Review of Walkabout (1971) by Stuart K — 23 Apr 2012

While Performance (1970) was in it's messy post-production with it's Hollywood studio, Nicolas Roeg went off to Australia to do this adaptation of James Vance Marshall's 1959 novel, which was adapted into a sparse screenplay.

But, Roeg used his abilities as a cinematographer to make an experimental but atmospheric film showing a land and culture most people don't normally see. It tells the story of a teenage girl (Jenny Agutter) and her younger brother (Luc John, Roeg's son) who go out into the Australian outback for a picnic with their father (John Meillon), who just snaps, starts shooting at them before turning the gun on himself.

The girl wants to protect her brother from the horrors of what their father has done, so they walk off into the outback, days later On their travels, they meet a young aborigine (David Gulpilil) on his âwalkabout," which is a rite of passage in which adolescent aborigine boys are initiated into manhood by journeying into the wilderness alone, but they prevail and survive.

He teaches the girl and her brother to survive and live off the land. It's one of a kind and very different, it's got brilliant cinematography and editing and a very naturalist feel to it. Even the famous nude swimming scene has a naturalistic feel to it and isn't obscene.

It contrasts between life in the outback and the urban jungle in Sydney, you won't get anything like this now.