The Tracker

(aka "Endangered (working title)" or "El Rastreador" or "La Guida")

directed by Rolf de Heer
Australia 2002

Traversing the dry Australian outback in 1922, four men pursue an Aborigine accused of murdering a white woman, in Rolf de Heer's moralistic fable "The Tracker." No names are used and the film's credits identify the men only as archetypes: the Fanatic, a no-nonsense mounted policeman; the Follower, a ukulele-strumming novice; the Veteran, a laconic philosopher; the barely seen Fugitive; and the mysterious title character.

David Gulpilil, familiar from such films as "Walkabout" and "Rabbit-Proof Fence," plays the Tracker, an enigmatic native leading the three white men through the wilds. They follow on horseback as he leads on foot, often in shackles, carefully interpreting imprints left on the trail. He takes a servile tack, calling the men "Boss" — while they refer to him condescendingly as "our dusky friend" — but there is obviously more to him than meets the eye.

As the men follow the accused deeper into the bush country it becomes clear their journey is meant as a parable for the Anglo colonization of Australia. The farther they go, the more blood is spilled. De Heer has built a tale that is part American western, part Greek drama, structuring the film around a 10-song cycle of mournful protest music visually punctuated in bright, primitive paintings by Peter Coad.

Excerpt from Kevin Crust's review on the Los Angeles Times located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: August 8, 2002 (Australia)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Madman Entertainment - Region 0 - PAL vs. Facets Video - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Antti Viklund for all the Screen Caps!

(Madman Entertainment - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Facets Video - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Madman Entertainment Region 0 - PAL	Facets Video Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:34:06 (4% PAL speedup)	1:33:58 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.19 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.30 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Madman Entertainment
Bitrate: Facets Video
Audio	English DTS 5.1 (768Kb/s), English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s), English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (448Kb/s)
Subtitles	None	None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Madman Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Interview: Director Rolf de Heer and SBS Movie Show critic David Stratton (9:30) • Out-takes: Rolf de Heer presents a 15 minute edited piece (14:37) • Peter Coad Featurette: The painting process (15:57) • Peter Coad Painting Gallery • Awards & Festivals: Adelaide Festival of Arts (10:54), Venice Film Festival (5:47) • Melbourne International Film Festival (6:56), AFI Awards (1:07), IF Awards (8:06) • Interviews on Location (34:36) • Archie Roach performing 'Alien Invasion' (4:41) • Theatrical Trailer (2:06) • Biographies DVD Release Date: August 20th, 2003 Transparent Amaray Case Chapters 13	Release Information: Studio: Facets Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Documentary - Gulpilil: One Red Blood (56:05) DVD Release Date: September 27th, 2005 Keep Case Chapters 13

Comments:

The Madman Entertainment release is superior in every category. Sharpness/detail and colors are much better. The Facets release looks washed out and there is almost no detail visible. Facets disc also seems to suffer from a bad PAL->NTSC conversion which results in severe ghosting and combing. The Australian release also has more audio options. There are no subtitles on either of the discs.

The Australian disc has more extras, but the only strong point of the Facets release is the inclusion of the documentary Gulpilil: One Red Blood directed by Darlene Johnson. This documentary has also been released separately in Australia.

- Antti Viklund

DVD Menus

(Madman Entertainment - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Facets Video - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)