MovieChat Forums > The Savage Innocents (1961) Discussion > Constant laughing, smiling, joking, and ...

Constant laughing, smiling, joking, and goofing around


If anyone knows a lot about the Inuit people and their social customs, then perhaps you can shed some light on their social behavior.

In the movie, the Inuit are constantly laughing and joking at each other, pretty much what we might term, 'playing grab a$$' all the time.
They often refer to each other as, stupid, and modestly critique themselves as worthless and stupid too.

My belief is all this laughing, joking, goofing around serves to defuse tension, anger, and hostility, especially when people are forced into close proximity during the long, harsh winters. Perhaps we all can learn something from the Inuit, to laugh more at our own mistakes and errors as well as others instead of becoming angry and resentful.

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It was probably exaggerated or even incorrect (constant joking). I'm only basing this on The Fast Runner (wonderful movie based on an Inuit legend...I actually feel cold when watching it), which was produced, directed, and acted by Inuits. Yes, they were modest, but they tended to speak little in this movie and I agree probably for the exact reasons you mention...to keep the peace when you have to live with people in close proximity. But it seemed to be maintained by keeping your mouth shut (now wouldn't that make everything better if people learned to keep some of their thoughts to themselves). The screenwriter for this movie never actually even met an Inuit.

http://www.isuma.tv/atanarjuat

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