"tracks" movie based on true story of trek across aus

[wayno]

In 1977,Davidson set off from Alice Springs for the west coast, with a dog and four camels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Davidson

[neilmny]

I've read the book, she is amazing. She arrived in Alice Springs on the train with $6.00 and a dog
then worked it out from there.

Mind you our NNW would probably give the same journey a fair crack

[Giddy_up]

I remember reading a national geographic article at school about her journey, amazing story.

[neil_fahey]

This looks fantastic. I'd never heard of her, but wow... Just wow. Looking forward to seeing this!

[Moondog55]

I really enjoyed her book on this trip

[north-north-west]

Mind you our NNW would probably give the same journey a fair crack

I'm not particularly fond of camels. Otherwise . . . it would have been fun when I was younger.

[subaruby]

Have just recently read the book.
An amazing story and the fact that she did it in 1977 makes it even more amazing.

[simonm]

Have just recently read the book.
An amazing story and the fact that she did it in 1977 makes it even more amazing.

Yep they did amazing stuff all the way back then too .

[Happy Pirate]

In 1977,Davidson set off from Alice Springs for the west coast, with a dog and four camels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Davidson

Have been a HUGE fan of RD for years and consider her one of my early socio-political influences (or confluences) and reading 'Tracks' soon after it was published, as a frustrated high-schooler aching to leave the structured confines of a society that still considered wilderness as 'other' was almost enough to convince me to pack it all in and chase a different reality.
She faded a bit after her first book, how many people know she's published a second book: 'Ancestors' (for me is buried in a box whilst I move, yet again).
A great Aussie inspiration,
A great tale set in a great landsape.
Surprised so many don't know her...
Steve
but seriously that video front piece is soooo staged... pity.

[neilmny]

This looks fantastic. I'd never heard of her, but wow... Just wow. Looking forward to seeing this!

Perhaps if you can read the book first Neil, I fear, looking at the trailer that it might not be a "true" account, perhaps looks a little romantic and staged (as Steve says).
Her story is of raw guts and determination against all sorts of odds and for want of a better word, *&%$#! that she had to deal with.
Just the same, I can't wait to see the movie.

[neil_fahey]

Good point. That's pretty much always a good idea!

[mikethepike]

Maybe it will be deemed a great film but I think I’ll give it a miss. I read the book many years ago and greatly enjoyed it and admired the author and while its various elements make it a good subject for ‘real life’ cinema, the story will be cherry picked and the trailer shows the film to be in emotional high gear and in places over dramatized and different from the book. But that is what box office is about and after all, the film is not a reenactment of the trek. And lets face it, many months of walking with camels is about as repetitive, tedious and wearying as it sounds and you only need to read Russell Osborne’s ‘Camelman Dreaming’, his account of his recent 6500 km camel trek, to appreciate this.

Maybe it’s Peter Weir’s recent The Way Back, his adaptation of Rawicz’s The Long Walk which has put me off this genre of film. Not even the scenic panoramas could save that boring film where the viewers’ only relief (apart from the ending) came with the girl’s death, so appalling was the actor’s part in it and I blame Weir. Like almost everyone else it seems, I was gripped by that book (and where the girl’s death almost had me in tears) but wasn’t too surprised to later learn that I read it in a state of suspended belief. (Try walking 200 km across arid country with a packet of potato chips, a couple of bananas and 2 litres of water, then multiply that by 20 and you get the idea.)

I don’t think that films can ever be as good as the book where it’s your imagination that makes the film for you, not someone else. The film Touching the Void was fairly convincing but was not gripping like the book.

[climberman]

Good cast and producers. Might go see it (if it plays in Wollongong!). Adam is from 'Girls' and plays a quirky character to go with his quirky handsomeness, and Mia is, umm, very watchable!

Always best to consider books and films as different ways to tell a story, they are different mediums after all.

Must be 20 years since I read the book. Maybe 25.

[LandSailor]

For anyone with an ebook reader, Robyn's book (kindle edition) is on special ($3.23) at Amazon right now. Not sure whether it only applies to people located in Australia as the displayed price can vary depending on location.

Tracks by Robyn Davidson

[puredingo]

I recently read this book on surfing trip around Indonesia and...Nah, I'm afraid I'm not quite the believer that everyone else in this thread is.

Not that I didn't find the story interesting enough to finish the book, it was the fact that the woman was so damn self important, contradictory, abrasive and annoying that had me rolling my eyes on several occasions.

She claims she seeks solitude and independence and it's her God given right to have such liberties yet she uses every available resource humankind can offer her, black, white or even the dreaded "tourist". She continually bags out the the tourists when in actual fact she was the BIGGEST tourist out there. Walking a bunch of feral pest animal through pristine country or along roads doesn't automatically give you some intrinsic link to the land or the indigenous people...especially when you sell the whole shebang to a national mag for 4 grand before you start AND then finish off living in a flat in London??..Just about as far from a soulful desert life as one could get.

Anyway, it past the time for me and I admire her commitment to the journey but she probably could of waited a few years to write the book, (another invasion of her privacy maraudered by herself) I think she would of still only been around 30? because it came over somewhat like the pretentious ramblings of a pouty spoiled schoolgirl.

[Eljimberino]

Anyway, it past the time for me and I admire her commitment to the journey but she probably could of waited a few years to write the book, (another invasion of her privacy maraudered by herself) I think she would of still only been around 30? because it came over somewhat like the pretentious ramblings of a pouty spoiled schoolgirl.

Interesting you should note that, because, this is how she came across to me in the movie too.

[neilmny]

Everyone's entitled to an opinion but there is nothing pretentious about walking across the desert whether accompanied or not.

[wayno]

is there an expectation adventurers should be beyond reproach in their personalities and actions? its not like she charged across the desert in a 4wd... its easy to sit in a chair in a comfortable room and criticise after the fact, have you not watched the news lately and seen what a lot of other people are doing to make the news?
is there some law that everything you do n the wilderness has to be beyond reproach? sure there are a lot of people who go into the wilderness who expect to minimise their impact on the environment as much as humanly possible and not have an attitude about it unless they see other people who don't act the same way...

[puredingo]

I don't think I implied for one second that the act of walking the desert was pretentious but her overall attitude was. Even the billing of "walking across Australia" I checked a map, she was half a continent short.
And no Wayno, she didn't roar across in 4x4 but she DID have human contact either daily, expected or nearby. She DID have weeks of house comforts (speaking of comfortable chairs and living rooms)via the stations she stayed at, two way radios, roads to follow, trackers, plenty of water, aerial surveillance, a bloke to drop in and out for ummm relief...cars to zip around in, vets....ahh bugger it, everybody takes what they want out of a book I suppose? But if it's sold as non fiction I like to stick to the facts.

As I said I do commend her effort and dedication to the cause but if you guys want to read a great book of adventure get a copy of "huskies" by Robert Dover. A great story of a year in the South Pole but without the romantic notions of bohemian beatnik with superiority complex.
Right up your alley Wayno with all the snowy stuff, I didn't really understand/appreciate having never been or had to deal with snow.
Happy to post it to anybody as it's an old book and probably hard to come across.

[wayno]

the americans have a saying on the long trails "hike your own hike" theres all sorts in there from the dedicated hikers who are walking every step of the way in a season trying to beat the autumn snows before they make the trail too hard to complete for most., carrying everything, to others who cherry pick what they want, hitch hike round what they don't like, and others who take years to complete the trail. there seasoned walkers who don't meet their goals and newbies who exceed everytones expectations...

[tasadam]

This topic is locked due to the digress of some who seem to think that they cannot accept that others may have a differing point of view, but have to dispute those opinions with an approach of "playing the man, not the ball".

The forum rules here are very clear and personal attacks will not be tolerated.

I do not like to come down heavy but if people cannot play nice I have no choice.
Please read the rules, remembering rule 1, in part -

Keep all content friendly, polite and clean. 'Flaming', hostility, insults, obscenity, abuse and personal attacks are not permitted.

Topic locked.

[wildwalks]

Most of you guys were having a good conversation here. But a few people descended into attack mode on forum members rather discussing the ideas of the movie. Remember that we are dealing with real people, potential walking buddies. Stuff here is read by non-members and seeing personal attacks sends a real bad message. Let's play nice
(Topic re-opened)
Matt

[neilmny]

I haven't looked in on this for a while. Have some personal attack posts been deleted????
There's none above that I can see??????

[MickyB]

I haven't looked in on this for a while. Have some personal attack posts been deleted????
There's none above that I can see??????

Short answer. Yes. A couple of posts have been removed.

[neilmny]

That's a relief I thought differing opinions as was shown in some posts on display above had become against the rules.
Perhaps indicating that offending posts have been removed would make the situation clearer.
Thanks you moderators for all your work making the forum the pleasnat place that it is.

[newhue]

yep good to see the shop is still open. I was having good read then whack....closed. A bit of passionate discussion brings up all sorts of good stuff.

Its funny how this thread relates. It's almost impossible to do something new and adventurous in this world that has not been done before. But from a bloke who crossed the Simpson desert in a 4wd following Cecil Madigan's historical first crossing of the central desert with camels. I picked up and spent 11 days with the family in the middle of nowhere. A couple other families came but to have 7 kids under 8 and a baby running around woop woop days upon days drive away from anywhere was cool. The remoteness, the stillness, the vastness, the beauty were all the same to whom preceded me. The dangers are also still there, but sat phones, gps, spares, and credit cards also make it safer and possible.

If not for someones first dream who also promoted it for money to achieve it, to another a bloke who had a dream but then promoted it all over the web, to my families dream of doing something a bit different it would not have happened. Every night we could not imagine doing this with 20 camels, no fridge, no fruit, no air conditioning. Cecil would have never imagined doing it with kids. We are much much softer with our conveniences nowadays, but the adventure is still there. I read his book as we crossed, it made it all the richer. But to make a movie form it spice would has to be added to attract our ever expanding levels of interest. What's most important I feel, is that people dream, dream to do something and do it.