The Tracker
| The Tracker | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Rolf de Heer |
| Produced by |
Rolf de Heer Julie Ryan |
| Written by | Rolf de Heer |
| Starring |
Gary Sweet David Gulpilil |
| Music by | Graham Tardif |
| Cinematography | Ian Jones |
| Edited by | Tania Nehme |
Release dates | 2002 |
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Box office | A$818,388 (Australia)[1] |
The Tracker is an Australian drama film produced in 2002. It was directed and written by Rolf de Heer. It is set in 1922 in outback Australia where a racist white colonial policeman (Gary Sweet) used the tracking ability of an Indigenous Australian tracker (David Gulpilil) to find the murderer of a white woman. The tagline is 'All men choose the path they walk.'
Plot
1922, somewhere in Australia. An Aboriginal man is accused of murdering a white woman, and three white men (The Fanatic, The Follower and The Veteran) are on a mission to capture him with the help of an experienced Native man (The Tracker).
As they travel through the rugged Australian outback, each suffers under the stern hand and racist attitude of The Fanatic, who will stop at nothing to bring the accused to justice, even if that means sacrificing the others to reach the goal.
Meanwhile, the motives of the tracker remain elusive, and despite their relentless pursuit the men always seem to be a half-day behind their quarry.
After the death of one of the men, and a surprise mutiny, what endgame awaits for the group, and the enigmatic Tracker to which they have entrusted their survival.
Cast
- David Gulpilil as The Tracker
- Gary Sweet as The Fanatic
- Damon Gameau as The Follower
- Grant Page as The Veteran
- Noel Wilton as The Fugitive[2]
Production
The film was shot in the semi-arid, rugged Arkaroola Sanctuary, in South Australia's Flinders Ranges. De Heer used an intentionally small film crew, saying that “It's all a much better process ...”.[3] The film is intercut with paintings by Peter Coad which portray brutal actions not shown, while the lyrics of the soundtrack (written by De Heer) form part of the narrative, and are sung by Archie Roach with music composed by Graham Tardif.[4]
Receptions
Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes assessed the film at 88% on its tomatometers with an average 7.1/10 rating.[5] Renowned film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four calling the film "haunting" and the performances "powerful".[6] David Stratton described the film as "remarkable".[7]
Awards and Nominations
| Awards | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards (2002 AFI Awards) |
Best Film | Julie Ryan | Nominated |
| Rolf de Heer | Nominated | ||
| Best Direction | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | David Gulpilil | Won | |
| Best Editing | Tania Nehme | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Ian Jones | Nominated | |
| ARIA Award | Best Original Soundtrack Album | Graham Tardif | Nominated |
| ASSG Award | Best Sound | Won | |
| AWGIE Award | Best Film - Original Screenplay | Rolf de Heer | Won |
| Cinemanila International Film Festival | Best Actor | David Gulpilil | Won |
| FCCA Awards | Best Film | Julie Ryan | Won |
| Rolf de Heer | Won | ||
| Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | David Gulpilil | Won | |
| Best Editing | Tania Nehme | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Ian Jones | Won | |
| Best Music Score | Graham Tardif | Won | |
| Ghent International Film Festival | Grand Prix Award | Rolf de Heer | Nominated |
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||
| Inside Film Awards | Best Feature Film | Julie Ryan | Won |
| Rolf de Heer | Won | ||
| Best Direction | Nominated | ||
| Best Script | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor | David Gulpilil | Won | |
| Best Music | Graham Tardif | Won | |
| Best Cinematography | Ian Jones | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | Nominated | ||
| Paris Film Festival | Press Award | Rolf de Heer | Won |
| Screen Music Award | Best Original Song | Graham Tardif | Won |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | Jury Special Prize | Rolf de Heer | Won |
| Golden Spike Award | Nominated | ||
| Venice Film Festival | SIGNIS Award - Honorable Mention | Won | |
| Golden Lion | Nominated | ||
See also
References
- ↑ "Australian Films at the Australian Box Office", Film Victoria accessed 13 November 2012
- ↑ Wilson, Jake (Winter 2002). "Looking Both Ways: The Tracker". Senses of Cinema..
- ↑ "Production Notes (The Tracker)". Vertigo Productions. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
- ↑ Ebert, Robert (2006). Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 708–709. ISBN 0-7407-6157-9.
- ↑ "Tracker (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ↑ "The Tracker". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1285321.htm (Retrieved 30 May 2008)
External links
- The Tracker at the Internet Movie Database
- The Tracker at the National Film and Sound Archive
- The Tracker at Vertigo Productions