Review of Walkabout (1971) by Samuel B — 03 Nov 2011

Nicolas Roeg's masterpiece, this stunning adaptation of James Vance Marshall's Australia-set novel is as cinematic as it gets. Gorgeous cinematography and endlessly inventive direction and editing help the screenplay come alive like few other films ever have. Generally, films with this little dialogue would have voiceover narration to fill in the missing gaps, but Roeg's direction implies everything through visuals, while at the same time fleshing out the central three characters, vividly portrayed by David Gulpilli, Jenny Agutter, and Luc Roeg. His style is similar to such masters of the form as Stanley Kubrick and Terrence Malick.

While the central privileged siblings from Sydney view the Aborigine tribesman who helps them survive as "primitive," in fact his old-fashioned ways are filled with hard work, independence, and cooperation. When the siblings get back to "civilization," they realize their world is full of selfishness, greed, laziness, and concrete, and that they left the selfless Aborigine who saved their life by the wayside. Could easily parallel to U.S. treatment of Native Americans, making this a universal work of art.