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From Amazon.co.uk
Very few films achieve subliminal greatness with cross-cultural impact, but Walkabout is one of those films--a visual tone poem that functions more as an allegory than a conventionally plotted adventure. Considered a cult favourite for years, Nicolas Roeg's 1971 film centres upon two British children who are rescued in the Australian outback by a young aborigine. Through exquisite cinematography and a story of subtle human complexity, the film continues to resonate on many thematic and artistic levels. Just as Roeg intended, it is a cautionary morality tale in which the limitations and restrictions of civilisation become painfully clear when the two children (played by Jenny Agutter and Roeg's young son, Lucien John) cannot survive without the aborigine's assistance. They become primitives themselves, if only temporarily, while the young aborigine proves ultimately and tragically unable to join the "family" of civilisation. With its story of two worlds colliding, Walkabout now seems like a film for the ages, hypnotic and open to several compelling levels of interpretation. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
Product Description
While out on a picnic in the Australian outback with his teenage daughter (Jenny Agutter) and young son (Lucien John), a man goes insane and kills himself. The girl takes her brother into the outback in order that he doesn't see their father's dead body. There they meet a young Aborigine (David Gumpilil) who is on walkabout - a rites of passage ritual whereby he must survive in the wilderness for several weeks. He finds food and water for the siblings, and develops a form of communication with the young boy despite being unable to speak English. The girl, however, rebuffs the mating dance which the Aborigine performs in her honour.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
97 of 105 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:VHS Tape
Nicholas Roeg's second film as director, Walkabout, is truly the most beautiful and incredible film I have ever seen (although I say this at the tender age of fourteen)! It tells the story of a father taking his two children, nineteen-year-old Jenny Agutter and six-year-old brother Lucien Roeg (the director's real-life son), on a picnic deep in the Australian outback, where he suddenly commits suicide and leaves them to fend for themselves. They make their way, bewildered and lost, through the hot, dry desert, having no contact with the outside world and fast running out of food and water, before encountering a teenage Aboriginal boy out on his test of endurance, a 'walkabout'. This walkabout, where a boy leaves the tribe and survives on his own for months, is part of his passage into manhood, and is a part of every Aboriginal boy's life. Having befriended the boy, the white children learn more of how to survive in the outback, while there is growing sexual chemistry in the relationship between the girl and the Aborigine. I won't spoil the rest of the film!
Nicholas Roeg's direction and camerawork are simply beautiful. He films wildlife in close-up, sometimes grainy images, and inserts surreal flashback sequences and comparisons between the Aboriginal and Western worlds. The film shows how prim, English Jenny Agutter becomes gradually more dishevelled and natural as she adapts, and the crucial turning point is when she swims naked in a pool. Her relationship with the Aborigine, which has to overcome poignant difficulties such as the language barrier and culture clash, is touchingly shown.
The acting is superb, making the story believable and moving. I was captivated from start to finish. The score, by John Barry, is perfect and atmospheric. The scenery, and Roeg's intense use of it and the animals found there, is spellbinding. All in all, the film is just so incredibly beautiful and moving that I felt I had to write a review. It is a genuine must-see.
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By M. D. Elston
Format:DVD
This is one of the most beautiful, original and intriguing films of the last 50 years, and has for a very long time been among my favourites. Nic Roeg is the equal of any director (even David Lean) when it comes to sumptuous camera work (he was a cinematographer before he became a director), and when combined with his imaginative direction and storytelling, as here, the product is unique and breathtaking. Perfectly acted by the young Jenny Agutter accompanied by Roeg's own son Luc (billed as Lucien John) and David Gumpilil, I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone who enjoys cinema as art.
It is therefore a matter of great regret that when reissuing the DVD last year, UCA did not see fit to provide us with anything better than a copy of the original release: the DVD is apparently still not anamorphic, only letterbox, the quality of the transfer is merely adequate (hardly better than the old VHS tape) and the extras are laughably basic. When there exists a German anamorphic PAL version, and the Criterion Collection edition released in the US (also non-anamorphic, sadly) has a Roeg+Agutter commentary, it is sad that the country of the film's origin cannot boast a DVD release worthy of such a classic film. Owning, as I do, the original DVD in its jewel-box case (remember those?), I shall not be buying this reissue, but will wait and hope for a future release that does justice to this beautiful film.
It is therefore a matter of great regret that when reissuing the DVD last year, UCA did not see fit to provide us with anything better than a copy of the original release: the DVD is apparently still not anamorphic, only letterbox, the quality of the transfer is merely adequate (hardly better than the old VHS tape) and the extras are laughably basic. When there exists a German anamorphic PAL version, and the Criterion Collection edition released in the US (also non-anamorphic, sadly) has a Roeg+Agutter commentary, it is sad that the country of the film's origin cannot boast a DVD release worthy of such a classic film. Owning, as I do, the original DVD in its jewel-box case (remember those?), I shall not be buying this reissue, but will wait and hope for a future release that does justice to this beautiful film.
30 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By Fluffer
Format:DVD
What more can I add to the other reviews of Nic Roeg's spellbinding,unforgettable and cryptic movie? The multitude of memorable visual moments and set pieces are its appeal. When their father inexplicably tries to shoot them and then kills himself, two youngsters are stranded in the Australian Outback, where they are rescued on the brink of starvation by a lone aboriginal boy.(David Gumpilil) Together, they begin the long, arduous trek back to civilisation.
It is the combination of sumptous cinematography of a beautiful and frightening landscape, a fantastic score by John Barry (probably his best ever) and Roeg's portrayal of the touching, complicated and ultimately tragic relationship that builds between the protagonists, that makes this work so effective. Jenny Agutter, in a role infinately more faceted and mature than in 'The Railway Children' (which this incidently predates by a number of months) has most of the infrequent dialogue and carries the story along superbly, but it's the final scene, a memory, a flashback to something that may or may not have happened, that stays with you long, long after the final credits have rolled.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mystical Journey
Nicolas Roeg's 1971 masterpiece Walkabout ia one of those films at that can be viewed on many different levels at many different times and never feels dated. Read more
Published 9 days ago by Bryan A. Pfleeger
5.0 out of 5 stars
Roeg's Masterpiece!
I have watched this film many times and it stays fresh at every viewing. Stunning photography, beautiful score by John Barry and believable performances.
Published 15 days ago by PETER BOSCHI
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of those "right of passage" films
An amazing and disturbing story of two white children left in the outback to die. They're joined by an aboriginal boy who guides them in the ways of bushcraft and ultimately helps... Read more
Published 25 days ago by D. Harker
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless Australian classic.
This 1971 film was directed by the very talented Nicolas Roeg, and stars the English actress Jenny Agutter. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Mr. P. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Walkabout in Blu Ray.
Long awaited H.D version of a classic film uses latest software so make sure your firmware on first generation Blu Ray player is updated mine had to be. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John
3.0 out of 5 stars
Walkabout Dvd
I wish the film script had followed the original story. The opening scenes were nothing like the book which I have purchased.
Published 2 months ago by Patricia
1.0 out of 5 stars
Terrible
This is the worst film that I have ever seen. I was tempted to switch it off after about ten minutes as it was wierd from the very beginning and was about absolutely nothing. Read more
Published 4 months ago by J. armstrong
1.0 out of 5 stars
Walkabout Blu-ray with no extras
The US "Criterion Collection" version of this film has an audio commentary with director Nicholas Roeg and Jenny Agutter. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jeff Smith
1.0 out of 5 stars
WALKABOUT BLU RAY
Just watched the new UK blu ray release, What a disgrace, Great film awful blu ray, I dont think any genuine attempt has been made to improve the picture quality what-so-ever And... Read more
Published 8 months ago by JOHN T.T
4.0 out of 5 stars
A film of its time
This is a film that appeared at the curtain call of the sixties, and the influence of that period is very evident. Read more
Published 9 months ago by R. C. Harris
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