In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

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).

This movie presents an intriguing picture of two widely dissimilar cultures coming together. The Eskimos are simple and innocent, but ideally suited and armed with the knowledge to survive one of the harshest places that people inhabit. One my favorite moments occurs when the officer says he can subdue the main character by himself, to which the main character replies, "You are that strong?", showing the absence of boastfulness in the Eskimo culture, which stems from the cooperative nature necessary to survival. The stark and uncluttered settings give space to concentrate on the dialog. Definitely worth watching

I haven't seen this film for years.......but would love to again. I remember this film as an accurate description of Inuit culture and mores of the time. It is an educational journey into innocent tundra social structure (if any) intermingling occasionally with modern (at the time) Western culture. Anthony Quinn was brilliant in this role...and probably created for it. And..., oh my God,....that was Peter O'Toole in his very first role??? No wonder I loved him afterwards......even being dubbed (why??) he showed sensitivity in dealing with both the savage(?)Inuit lifestyle, the current legal structure of Western society of the day, and his own personal feelings in the interactions with these primitive peoples. Hey! Where else can a man offer gourmet larvae to his esteemed guests, then offer his wife for any man to "laugh" with, and then take his mother-in-law miles away with a dogsled to go die on the ice with her approval?? Way to go!!

I cant remember which year I saw this film but it was a very long time ago. It did however make quite an impression on me, i enjoyed the glimpse into the lives and traditions of the Eskimo's. and certain events have stayed in my mind all this time. For instance when the aged decided the time was right, they would just sit out on the ice one night, never to be seen again. Awesome. But it was such a long time ago I was thinking i must have imagined it for i have never heard of it since. The title stayed in my head though. Then i decided to look it up on the internet and am very glad to know that I wasn't alone in my regard.