Guilpilil's son paddles into acting (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Australian Broadcasting Corporation
TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT LOCATION:
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1596495.htm
Broadcast: 20/03/2006 
Guilpilil's son paddles into acting
Reporter: Mike Sexton
KERRY O'BRIEN: Thirty-five years ago, an unknown Aboriginal teenager was
plucked from his home in remote Arnhem Land to star in the feature film
Walkabout. Despite having no acting experience, the camera loved David
Gulpilil, and the film launched a career that has made him one of this
country's most recognisable actors.
Now it seems history is repeating itself. David Gulipilil's son Jamie is
starring in a breakthrough film called Ten Canoes, the first film shot entirely
in an Aboriginal language. Again, Jamie Gulpilil came to the film without acting
experience, but again, seems a natural in front of the camera.
Mike Sexton reports.
FILM FOOTAGE: This young one was thinking wrong thoughts, so this old fella
told him a story.
ROLF DE HEER, DIRECTOR: There are certain things that Jamie must have learnt
his old man, or he has them instinctively. You know, he could throw a look or a
pose pretty easily and pretty well.
MIKE SEXTON: He might have one of the most famous names in Australian cinema,
but Jamie Gulpilil has spent most of his life a long way from the spotlight.
But last night, the painfully shy 22-year-old was the centre of attention, as
he and his famous father David Gulpilil walked down the red carpet for the
premiere of the film, Ten Canoes.
FILM FOOTAGE: (Man narrates) Long, long time ago, 10 of us men went on the
swamp to hunt the eggs of kumangh, the magpie goose. Too steep, you're better
off the horses.
MIKE SEXTON: The film was conceived by David Gulpilil and director Rolf De Heer
after their successful collaboration four years ago on the The Tracker. The
story is set in pre-European Australia and tells the story of tribal life,
including love, revenge and payback. David Gulpilil wanted to set the film in
his country using family members speaking in Ganalbingu language as a way of
both entertaining audiences and preserving history and culture.
DAVID GULPILIL, ACTOR: It is like a forgotten history, this one. But I had to
bring this one Ten Canoes out and I asked Rolf De Heer please and he said,
"Yeah, no worries," and so we had to bring it. Because young generation people
start to forgetting their culture and language and image and traditional ways.
ROLF DE HEER: Very happy, laughing, goose sounds. And, action!
MIKE SEXTON: When filming began in the Arafura Swamp in north-east Arnhem Land,
inspiration quickly turned to perspiration for the cast and crew.
ROLF DE HEER: It's about the hardest thing I've ever done. You stand in the
stamp up to your waist for six or seven hours a day and it's not very pleasant.
You know, the leeches get you from the waist down, the mosquitoes from the waist
up. And the croc spotters are up in the tree saying, "There's a big one coming."
I've done it easier than that.
MIKE SEXTON: In addition to using traditional language and customs, Rolf De
Heer relied on historic photographs to make the film authentic. The stills are
from a large collection shot by the Victorian anthropologist Donald Thomson
when he visited Arnhem Land in the 1930s.
DAVID GULPILIL: I wanted to introduce Donald Thomson was a true story of Dr
Thompson. He met the traditional people and he recorded, and it was my uncles,
my father and my grandfather, and this is a story I wanted to come out.
MIKE SEXTON: Because none of the actors, including Jamie Gulipilil, had any
experience, the script for the film was only a loose guide. The cast was left
to interpret each scene and often ad-lib the dialogue.
RICHARD BIRRINBIRRIN, ACTOR: A lot of jokes. We made a lot of laughing amongst
ourselves.
MIKE SEXTON: But while there were many of his family starring in the film,
David Gulpilil was not among them.
ROLF DE HEER: The original plan was for David to star in it and co-direct it,
but a whole lot of complicated stuff happened. David moved away from
Ramingining. He had all sorts of commitments. There were health issues, and in
the end he withdrew.
MIKE SEXTON: David Gulpilil is now living at Mandora outside Darwin, where he
earns a living as an artist. It's been 35 years since he made his film debut as
a 15-year-old in Walkabout. And in that time the actor has often struggled to
balance the demands of a traditional lifestyle with the trappings of fame. Now
his son is facing similar demands after the success of his first acting role.
DAVID GULPILIL: Well, he's already got the flavour, because he's come from me.
And so he wasn't even shy and if you look at him in the movie, he's not shy.
MIKE SEXTON: After the film was in the can, Rolf De Heer felt the project
wouldn't be complete without David Gulpilil playing a role in it and so he
tracked him down.
ROLF DE HEER: He wanted to know how his son had gone. How Jamie had gone and I
said, "Very well, and he looks great, good actor. Not as good as you, but he's
good," and David you know, just the tears were in his eyes and, "Thank you,
thank you, thank you," and I said, "Yeah, but David do you want to be part of
it?" And he did, very much so.
FILM FOOTAGE: It's not like your story, it's my story. My story, you've never
seen before.
MIKE SEXTON: David Gulpilil is the storyteller who narrates the film and for
the director and the actor the recording sessions were a cathartic experience.
ROLF DE HEER: I mean, when he first saw the film, he cried. He sat here on the
sofa there and just the tears streamed with just pride. Pride in his country,
pride in his family 'cause a lot of his family's involved and proud that he
could also be involved.
MIKE SEXTON: While critics believe Jamie Gulipilil has the same star quality as
his father, he has been bewildered by the attention Ten Canoes has already
brought him and today cancelled all interviews. It seems unlikely he'll
continue following his father in acting, preferring a peaceful life in
Ramingining.
ROLF DE HEER: I think he wanted to prove to his father that he could also do
it. I don't know that he's so keen on making a career out of it. But he's happy
living up there. He's a very modest young man.
FILM FOOTAGE: Maybe it's a bad ending, maybe it's a good one.
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