The Prize of the Pole

At the intersection of many different time and geographical zones stands the young Eskimo Robert Peary II, who has begun tracing the story of his great-grandfather Roberta E. Peary, the conqueror of the North Pole. After 23 years on bleak snow plains, Peary organised an exhibition on the Polar Regions in New York. The main exhibit is intended to be six Inuit people. However, after arriving in a different climate and a world not their own they are struck by various illnesses. Only Minik, the youngest member of the group, survived. He settles down so firmly in the new world that he cannot rediscover his original relationship to his home. The film points to the great aggression inherent in advanced civilisation and the tragic impact that it can have when it clashes with native peoples. This descendant of Robert Peary searches for traces of two completely different men, representatives of completely diverse cultures. The picture features interviews with key figures; it also creates a moving picture of Arctic cold and peace, mixing old photographs and rare archive film.