The Tracker
Encyclopedia
The Tracker is an Australian drama
film
produced in 2002. It was directed and written by Rolf de Heer
. It is a 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 murder
er of a white woman. The tagline is "All men choose the path they walk.'
David Stratton
described the film as "remarkable".
, where four men are following an Aboriginal man who has been accused of murder. The characters in the film are referred to by their characters rather than by names, they are:
, in South Australia
's Flinders Ranges
. De Heer used an intentionally small film crew, saying that “It's all a much better process ...”. 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.
assessed the film at 88% on its tomatometer with an average 7.1/10 rating.
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
produced in 2002. It was directed and written by Rolf de Heer
Rolf de Heer
Rolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
. It is a set in 1922 in outback
Outback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
Australia where a racist white colonial policeman (Gary Sweet
Gary Sweet
Gary Sweet is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in Alexandra's Project , Police Rescue, Cody, Big Sky, The Battlers, Bodyline and Stingers....
) used the tracking ability of an Indigenous Australian tracker
Aboriginal tracker
In the years following British settlement in Australia, aboriginal trackers or black trackers, as they became known, were enlisted by settlers to assist them in navigating their way through the Australian landscape...
(David Gulpilil
David Gulpilil
David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu , is an Indigenous Australian traditional dancer and actor. His first starring role was Walkabout....
) to find the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
er of a white woman. The tagline is "All men choose the path they walk.'
David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
described the film as "remarkable".
Plot
The film is set in the early 20th century Australian outbackOutback
The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
, where four men are following an Aboriginal man who has been accused of murder. The characters in the film are referred to by their characters rather than by names, they are:
- The Tracker (David Gulpilil),
- The Fanatic (Gary Sweet),
- The Follower (Damon Gameau),
- The Veteran (Grant Page) and
- The Fugitive (Noel Wilton).
Production
The film was shot in the semi-arid, rugged Arkaroola SanctuaryArkaroola, South Australia
Arkaroola Village is the settlement and resort at the hub of a wilderness sanctuary in the Northern Flinders Ranges in South Australia, adjacent to Gammon Ranges National Park and the Mawson Plateau....
, in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
's Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges
Flinders Ranges is the largest mountain range in South Australia, which starts approximately north west of Adelaide. The discontinuous ranges stretch for over from Port Pirie to Lake Callabonna...
. De Heer used an intentionally small film crew, saying that “It's all a much better process ...”. 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
Archie Roach
Archie Roach is an Australian musician. A singer, songwriter and guitarist, he survived a turbulent upbringing to develop into a powerful voice for Indigenous Australians, a storyteller in the tradition of his ancestors, and a nationally popular and respected artist.- Biography :In his own words,...
with music composed by Graham Tardif.
Cast
- David GulpililDavid GulpililDavid Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu , is an Indigenous Australian traditional dancer and actor. His first starring role was Walkabout....
as The Tracker - Gary SweetGary SweetGary Sweet is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in Alexandra's Project , Police Rescue, Cody, Big Sky, The Battlers, Bodyline and Stingers....
as The Fanatic - Damon GameauDamon GameauDamon Gameau is an Australian television and film actor, who has appeared in the Australian series Love My Way, and in a small role in the US series How I Met Your Mother, as well as the 2002 Australian film The Tracker....
as The Follower - Grant PageGrant PageGrant Page is an of Australian stuntman who worked mostly during the seventies and eighties. Page was the stunt coordinator for the popular Australian action movies The Man from Hong Kong and Mad Max, as well as other Australian and overseas films including the cult horror flick Death Ship...
as The Veteran - Noel Wilton as The Fugitive
Reception
Film review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
assessed the film at 88% on its tomatometer with an average 7.1/10 rating.
Awards
- FCCA AwardFilm Critics Circle of AustraliaThe Film Critics Circle of Australia is a group of cinema critics that judge Australian films.-External links:**...
2002- Best Actor - Male: David GulpililDavid GulpililDavid Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu , is an Indigenous Australian traditional dancer and actor. His first starring role was Walkabout....
- Best Cinematography: Ian Jones
- Best Film
- Best Music Score
- Best Actor - Male: David Gulpilil
- AFI AwardAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
2002:- Best Actor in a Leading Role: David GulpililDavid GulpililDavid Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu , is an Indigenous Australian traditional dancer and actor. His first starring role was Walkabout....
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: David Gulpilil
- ASSG Award 2002:
- Best Achievement in Sound for a Feature Film
- Australian Writers' Guild AwardAustralian Writers' GuildThe Australian Writers' Guild is the professional association for all performance writers, that is, writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962 and is recognised throughout the industry in Australia as being the voice of performance writers...
2002:- Awgie Award - Feature Film: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Awgie Award - Feature Film: Rolf de Heer
- IF Awards 2002:
- Best Actor: David GulpililDavid GulpililDavid Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu , is an Indigenous Australian traditional dancer and actor. His first starring role was Walkabout....
- Best Feature Film
- Best Music: Graham Tardif
- Best Actor: David Gulpilil
- Screen Music Award 2002:
- Best Original Song Composed for a Feature Film, Telemovie, TV Series or Mini-Series
- Ghent International Film Festival 2002:
- Best Screenplay: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Best Screenplay: Rolf de Heer
- Valladolid International Film Festival 2002:
- Jury Special Prize: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Jury Special Prize: Rolf de Heer
- Venice Film Festival59th Venice International Film FestivalThe 59th Venice International Film Festival was held on 27 August - 6 September, 2002.-Jury:* Li Gong * Jacques Audiard * Yevgeni Yevtushenko * Ulrich Felsberg * László Kovács...
2002:- SIGNIS Award - Honorable Mention: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- SIGNIS Award - Honorable Mention: Rolf de Heer
- Cinemanila International Film FestivalCinemanila International Film FestivalThe Cinemanila International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by Filipino filmmaker Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz in 1999....
2003:- Best Actor: David GulpililDavid GulpililDavid Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu , is an Indigenous Australian traditional dancer and actor. His first starring role was Walkabout....
- Best Actor: David Gulpilil
- Paris Film Festival 2003:
- Press Award: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Press Award: Rolf de Heer
Nominations
- FCCA AwardFilm Critics Circle of AustraliaThe Film Critics Circle of Australia is a group of cinema critics that judge Australian films.-External links:**...
2002:- Best Director: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Best Editing: Tania Nehme
- Best Screenplay: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Best Director: Rolf de Heer
- ARIA Music AwardsARIA Music AwardsThe Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
2002:- Best Original Soundtrack Album
- Venice Film Festival59th Venice International Film FestivalThe 59th Venice International Film Festival was held on 27 August - 6 September, 2002.-Jury:* Li Gong * Jacques Audiard * Yevgeni Yevtushenko * Ulrich Felsberg * László Kovács...
2002:- Golden Lion: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Golden Lion: Rolf de Heer
- Ghent International Film Festival 2002:
- Grand Prix Award: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Grand Prix Award: Rolf de Heer
- Valladolid International Film Festival 2002:
- Golden Spike Award: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Golden Spike Award: Rolf de Heer
- IF Awards 2002:
- Best Cinematography: Ian Jones
- Best Direction: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Best Script: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Best Sound: James Currie
- AFI AwardAustralian Film InstituteThe Australian Film Institute was founded in 1958 as a non-profit organisation devoted to developing an active film culture in Australia and fostering engagement between the general public and the Australian film industry...
2002:- Best Cinematography: Ian Jones
- Best Direction: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
- Best Editing: Tania Nehme
- Best Film: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
, Julie Ryan - Best Original Screenplay: Rolf de HeerRolf de HeerRolf de Heer is a Dutch film director, writer and producer living in Australia. De Heer was born in Heemskerk in The Netherlands but migrated to Sydney when he was eight years old. He attended the Australian Film Television and Radio School in Sydney. His company is called Vertigo Productions and...
See also
- Cinema of AustraliaCinema of AustraliaCinema of Australia, more commonly referred to as the Australian film industry, refers to the system of production, distribution, and exhibition of films in Australia. Film production commenced in Australia in 1906 with the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, the earliest feature film made...
- South Australian Film CorporationSouth Australian Film CorporationSouth Australian Film Corporation is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972. Former State Premier Don Dunstan played an instrumental role in the foundation of the Corporation and its early film production activities....
- List of Australian films
External links
- The Tracker at the National Film and Sound Archive
- The Tracker at Vertigo Productions