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March 29, 2024, 01:31:58 AM

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Walkabout (Roeg - 1971)

Started by Chedney Honks, April 14, 2021, 05:11:31 PM

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Chedney Honks



I hadn't seen this before so it's completely fresh for me. I know very little of the context or reception and I absolutely loved it, the first film to make me cry in a long time. I have to say that I am very fond of/affected by the loss of innocence theme and the last film which made me feel something like this was Malick's The New World. I can acknowledge an element of noble savagery in these films but I think both are much more complex than that.

For a film made fifty years ago, the core themes haven't aged at all. They probably resonate even more now, and that's without even going into the social issues in Oz which I don't know nearly enough about to begin. The more resonant and universal aspects to me were the failure of communication and the loss of humanity which civilisation and manners bring. The poem at the end juxtaposed with the joyful innocence of the swimming wrecked me.

Into my heart and air that kills
From yon far country blows;
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.


I'd never heard that before but it tapped into something within me.

The photography, as well. Good God. Some of the juxtaposition and cross-cutting might seem heavy-handed these days but I thought it was so effective. I was quite shocked by the viscera and death and decay, but as with the nudity and unspoken sexuality, I didn't find anything at all gratuitous, only a matter-of-fact, non-judgemental presentation of life and natural urges.

I was blown away by this, in short. I will have to watch a lot more Nicolas Roeg films now.

Any other thoughts?

El Unicornio, mang

One of my favourites. Beautifully shot and acted with some genuinely shocking twists.

The only other Roeg films I've seen are Don't Look Now (fantastic and terrifying) and The Man Who Fell to Earth, weird Bowie alien films which I saw snatches of as a kid but need to revisit.

Sebastian Cobb

I should definitely rewatch this. It was one we watched over a couple of lessons in school and can barely remember much about it apart from Jenny Agutter swimming about and even then noticing just how quiet a class of usually unruly 15 year olds had become. Seems a bit mad that they showed that looking back.

sevendaughters

I think the bit where
Spoiler alert
the aboriginal boy kills himself
[close]
is one of the saddest moments in all of cinema, and says something (I'm not sure what) quite disturbing about colonialism or even cultural clashes.

I love how when they finally find civilisation, the first person they meet is an utter pedant guarding his sad little lawn in the middle of nowhere.

Great film. Didn't know what to make of it at first but it's stayed in my head like hardly anything ever.

greenman

I'd say John Barry's best ever work as well, majestic score that works perfectly.

lipsink

Yeah I only saw this film too for the first time a few years ago and I cried at it. I immediately went and got the soundtrack and John Barry's main score still makes we wanna cry. Really beautiful film.

Chedney Honks

For shame that I didn't mention the score, indeed. Absolutely beautiful, uplifting and heartbreaking. I'll seek it out.

shiftwork2

It's absolutely terrific.  A visual tone poem.

SteveDave

I've never seen this film but, like with a lot of the recommendations on this forum, I will investigate ASAP.

Butchers Blind

I watched this when I was about 13 and remember it staying in my head for a long time afterwards. The mix of imagery, themes and music must of resonated with me at the time as I making my way into teenagehood. 
Watched it again about 10 years ago and lost none of its power.

Gulftastic

I liked the sequel too, although when I first heard about the casting of Mike Read I thought it would be a disaster.

:D Haha.  That the first thing that popped into my head as well, imagining him as the continuity announcer on the telly "wowkabaaaat .... naaah!"

I've downloaded it. Put it on the "honks" pile. I should probably start chipping away at that to be honest, it's about to topple over.

Chedney Honks

One of the best films I've seen in years. I expect I'll consider it one of my favourite films ever when I die.

The run Performance-Walkabout-Don't Look Now-Man Who Fell to Earth is astonishing, but I've never seen any of the Roeg films that followed, and I'm a bit intrigued by the terrible reputation they all have. What are they like?
Just found out that the AIDS DON'T DIE OF IGNORANCE advert was by him!

sevendaughters

Quote from: Astronaut Omens on April 15, 2021, 04:20:28 PM
The run Performance-Walkabout-Don't Look Now-Man Who Fell to Earth is astonishing, but I've never seen any of the Roeg films that followed, and I'm a bit intrigued by the terrible reputation they all have. What are they like?
Just found out that the AIDS DON'T DIE OF IGNORANCE advert was by him!

I've never seen Eureka but I've heard people say that it has one of the most baffling / worst final acts of any film.

The Witches is one of the best films ostensibly for kids.

Ant Farm Keyboard

You can also check his cinematographer work on The Masque of Red Death, for instance. The work on colours, especially in the suite of rooms, is just stunning. I haven't seen Petulia, by Richard Lester, which is supposedly quite close to Roeg's themes as a director.


greenman

The first part of Eureka with Hackman as a gold prospector is probably about as pure Roeg as you can get atmosphere/editing wise, not seen Bad Timing but that seems to have the rest rep outside of his first 4 films.

Walkabout does almost feel like its a reaction to his work on Lawrence of Arabia, to make that kind of film but avoid the typical epic Hollywood style.

zomgmouse

Walkabout is really quite astonishing. I have the book it was based on but not read it yet. Pretty sure I saw this as a double with Wake in Fright. Fuck me.

Re later Roeg stuff I've seen Bad Timing which was excellent (actually my first Roeg and what got me wanting to see more of his stuff), and The Witches which is what it is I suppose.

Quote from: zomgmouse on April 16, 2021, 12:48:18 AMThe Witches which is what it is I suppose.

Aww, I really like the witches :(
I have to admit that "don't look now" bored the arse off me, though I was very young when I saw it so the whole grief thing would have just been an alien concept to me at the time.
Guinea pig die, get a new one.
It was sold to me as a really scary horror film as well so I remember feeling very short-changed in that regard.

nw83

This is my favourite film. It's what got me into cinema - seeing this, then La Haine, Betty Blue, some Moviedrome films, Sonatine, all around the same time.

I don't think anything will surpass its initial impact on me, and now it's tied up with all sorts of nostalgia too. I first saw it at around 11pm on TV, and my dad - an Irish/Yorkshireman former-shipbuilder / builder, not usually verbose about arty stuff - quite firmly insisted that I don't go to bed, instead I watch it with him, and look out for all the split-second images, etc. Never heard him talk like that before. From the opening didgeridoo music, I knew it was something special, then the dad does what he does...

There are loads of details you pick up after repeated viewings. All the shots of brick walls juxtaposed with hillsides (not as obvious as other juxtapositions in it), the way it begins with "Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen" (in French) and ends with "bets are off," etc.

I don't know how I took a good decade to realise E=MC2 by Big Audio Dynamite it a tribute to Roeg, despite it having footage of Don't Look Now throughout it (including giving away the ending).