In 1896, three whalers are stranded in the Arctic North Canada and seek refuge with an Eskimo tribe. Gradually they gain control with the Eskimo village and introduce gambling, booze, theft and their special variation of sex. In the beginning, the Eskimos accept it but slowly the cultural tension starts growing.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072403/
Trailer
I thought the movie was pretty rad but I do feel that Oates was stripped of his greatest asset: his general like-ability. He was still entertaining, but almost wholly unsympathetic, a rarity for a guy whose hero characters are morally depraved criminals and whose villains are loveable goons. I felt that the Oates trademark depth was missing from this role.
ReplyDeleteTimothy Bottoms brought it though, and the film had lots of great details and creatures. Beautiful, fuzzy sled dogs. Polar bear battle. Seals and sea lions getting slain. Grouchy, gruff Oates dialogue. And an incredible Eskimo orgy sequence.
i believe several eskimo orgy sequences...?
ReplyDeleteand that bear fight was sweet. I think its still worth watching for the oates performance. its not as satisfying to not like his character, but he does an amazing acting job as usual. sells the asshole to his fullest. all for the sake of the film of course (if he was likeable the movie would have been to character flat i think). Bottoms is the man though. you really feel for him. recommended!
Yeah, it is in the overall films best interest.
ReplyDeleteThe Orgy sequence I refer to is the one with the masks and face-huffing, the climactic one.
And Walrus hunting too. Sorta Eskimo-sploitation.