Description: Nicolas Roeg's masterpiece, Walkabout, is the mystical story of an English sister and brother who are abandoned in the harsh Australian outback. They are rescued by an Aborigine boy who has journeyed into the vast desert on his "walkabout"--a tribal initiation into manhood. Contrasting their idyllic sojourn with scenes that convey the senseless violence of urban life, Roeg captures the conflict between natural instincts and the "civilized" behavior that leads to tragedy for the young Aborigine. Roeg (Don't Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth) is one of the most individualistic, provocative, and talented filmmakers of our time. His breathtaking cinematography and a haunting score by Oscar®-winner John Barry (The Lion in Winter) augment the cast's flawless performances. From the producers of A Clockwork Orange.
Amazon.com: Very few films achieve a kind of 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 favorite for years, Nicolas Roeg's 1971 film--about two British children who are rescued in the Australian outback by a young aborigine--was originally released in the U.S. with an R rating, edited from its European length of 100 minutes. In 1997, the film was fully restored to its director's cut, and in its remastered video and DVD release, it's now wisely unrated (as Roeg had always intended) but still suitable for viewers of all ages. For parents this is a rare opportunity to treat well-supervised children (ages 5 and over) to an adventure that won't insult their intelligence, presenting scenes of frontal nudity and the hunting of animals in a context that invites valuable discussion and introspection. Through exquisite cinematography and a story of subtle human complexity, the film continues to resonate on many thematic and artistic levels. Roeg had always intended it to be a cautionary morality tale, in which the limitations and restrictions of civilization 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 civilization. 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. In addition to presenting the film in its original 1.77:1 aspect ratio, the Criterion Collection DVD of Walkabout includes a variety of bonus features, including a full-length commentary by Nicolas Roeg and Jenny Agutter, original theatrical trailers, and an essay by critic Roger Ebert. --Jeff Shannon
A stunning experience The combination of Nicolas Roeg's vision, John Barry's resonantly beautiful soundtrack and Jenny Agutter's wonderfully sincere performance combine to impress a stunning, not to be forgotten experience. The last scene in the apartment with Agutter's character lost in remembrance and then the words of A.E. Housman's 'A Shropshire Lad' Poem XL place the film in perfect context--'The happy highways where I went and cannot come again'. Savor this experience.
Disappointed after reading great reviews This movie got great reviews so I looked forward to watching it. I'm an Aussie living overseas so like to watch as many Aussie movies as I can, and almost always enjoy them. This was the exception. There were just too many parts of the movie where the story line didn't make a lot of sense. Then there was all the 70's "artsy" stuff which was a turn off. I will keep it in my collection but probably won't watch it again.
A meditative experiance Many people are only capable of understanding big-budget typical hollywood movies that have a nice, tight, familiar plot structure and end with a nice resolution. If you are one of those people, you will hate Walkabout. If you believe that film is a legitimate form of high-art as opposed to mindless entertainment, then you can appreciate films that allow it's immages to speak to your sub-conscious without characters explaing everything in detail. Those people who fall into the latter category will appreciate Walkabout as I did. Roger Ebert considers this one of the "great films".
Bad Bad Bad I bought this thinking this would be an exciting aventure story - it was neither exciting nor an adventure story. Most of the time was spent trying to figure out what was happening - kind of goofy. This was a great disappointment and waste of money.
What a great gift !!! My brother-in-law gave me a copy of this and I thought "Hmm, this looks cute." Well, this movie is just awesome. There are terrific performances by all the young actors, including a young Jenny Agutter. Two city kids (sister and her younger brother) are stranded in the Australian Outback by a pretty horrific (and graphic) event. They then begin a trek back to civilization, but unfortunately, they don't know where civilization is. They meet up with a young Aborigine who joins them or lets them join him and the lines between civilization and the wilderness become blurred. After watching this film, I was just awe struck. In fact, I suggested showing this to a youth group we are involved with and was told no because of all the nudity. What nudity? I didn't see any. Well, there is but it is so in line with the story that I didn't even notice it until the second viewing and then I was looking for what I had missed the first time. That's how great the story was in this film. True, it may be slow sometimes and will not be to everyone's taste, but this is one where you should give it a try. You might not like it but there's a good chance that you might think it's one of the best films you've ever seen. Either way, you will be talking about it after it's done.
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