Brechtian Orality in The Journals of Knud Rasmussen

Abstract

This article uses Brechtian film theory to argue that The Journals of Knud Rasmussen achieves a degree of cinematic orality borne from Inuit oral culture. Directors Cohn and Kunuk use Brechtian techniques to create a distance between the viewer and the film that allows us to understand The Journals as a story being told to us, a cultural expression borne from a specific context. The continued reflexive telling of stories within the film means that viewers are invited into the story circle; the film is no longer a singularly immersive experience, but rather a dynamic expression of culture, with the filmmaker acting as storyteller.