Walkabout
Overview
Nicolas Roeg's solo directorial debut is a haunting, unconventional narrative film that presents a bleak vision of civilized life as arid and unrewarding. Abandoned in the Australian outback, two young white children (Jenny Agutter and Roeg's son Lucien) stumble upon an adolescent Aborigine (David Gulpilil), who is performing a "walkabout." In this ritualistic six-month journey, the boy must learn to survive by himself in the imposing desert. Communication is a problem, although more for the girl than for her little brother, who still has a child's ability to communicate simply and directly. The two teenagers fail to connect for a variety of reasons, mostly due to the girl's lack of interest in a culture that is unfamiliar and different from her own. Ultimately, the differences become too much to bear, resulting in a tragic conclusion that adds an even more somber denouement to Roeg's already grim vision. Based on the novel by James Vance Marshall, WALKABOUT is a powerful commentary on pastoral simplicity versus cosmopolitan clutter, and features stunning cinematography from Roeg.
Awards:
Main Cast & Crew:
Nicolas Roeg - Director
Jenny Agutter
Luc Roeg
David Gulpilil
John Meillon
Robert McDara
Peter Carver
John Illingsworth
Hilary Bamberger
Barry Donnelly
Noelene Brown
Details
- Format: Blu-ray
- Color Format: Color
- UPC: 715515058018
- Genre: DRAMA
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: March 2010
Movie Reviews
Synopsis:
After a pair of British children are abandoned in the Australian outback, they join up with a young Aborigine who is performing his traditional, coming-of-age rite of passage, the Walkabout.
Reviews:
"...WALKABOUT is a movie of restless images that are forever etched into one's consciousness..." - 01/24/1997 Chicago Sun-Times, p.36
"...With gorgeous outback photography....The movie is sensual, even erotic..." - 04/04/1997 USA Today, p.3D
“WALKABOUT is a condemnation of the modern world, but its politics are subtle and unspoken. A gem.” - 05/13/2010 Entertainment Weekly
"The title comes from a ceremonial rite of passage observed by some Aborigines that sends boys off to fend for themselves before becoming men, and much of WALKABOUT hangs in the last moments of a state of grace." - 05/19/2010 A.V. Club
"Roeg takes the story and from it fashions a piece of 'pure' cinema through the use of mesmerising images of the landscape..." - 09/01/2010 Sight and Sound
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