Tarka the Otter (1979 film)
Encyclopedia
Tarka the Otter is a film made in 1979
, based on the novel of the same name
by Henry Williamson
. In the summer of 1976, Peter Talbot was asked by film producers David Cobham and Bill Travers to hand raise a baby otter called Spade, specifically for the film. As Spade grew, Peter took him to live in a magical old water mill in Hampshire - the home of wildlife film makers Ron and Rose Eastman. In time, including Spade, they had a menagerie of five otters, a tame barn owl, a goose and Ron & Rose's enormous German shepherd dog Fritz.
With others, they became a family travelling the country with their exotic pets. Over nearly two years, that it took to make Tarka the Otter, they encountered a host of animals and fascinating animal people. The whole fantastic story is told in Pete Talbot’s humorous and enthralling book ‘Tarka and me’, out on Amazon Kindle.
Tarka the Otter was voted 98th in Channel 4
’s poll of the 100 Greatest Family Films.
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
, based on the novel of the same name
Tarka the Otter
Tarka the Otter: His Joyful Water-Life and Death in the Country of the Two Rivers is a novel by Henry Williamson. The book narrates the experience of an otter. It was first published in 1927 by G.P. Putnam's Sons, with an introduction by the Hon. Sir John Fortescue, K.C.V.O..-Plot summary:The plot...
by Henry Williamson
Henry Williamson
Henry William Williamson was an English naturalist, farmer and prolific author known for his natural and social history novels. He won the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 with his book Tarka the Otter....
. In the summer of 1976, Peter Talbot was asked by film producers David Cobham and Bill Travers to hand raise a baby otter called Spade, specifically for the film. As Spade grew, Peter took him to live in a magical old water mill in Hampshire - the home of wildlife film makers Ron and Rose Eastman. In time, including Spade, they had a menagerie of five otters, a tame barn owl, a goose and Ron & Rose's enormous German shepherd dog Fritz.
With others, they became a family travelling the country with their exotic pets. Over nearly two years, that it took to make Tarka the Otter, they encountered a host of animals and fascinating animal people. The whole fantastic story is told in Pete Talbot’s humorous and enthralling book ‘Tarka and me’, out on Amazon Kindle.
Tarka the Otter was voted 98th in Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
’s poll of the 100 Greatest Family Films.