Watch The Savage Innocents For Free

One of my all time favorites.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Fascinating and amazing study in cultural clashes at their most basic level, in the face of the hard survival in an impossible world of practically only adversities and death - the first scene of the bear hunt sets the mood. The bears play a significant part of the drama, although their performance is minimal. The dialogue is absolutely ingenious in all its extreme primitivism - the characters have found themselves very well in this totally alien mentality of thinking in terms of extreme basics. The death scene of the old woman is one of the highlights in its wise philosophy beyond this world and so practical at the same time - this reminds you of some of the burial practices in old Japan; but the whole film is most akin of all to Robert J. Flaherty's epoch-making "Nanook of the North" of 1922 - Nicholas Ray must have studied this historical documentary in its minutest details to be able to make a modern version of it - the character of the film is more documentary than of a feature film. Of course, you can't help worrying all the time about something terrible to happen to these very simple people, and of course it does, but the only terrible scene is actually their visit to the white man's trade station. Asiak's horrible misgivings about the place are perfectly understandable and sound, her instinct is throughout the film wiser than anything else, and her worst forebodings come true with a vengeance. The most pitiable person in the drama is the poor missionary who is most misguided of all, and the first trooper, who makes everything go wrong. It's quite sensational to see Peter O'Toole in this mess before he was known at all. He and Anthony Quinn would soon play against each other again in "Lawrence of Arabia". This is an amazingly wonderful and fascinating film in every aspect, unique in its kind, and the very appropriate Italian music adds to it, with intoxicating Greenland sceneries and a fabulous exposure of primitive psychology at its most natural and basic state of fortunately incurable innocence.

After an early body of work filled with noirish thrillers, director Nicholas Ray seemed to have a change of interest in the latter stages of his career. He became much more fascinated with making movies set in diverse locations, and exploring the cultural and ecological issues that the people from these places experienced. Movies like Bitter Victory, Wind Across The Everglades, The Savage Innocents and 55 Days At Peking belong in this late section of Ray's oeuvre. No film illustrates his enthusiasm for cultural diversity more than The Savage Innocents, a powerful, intelligent and informative film about Eskimo existence. The film ran into some censorship difficulties back in its day, mainly for depicting the Eskimo lifestyle with unflinching accuracy. The white characters in the film are often repulsed and appalled by certain Eskimo customs, and it seems that the very same customs had a similar effect on the censors.Inuk (Anthony Quinn) is a strong, handsome Eskimo who has spent much of his life waiting for the right woman to take as his wife. Since men far outnumber women in their society, it is viewed as a sign of hospitality if a man with a wife shares her with a man without one for sexual practises. Inuk is tired of "borrowing" women from his friends and is determined to find a suitable wife, which he eventually does when he chooses the attractive and hard-working Asiak (Yoko Tani) over her equally desirable sister Imina (Kaida Horiuchi). Inuk ekes out a constantly demanding existence by travelling around the frozen wastelands searching for food for his wife and her mother Powtee (Marie Yang). One day, he learns from another Eskimo that there is a white man's trading post nearby where he might purchase a gun that will make his hunting expeditions easier, safer and more successful. Inuk enthusiastically decides to visit the trading post, but when he arrives there a naïve and idealistic missionary (Marco Guglielmi) tries to talk to him about God and morality and Christianity. Confused, Inuk tries to show generosity by "lending" his wife to the missionary, but the man is appalled at the suggestion and refuses. This in turn insults Inuk, so he kills the missionary and leaves. Later, two Mounted Police officers (Carlos Justini and Peter O'Toole) hunt for Inuk to bring him to justice, barely realising that by his own Eskimo code he has done no wrong. Inuk is viewed as a murderer purely because white man has imposed his own laws upon the land.The conflict of civilised values is at the film's core. Some pretty gruesome things happen during The Savage Innocents, but within the context of the film they are not really gruesome at all. In perhaps the most memorable and powerful scene of all, O'Toole looks destined to lose his hands to frostbite. But Quinn kills one of his own dogs, cuts open its belly, and saves O'Toole's hands by shoving them inside and warming them on the dead dog's innards. The scene shows, in cold but authentic detail, how an Eskimo might survive against the elements by doing what a white man would consider uncivilised. The first three quarters of the film unfold in a fascinating, almost documentary-like manner. The final section becomes slightly more conventional, dealing with the Mountie's pursuit of Inuk. Having said that, there's still a fascinating irony in the way that the Eskimo cannot understand why they want him so badly, while they look upon him with the utmost contempt as a savage killer. At times slow and symbolic, at others powerful and enthralling, The Savage Innocents is definitely a film that deserves a look (especially in its uncensored form which is now widely available on DVD).

Once again, cruelty to animals is exploited in this film when our hero, played by Anthony Quinn, after driving his sled dogs across the cold plains, decides to cut them open, alive, to keep warm. What a horrible scene that was. The screaming of the animals as they one by one were cut open so the likes of our hero can save his own skin by sticking his hands into their warm blood. Ugh!It made me sick! I saw no entertainment in this sort of film and turned the thing off. I wish the public would stop paying admission for films like this. It only encourages other producers to follow suit. A definite downer to watch. Glad it was on television so I could change channels.

I have to say that this is one of mine and my husbands favorite movies. My husband recorded it on VHS in the early 80's and that copy is now caputz. I was able to get a copy off of ebay and then converted it over to DVD. We watch is all the time.It is a fantastic example of what we could be. The Inuit of the Alaskan Region are always pictured with huge smiles. Especially those who remain nomadic. Perhaps the joy of waking each morning is enough to make them happy.Yoko Tani and Anthony Quinn are fantastic in their portrayals. I love that this movie reminds me of the very first documentary titled Nanook of the North. I love it love it love it.