The Year of the Deer
(1977)
Shown as part of the Wildlife on One strand, Year of the Deer is a sensitive and intimate portrayal of fallow deer in Hampshire's New Forest National Park. Directed and photographed by naturalist and renowned wildlife filmmaker Eric Ashby, it is a bewitching glimpse into the private world of these elegant animals.
Known for his innovative techniques, Ashby developed a soundproof box, or blimp, for his equipment and without the noise of the camera's mechanism he successfully films the flighty wild deer at close quarters. Quiet, dignified and with a vivid sense of place, Ashby records these beautiful creatures as does graze, bucks spar and juveniles burnish their antlers on bushes.
A lyrical recorder of nature, Year of the Deer is an outstanding example of Ashby's patient filmmaking style. Described by Peter Scott as the 'silent watcher' he engages with the deer in an imaginative and emotional way, celebrating both their natural beauty and that of the British landscape.
Eric Ashby
