The Greatest Dancer in the World.
David Gulpilil has been a feature of the Australian movie landscape since I can remember. In fact, when I saw High Ground earlier this year, I half expected to see him in it. Now I know why. David is dying of cancer.
My Name is Gulpilil is a searing tribute to his life. For those who don’t know him – David first appeared in films while still a teenager, Walkabout (1971). His mesmerising performance threw Gulpilil into the international film “set”; it was a mixed blessing. Since then, he’s appeared in over twenty films and a dozen television shows. Seeing My Name is Gulpilil prompted me to revisit my favourites: Walkabout, Storm Boy (1976 and 2018, he was in both), The Tracker (2002), The Proposition (2005), and Charlie’s Country (2014).
I regret I didn’t see his live one-man show Gulpilil; splices in the documentary show his storytelling skills and tongue-in-cheek sense of humour. From Ramingining area of Arnhem Land to Buckingham Palace – what a journey. Like everyone, his life has unfolded as it should – both the good and the bad are part of his life’s tapestry and this documentary is his story of his story. And it’s an epic tale. Nothing is spared.
We are with David in what appears to be his final months; though diagnosed in 2017 and given six months to live, he is still alive on May 2021. David flourishes in the camera’s lens, he has that factor, that thing, that essence that captivates. Lovingly shot, Maxx Corkindale and Miles Rowland capture David in the landscape, in iconic moments that linger. Even in a bare hospital corridor he is unmistakably David – a rangy, always well-dressed man with the grace of a dancer.
At the end, David tells us Gulpilil is the Yolngu word for kingfisher; his skin group, language group, moiety and the affiliations that remind us of the depth and breadth and complexity of his culture. And speak to his pride of being a “thoroughbred”. As he says, “I’m a legend” (Derek Rielly Gulpilil). Wikipedia lists him as dancer. ‘Nuf said.
My Name is Gulpilil, from 27 May 2021, Rating M, 101 minutes
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