The Tracker

Infobox Film
name = The Tracker


image_size =
caption =
director = Rolf de Heer
producer =
writer = Rolf de Heer
narrator =
starring = Gary Sweet
David Gulpilil
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor =
released = 2002
runtime = 98 min.
country = AUS
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0212132

"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 murderer of a white woman. The tagline is: "All men choose the path they walk.'

David Stratton described the film as "..a remarkable film..". [http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1285321.htm] (accessed 2008-05-30)]

Plot

The film is set in the early 20th century Australian outback, 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). [Citation | last = Wilson | first = Jake | title = Looking Both Ways: The Tracker | newspaper = Cinema Scope | pages = | year = 2002 | date = Winter 2002 | url = http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/03/24/tracker.html.]

Production

The film was shot in the 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 ...”". [cite web
title = Production Notes (The Tracker)
publisher = Vertigo Productions
url = http://www.vertigoproductions.com.au/information.php?film_id=8&display=notes
accessdate = 2008-06-13] The film is intercut with paintings by Peter Coad which portray actions not shown, while the lyrics of the soundtrack (written by De Heer) also form part of the narrative. [cite book
last = Ebert
first = Robert
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007
publisher = Andrews McMeel Publishing
date = 2006
location =
pages = 708-709
url = http://books.google.com.au/books?pg=PA708&lpg=PA709&dq=%22the+tracker%22+plot&sig=kE2uIwGXPn9MsR3jWcQvutA4tYU&id=LtJgv-f-nl8C&ots=tFG10hdJn5#PPA709,M1
doi =
id =
isbn = 0740761579]

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

Awards

2002 - Australian Film Institute Awards
* Best Actor in a leading role (David Gulpilil) [Citation | title = AFI Award winners 1969-2005 | date = | year = 2005 | url = http://www.afi.org.au/awards/pastwinners/Features_1969-2005.pdf | accessdate = 2008-06-04]

2002 - Australian Writers Guild
* Angwie award (Rolf de Heer)

ee also

* South Australian Film Corporation
* List of Australian films

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0212132|title=The Tracker
* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/display/display.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;holdingType=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A518340;querytype=;rec=0;resCount=10 The Tracker at the National Film and Sound Archive]
* [http://www.vertigoproductions.com.au/tracker.html The Tracker] at Vertigo Productions