[Marxism] Re: 'The Tracker'

[Ben C <minnows@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I rented this on video a couple of weeks ago, and I was pleasantly
surprised at the depth of the film. Using fairly shallow characters (the
fanatic, the veteran, the greenhorn) the film surveys different
attitudes to white Australian racism. The shallow, archetypal characters
are a valuable tool for the narrative, not a detraction.

The tracker himself is a great character, full of life and laughter
despite his grim circumstances. The music is fantastic (well, I've
always been a fan of Archie Roach). There's lots of black humor and
simply black moments. Apart from the countryside, it's not pretty, but
it is moving -- and the end is a little more cheerful than the rest of
the film.

I saw a report on the news a year or so ago that the star, Gulpilil,
still lives in a small aboriginal community in the Northern Territory.
The report was making out that despite his fame he is still dirt poor.
I'm not sure if this means he has stuck to his roots or he has been
shamelessly exploited by the film industry; the report certainly implied
the latter, although I didn't find it entirely convincing (I can't
remember the exact details; Gulpilil didn't seem to go along with their
implications when they visited and interviewed him; at least that's my
recollection although it may be faulty).

If the film is being released in the US (or anywhere else) I highly
recommend going to see it.

Ben C


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