are of equal value if they are good hunters and have all their teeth. the role of each precedes their individual features, and falling inlove is a mere acknowledgement of the fact that one can fulfill such a role.

 iceberg hearts rubbing their noses together.