Walkabout (1971)

Director:

Nicolas Roeg

Writers:

Edward Bond (writer)
James Vance Marshall (novel)

Release Date:

1 July 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

A boy and girl face the challenge of the world's last frontier. Dangers they had never known before... A people they had never seen before...

Plot:

Two young children are stranded in the Australian outback and are forced to cope on their own. They...

Plot Keywords:

Tribe | Walkabout | Australian Outback | Teenage Boy | Weather Balloon

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jenny Agutter	...	Girl
Luc Roeg	...	White Boy (as Lucien John)
David Gulpilil	...	Black Boy (as David Gumpilil)
John Meillon	...	Man
Robert McDarra	...	Man (as Robert McDara)
Peter Carver	...	No Hoper (as Pete Carver)
John Illingsworth	...	Young Man
Hilary Bamberger	...	Woman
Barry Donnelly	...	Australian Scientist
Noeline Brown	...	German Scientist (as Noelene Brown)
Carlo Manchini	...	Italian Scientist

Directed by
Nicolas Roeg

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Edward Bond		writer
James Vance Marshall		novel

Produced by
Anthony J. Hope	....	associate producer
Si Litvinoff	....	producer
Max L. Raab	....	executive producer

Original Music by
John Barry

Cinematography by
Nicolas Roeg

Film Editing by
Antony Gibbs
Alan Pattillo

Production Design by
Brian Eatwell

Art Direction by
Terry Gough

Makeup Department
Linda Richmond	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Grahame Jennings	....	production manager
Irving Zeiger	....	associate production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kevin Kavanagh	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Barry Brown	....	location sound mixer
Gerry Humphreys	....	dubbing mixer
Kevin Kearney	....	boom operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Dean Goodhill	....	still photographer
Peter Hannan	....	focus puller
Mike Molloy	....	camera operator
Anthony B. Richmond	....	special photographer (as Tony Richmond)
Dean Goodhill	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Brian Mann	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
John Barry	....	conductor
Phil Ramone	....	music producer
Sidney Margo	....	music contractor (uncredited)

Other crew
Annabel Davis-Goff	....	continuity
Barbara Burleigh	....	production coordinator: on location (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Si Litvinoff Film Production

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• 4 Front Video (1999) (UK) (VHS)
• Siren Entertainment (1999) (Australia) (DVD) (Special Edition)
• Siren Entertainment (1999) (Australia) (VHS) (Special Edition)
• Universal Pictures (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• AV Channel (2001) (Australia) (DVD)
• Cable Hogue Co. (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Broadway (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Media Cooperation One (MC-One) (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (199?) (USA) (VHS) (widescreen)
• Janus Films (197?) (worldwide) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (????) (Australia) (DVD)

Runtime:

100 min | USA:100 min (1997 reissue) | USA:95 min (original version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (video rating: 2000) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:GP (re-rating on appeal) | USA:R (original rating) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia

Company:

Si Litvinoff Film Production

Trivia:

Due to Jenny Agutter's full-frontal nudity, film originally drew an "R" rating from the MPAA. It was reduced to "PG" on appeal.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The girl asks to be taken to the city of Adelaide, the children's destination in the novel. However, the city shown at the start and end of the film is clearly Sydney, which is several thousand kilometers (and two states) away from Adelaide.

Quotes:

White Boy: Well, where are we now?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 50 Films to See Before You Die (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Los Angeles

INNOCENCE

Goodness gracious it's amazing how many reviewers missed the most obvious aspect of the film. This tale is about innocence and it approaches that from many different angles. As for Roeg practicing camera tricks-maybe today these are tricks but at the time the style was a pioneering method of telling and showing psychological elements, wasted on todays audiences. Roeg presents innocence in juxtaposition with the hardness and neuroses of society, not as WHITEMAN BAD but as society, modern society makes us very neurotic by taking away our innocence. Roeg makes an brilliant point and stylizes a mostly nonverbal experience by letting us journey with children all on the cusp of some new stage of growth. This movie is a small masterpiece!!