The Savage Innocents

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The Savage Innocents
Directed by Nicholas Ray
Produced by Maleno Malenotti
Written by Nicholas Ray
Franco Solinas
Hans Rüesch
Starring Anthony Quinn
Peter O'Toole
Yoko Tani
Carlo Giustini
Music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino
Cinematography Peter Hennessy
Aldo Tonti
Editing by Eraldo Da Roma
Ralph Kemplen
Distributed by Pathé
Release date(s) May 1960
Running time 110 min.
Country Italy / UK / France
Language English
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IMDb profile

The Savage Innocents is a 1960 film, adapted from the novel Top of the World by Swiss writer Hans Rüesch.

The screenplay was mainly written by its director, Nicholas Ray, who shot the film in the Canadian Arctic (with interiors shot in Britain's Pinewood Studios and in Rome's Cinecittà studios). The film was an international co-production, with British, Italian and French interests involved; in the United States it was released by Paramount Pictures.

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[edit] Cast

The film stars Anthony Quinn as Inuk the eskimo, and Japanese actress Yoko Tani, as his wife. Peter O'Toole plays a Canadian trooper.

One of the cast members is restaurateur Michael Chow, who appeared in several British films from the late 1950s onwards. Chow is the brother of actress Tsai Chin, and they are the offspring of the famous Beijing Opera star Zhou Xinfang.

[edit] Plot

The movie shows the lifestyle of the eskimo with a point of interest revolving around the custom of wife sharing. A Canadian police trooper pursues an eskimo for the killing of a missionary, who had refused his hospitality of sharing his wife, thus gravely insulting the eskimo.

[edit] Miscellaneous

An admirer of the film was Bob Dylan, who wrote the song "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)" in tribute of Quinn's performance.

Peter O'Toole's voice was dubbed in the film, and the actor demanded that his name be removed from the credits.

[edit] External links

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