“Polar Bear Hunt” (1949) 16mm Film Home Movie, Barrow, AK, Eskimo Fam, Sled, VS3

Film is in critical condition, but hopefully this historic footage can be preserved. The filmmaker has edited in title clips identifying the footage which is a bonus. Film captures a 1949 polar bear hunt that begins by flying into Point Barrow and then on to Barter Island Alaska where one of the native Alaskans leads the hunt with a dog sled team through harsh snow and ice to find a polar bear which is killed and loaded onto the sled. Film ends with a moose hunt.

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED: some of the images of killing animals on the film may be disturbing to some viewers.

FILM CONDITION:

The film is in acceptable condition, but needs to be digitized as soon as possible. Film ran all the way through on a manual thread Revere projector, chattered in a couple spots but corrected itself without having to stop the run. The is warp, some portions have more streaking than others and the framing shifts a bit between sections as shown on video and in photos.

VINEGAR SYNDROME:

A-D strip indicates that the film is VS level 3. Film is currently in cold storage for preservation.

RESTORATION: film has been soaked in film cleaner/conditioner and ironed in order for it to run through the projector.

7” reel (approximately 12.5 min)

Rough timeline:

2 min 30 sec - Point Barrow Alaska air strip and freight shed, Alaska airlines plane, Barter Island, military buildings

1 min 15 sec - Eskimo children playing, seal skins bleaching in sun, family in front of house, village

1 min 30 sec - loading the sled for the bear hunt, setting off with the dog sled driven by Donald O-Le-Auk, dogs resting

1 min - checking route through ice hills, pushing sled up ice hills, panoramic shots, camp

1 min 15 sec - harnessing dog team, finds polar bear tracks, panoramic of area, retrieving seal from water

2 min 30 sec - shooting polar bear, dragging bear onto sled, rough sledding through ice hills, returning

2 min 15 sec - moose hunt on MacLauren River with Colonel Stewart, colonel Baleraud and Captain Barr, packing moose out, Caribou Lake

Please see photos to verify item condition. Sold as is.

Thank you for looking!