Review of Walkabout (1971) by Craig T — 05 Jun 2012
This is one of those films in that after seeing it, I wish I could have been there when it was being shot. It may very well be the finest film Nicolas Roeg has directed. His first effort as director set a high standard of exploring humanity and scenery.
He carefully picks his colors and textures like a true artist. I've never seen such primal, natural images in this way. Two English youths fall victim to a violent tragedy and are cast out into the Australian desert.
It is hot and unforgiving but they eventually find a savior in a young Aboriginal boy who happens to be on his own journey. The three then become friends and the harsh desert elements turn to an unseen paradise.
We see beautiful waterfalls, rare fruit to taste, and an unforgettable sense of adventure. There are these short silent times when colorful lizards scale the rocks and then there are times when we see the dusty bones of fallen animals.
These images fit with this story of nature and how powerful and strangely innocent it all is. The film cuts from the Aboriginal boy cleaning an animal in a field to a butcher performing the same act in modern society.
The two shots are comparisons and I think show how the young girl (Jenny Agutter) is computing the events to make sense out of them. Or are they to suggest to us, the viewer, how similar and different the two worlds are? Life is sudden, it is terrifying, it is beautiful, and it is often indescribable.
The young girl takes all this in as her eyes are opened and she will never be the same. The images and ideas in Walkabout are special and the film offers a fresh story that should not be missed. (A).
This review of Walkabout (1971) was written by Craig T on 05 Jun 2012.
Walkabout has generally received very positive reviews.
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