TARKA THE OTTER - THE MAKING OF THE FILM

09/11/11

I was lucky enough to begin my wildlife film making career working on what was to become one of the favourite family films of all time, TARKA THE OTTER. In 1972 the renowned wildlife filmmakers, Ron and Rosemary Eastman, had given me my first experience of filming natural history for television by taking me with them on a three month shoot in Oregon, USA. Four years later they contacted me again to ask if I’d be interested in “helping out with the otters” for a few weeks on a film they were making for the cinema. The few weeks turned in to nearly two years, and as well as helping the film’s senior animal handler, Peter Talbot, with the otters and other creatures that appear in TARKA, I was also given the role of production photographer. My pictures appeared in magazines and newspapers, and in several new illustrated editions of Henry Williamson’s book that were published to coincide with the film’s release.

Now, 35 years on since we began filming TARKA THE OTTER in the actual locations that Henry Williamson described so beautifully in his novel, Peter Talbot has published a book telling the story of how the film was brought to the screen. In particular, Peter’s book tells of the two years he spent with the very special little otter who plays the part of Tarka in the film.

TARKA AND ME is available for download on Amazon from this week at
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