UYA Films - Tarpon

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The 1974 film "Tarpon," which was shot in Key West, Florida by UYA Films, has been a well guarded cult classic in fly-fishing's underground. You were the envy of your circle of friends, if you "owned" a bootleg copy or a buddy let you watch his. Now fans everywhere can leap and splash like a tarpon, because UYA Films has finally released a fully-restored DVD of "Tarpon" commercially.

The first of the modern fishing films, "Tarpon" features early guides and anglers as they fly fish for tarpon in the wilderness of the Florida Keys. The film captures the essence of the sport in dramatic footage and in the appearance and commentary of popular authors Thomas McGuane, Jim Harrison and Richard Brautigan. Colorful scenes of Key West from another era—with treasure hunters, smugglers, hippies and eccentrics—are background to stunning cinematography and tarpon fishing at its finest. To top it off, Jimmy Buffet also composed original music for the film.

Tom Brokaw recently said this about the film:

"Tarpon" is a timeless and beautifully executed film about life, sport and culture. You'll be moved, amused, outraged and, most of all, entertained.

The film was born from a 1972 visit to the Florida Keys by filmmaker Christian Odasso and Guy de la Valdéne, an avid angler who already had a few years of experience in fly fishing for Keys tarpon. Enraptured by the aesthetics and ethics of the catch-and-release fishing, Odasso paired with de la Valdéne to co-direct the film. With a mostly French crew, the shoot took approximately seven weeks and the resulting film was edited in Paris. Saved by the filmmaker's daughter from a dripping barn in the Normandy countryside where it lay untouched for the last 35 years, the film was recently restored and digitized for DVD by Guy de la Valdéne.

Richard Brautigan

This long-lost gem of a film has acquired cult status in the fly fishing world, and with good reason. It has the most breathtaking footage of the tarpon-stalking experience that you'll ever see. Like the fish itself, this is a work of art.

While the footage focuses on the magnificence of tarpon, the directors chose to interview many of the top guides and conservationists of the era and include their observations and concerns about the future of the fish they pursued. The film's message about the importance of releasing fish was far ahead of its time and prescient in highlighting the increasing pressure on fish by sportsmen, tourists and boaters. It reinforced an ethic among thousands who managed to get a pirated copy of the film in the 35 years since its making. The sharp contrasts drawn by the film—perhaps best exemplified by a scene in which tourists recoil in fascination from party boat crew members clubbing and throwing sharks and sport fish into barrels—made it difficult for the producers to find a distributor when the film was completed. At the time, PBS was interested in screening the film in the U.S., but most distributors expressed reluctance to work with the film unless the producers removed scenes like this which highlighted the wasteful practices of the era.

Tarpon is a gem and, frankly, a window on better days. Without a profound respect for tarpon, this celebration of their majestic power and the enchantment of their pursuit, could never have been made. Tarpon fishing was and is a dream, and this may be the only time it's been captured.
— Tom McGuane, author

HISTORY:

CHRISTIAN ODASSO

Founded in 1973 by Christian Odasso, UYA Films is a film, commercial and artistic production company. UYAs first documentary Tarpon (1973) has recently been restored and is finally available for purchase in DVD format. Past productions include a six hour program on the Maya civilizations; also various commercial films for Renault and Citroên. A future endeavor involves a joint non-profit project with the Albert Schweitzer hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti and a documentary series in the south of Spain.

Christian Odasso began his documentary filmmaking career in Paris, France. Initially a cinematographer, he worked extensively with Francois Reichenbach and together they won numerous awards, including the main prizes at Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, the Prix Louis Deluc and an Academy Award. His films have had worldwide distribution in festivals, theatres and on television.

Christian has collaborated with directors such as Orson Welles, Chris Marker, Claude Lelouch, and Martin Scorsese. His documentaries range from encounters with artists such as Salvador Dali, Dunoyer de Segonzac, Gromaire; musicians such as Van Morrison, BB King, Pink Floyd, Jimmy Buffet; athletes such as Jean Claude Killy, Pele, Bjorn Borg; movie stars such as Jeanne Moreau and Brigitte Bardot; writers such as Carlos Fuentes, Richard Brautigan, Jim Harrison, Thomas McGuane, Michel Delon; to explorations of indigenous Mexican culture to JFK's funeral, to performances at the Opera de Paris and with the Maurice Bejard dance company. He has also done extensive work in short and long format commercials and promotional films.

GUY DE LA VALDÉNE

Guy de la Valdéne is a mystery to most fly fishers. If his name is known widely, it is because he hung out with Thomas McGuane, Jim Harrison, Richard Brautigan, Russell Chatham and Jimmy Buffet in Key West in the late sixties and early seventies. He is also, of course, an author of two books on game birds and a novel, and the co-producer of <b><i>Tarpon</b></i>, the cult classic that was finally released on DVD summer of 2008.

A lifelong hunter and wild-game gourmet who has traveled the globe on expeditions with world-class sportsmen, Guy de la Valdéne purchased an 800-acre farm outside Tallahassee and set out to raise and hunt his favorite game bird, bobwhite quail. But de la Valdéne is also a naturalist at heart, and as he planted trees and divided fields, he found that running the farm compelled him to operate as both hunter and preservationist, predator and protector.

Guy de la Valdéne has also written a number of compelling books: "Red Stag: A Novel " (Lyons Press, 2003); "To the Point: A Tribute to Pointing Dogs" - Dale C. Spartas & Tom Davis, co-authors (Stackpole Books, 2003); "Making Game: An Essay on Woodcock" - Russell Chatham, co-author (Clark City Press, 1990); "For a Handful of Feathers" - Jim Harrison, co-author (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1997); "Making Game" (1985).

Producer: UYA Films

Published: May, 2008

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TARPON
Quantity:
Price -- $34.95 DVD; 53 minutes; Item #3738