The Savage Innocents

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An Eskimo who has had little contact with white men goes to a trading post where he accidentally kills a missionary and finds himself being pursued by the police.An Eskimo who has had little contact with white men goes to a trading post where he accidentally kills a missionary and finds himself being pursued by the police.An Eskimo who has had little contact with white men goes to a trading post where he accidentally kills a missionary and finds himself being pursued by the police.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

2.1K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination

Trivia
It was seeing this film, as an upcoming singer/songwriter, that inspired the young Bob Dylan to write the song "The Mighty Quinn (Quinn the Eskimo)."

Goofs
After giving the bear the baited food, Inuk initially chases it empty handed, then appears with a spear.

Quotes
First Trooper: Inuk. listen. No judge in the world will understand you offering another man your wife.
Inuk: But it is our custom, we must be polite. White men don't borrow other men's wives?
First Trooper: Never mind that. You don't lend your wife as if she were a sled.
Inuk: Oh ho ho, someone would rather lend his wife than his sled. You lend your sled, it comes back cracked. You lend your knife, it comes back dull. You lend your dogs, they come back tired and crawling. But if you love your wife, no matter how often you lend her, she always comes back like new.
Inuk: [embraces Asiak]
Inuk: Man, man, you don't understand?
Inuk: I understand. But the other men live by the book, and there you are a murderer
Inuk: But we must make them understand, otherwise Papik, Asiak and me cannot go into other men's igloos, that is OUR law.
Inuk: We change the book, huh?
[to Asiak as he prepares to go out]
Inuk: You bring the food
[Exits]
First Trooper: [to Asiak] They'll never understand.
Asiak: [as she exits the doorway of igloo] When you come to a strange land, you should bring your wives, and not your laws.

Connections
Referenced in Lightning Over Water (1980)

Soundtracks
Sexy Rock
Written by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino and Mario Panzeri
Performed by Colin Hicks

User reviews34

Review

Featured review

10/10

one of the best

I saw and heard Anthony Quinn in a television interview about his autobiography which had just been published. He said that there were only three films out of the many that he had made in his life that he was truly proud of. The Savage Innocents was one of the three. (Guess what the other two were. Right! Zorba and La Strada.) This estimation puts this movie in with some very select company. And this film deserves it.

It is NOT a documentary. There is a story here, an exciting story, at times edge of your seat--or maybe I should say, a number of stories, all interesting, all moving. The photography, sound, scenery, acting, all were excellent.

What struck me most, out of a long list, was the way the point of view of these Inuit people was gotten across. For instance, the missionary butts his head into the igloo and says, "God be with you." Quinn looks puzzled, glances at his wife and says, "No, there's nobody here but us." When the missionary goes on preaching at them, trying to convert them to the "true" faith, Quinn whispers to his wife, "I think he needs to laugh with a woman. Make yourself beautiful." In other words, the guy needs to get laid. The Freudian insight implied by these simple remarks is staggering. And this is only a small sample.

Perhaps the fate of this movie had a lot to do with the advertising. The picture at the top of this page suggests that this is a "savage" movie. It isn't. The title itself is unfortunate.

Yes, when oh when will we get to see this movie again? When will the savage and not-so-innocent moguls deign to put this beautiful film onto DVD?