Arawata Bill

Arawata Bill

 Reviewed by David Barnes (Otago T & MC)for the Federated Mountain Clubs' Bulletin

Legendary prospector Arawata Bill, William O’Leary, needs little introduction. This brilliant DVD about him is the realisation of an idea director Mike Bennett had while working for the National Film Unit in the 1960s.

In the first section, the late Dennis Glover recites his sequence of poems over footage of Bennett, dressed as O’Leary, recreating scenes from the poems. Filmed on location in the areas Arawata Bill frequented, the footage does the setting ample justice. It will bring lumps to the throats of Olivines aficionados, who will need to watch a second time using the pause button as they guess the locations. Others will just sit back, enjoy the magnificence and wish they were there. Glover’s reedy voice took a few minutes to settle in to, probably because the last recital of these poems I’d heard was in the dulcet tones of the inimitable David Round, but soon found it reflected the emotion of his words.

The second section is a documentary about O’Leary’s life, interviewing writer and academic Bill Manhire, Glover’s son and a woman who knew Arawata Bill when she was a child on a farm near Glenorchy. Much of this is voiced over replays of earlier scenes, providing background to both man and poems. A minor grumble is that the bit-part actors playing the policeman and bar staff don’t match Bennett’s comfortable style, which slightly detracts and distracts.

Overall it’s a really great production. The DVD comes with a booklet of the poems and background to the production.