Matthew Henson

Lore & Background

Henson was a skilled navigator and craftsman, serving as Peary's "first man" on their expeditions. He studied and mastered Inuit survival techniques, including building igloos for mobile shelter and driving dog sleds in the traditional Inuit manner, becoming the only non-Inuit to achieve such proficiency. The Inuit called him Mahri-Pahluk. He traded with them and learned their language. On the 1908–1909 expedition, Henson was one of six men—including Peary and four Inuit assistants—who claimed to have been the first to reach the geographic North Pole. Henson later stated in interviews that he was the first of their party to arrive at what they believed was the pole. His Arctic experience spanned seven voyages over nearly 23 years, with a total of 18 years spent on expeditions alongside Peary. Their teams covered thousands of miles by dog sled, reaching the "Farthest North" point of any expedition until 1909. Henson's memoir, *A Negro Explorer at the North Pole*, was published in 1912. He was the first African American made a life member of The Explorers Club in 1937, and later received the Peary Polar Expedition Medal in 1944.

Reader's Guide

His contributions as navigator, craftsman, and dog-sled driver were essential to the expedition's progress, yet for decades his achievements were largely overshadowed by Peary's fame. Over nearly twenty-three years, Henson accompanied Peary on seven Arctic voyages, spending a total of eighteen years in the field. He was known as Peary's "first man," serving as a navigator and craftsman while also studying Inuit survival techniques alongside Peary. Henson became the only non-Inuit to master driving dog sleds and training dog teams in the Inuit manner, and he learned to build igloos for mobile shelter. The Inuit called him Mahri-Pahluk. During the 1908–1909 expedition, Henson was one of six men—including Peary and four Inuit assistants—who claimed to have reached the geographic North Pole on April 6, 1909. Henson later stated in interviews that he was the first of their party to arrive at what they believed was the pole. The team's claim was widely accepted for decades, though later research in 1989 found their expedition records unreliable and indicated navigational errors could have caused them to fall short. Henson published a memoir in 1912 titled *A Negro Explorer at the North Pole*. In 1937, he became the first African American made a life member of The Explorers Club, and in 1944 he received the Peary Polar Expedition Medal. He was later received at the White House by Presidents Truman and Eisenhower. In 1988, he and his wife were re-interred at Arlington National Cemetery, and in 2000 he posthumously received the Hubbard Medal from the National Geographic Society. A lunar crater was named after him in 2021.

Did You Know?

• Henson was born to sharecropper parents who were free Black Americans before the Civil War.
• In 1988, Henson and his wife were re-interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

The Life and Work Chronicled

Beyond the well-known franchises, the film places significant emphasis on Henson's creative and romantic partnership with his wife, Jane Henson, presenting their collaboration as a central thread rather than a passing footnote. The documentary draws on interviews with family members and longtime collaborators, with Frank Oz among those who appear on screen to offer personal perspectives. Rather than relying solely on archival footage, the film incorporates animated sequences built from Henson's own drawings, adding a visual dimension that previous treatments of his life had not explored. The result is a portrait that balances the public-facing achievements with the private creative relationships that fueled them, giving audiences a more complete sense of the man behind the marionettes.

From Biopic to Documentary: A Decade in the Making

The road to the finished film was anything but straightforward.

Critical Response and Reception

Critics responded warmly to Ron Howard's documentary. On Rotten Tomatoes, 98 percent of 61 reviews came in positive, averaging 7.8 out of 10, with the consensus praising the film for steering clear of hagiography while still delivering a clear picture of Henson's artistry. Individual reviews highlighted different strengths: Michael Nordine of Variety acknowledged the film's conventional structure but called it a heartfelt tribute. Matthew Carey of Deadline Hollywood singled out the animated sequences built from Henson's drawings as a fresh element absent from earlier documentaries. Daniel Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter noted the film leans more on evidence of Henson's drive than deep psychological insight, while Kate Erbland of Indiewire gave it a B+, commending Howard's willingness to lean into honesty even as the film could not fully capture the full scope of its subject's life and work.

Premiere and Global Release

The selection placed the documentary alongside other significant works in a competitive festival context, giving it a high-profile introduction before its broader audience. The relatively short gap between the Cannes premiere and the streaming launch meant that critical buzz from the festival could carry directly into the film's mass release. The dual strategy of festival prestige followed by immediate global streaming ensured the documentary reached both cinephile audiences and the general viewership that had grown up with Henson's creations, from Muppets to Sesame Street, without a long theatrical window in between.

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