Eskimo (film)

"Eskimo" (also known as "Mala the Magnificent") (1933) is one of the most prominent movies filmed in Alaska. The film was produced by MGM and received the first Academy Award for Best Film Editing. The film starred Alaska's own Ray Mala.

History

In 1932 an expedition set out from MGM's studios in Hollywood to Alaska to film what was then billed as "The Biggest Picture Ever Made". Upon arriving in Alaska, they set up "Camp Hollywood" in Northwest Alaska where they lived during the duration of the filming. Louis B. Mayer spared no expense in making sure they had everything they needed during their stay - he even sent the famous chef from the Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Blvd (the site of the first Oscars) with them to Alaska to cook for them.

When "Eskimo" premiered at the famed Astor Theatre in Times Square, New York, the studio received the largest amount of feedback in the history of the studio up to that time. "Eskimo" was critically acclaimed and released worldwide; as a result Inupiat Eskimo actor Ray Mala became an international movie star.

Awards

"Eskimo" is significant for the following: winning the very first Oscar for Best Film Editing at the Academy Awards, for forever preserving Inupiat culture on film, and for being the first motion picture to be filmed in an all native language (Inupiat).

References

1. Fienup-Riordan, Ann, Freeze Frame: Alaska Eskimos in the Movies, University of Washington Press

External links

*imdb title|0023990
* [http://www.washington.edu/uwpress/search/books/FIEFRP.html "Freeze Frame" on the University of Washington Website]