Wake in Fright 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Wake in Fright 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 14, 2025

Ted Kotcheff's "Wake in Fright" (1970) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include new audio commentary by author and critic Peter Galvin; archival audio commentary by Ted Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley; multiple archival interviews; various documentaries; vintage promotional materials; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

'Yabba action

Note: The text below was originally used in our review of British label Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Wake in Fright in 2014.

The man protagonist in Ted Kotcheff’s Wake in Fright is a young schoolteacher who has been forced to accept a position in a tiny, isolated community deep in the Australian Outback. After a year of hard work, John Grant (Gary Bond, TV's Great Expectations) is heading back to Sydney to celebrate Christmas with his girlfriend.

But on the way to Sydney, Grant stops off in Bundanyabba, a wild mining town where people love to eat, drink, and gamble. He is not in a mood to party, but the local constable (Chips Rafferty, Massacre Hill, The Sundowners) buys him a couple of beers and a steak and then shows him the area’s popular gambling den. Rather reluctantly, Grant bets some of his money and wins big. Then he bets again and loses everything, including his traveling money.

On the following morning, Grant misses his flight and meets Tim Hynes (Al Thomas, Jenny), a friendly and seemingly financially secure drunkard, who offers him a room in his large mansion. Grant also befriends Hynes' sexually frustrated wife (Sylvia Kay, TV's Just Good Friends), who decides to have a bit of fun with him before he heads back to civilization.

Shortly after, a couple of Hynes' best buddies take Grant on a 'hunting trip' -- for a few hours, the men kill as many kangaroos as they can track down and then begin fighting amongst themselves. However, while they are ‘having fun’, the seriously inebriated Grant collapses, allowing Doc Tydon (Donald Pleasence, Race for the Yankee Zephyr), once a highly respected physician, to have has his way with him.

The unplanned lovemaking experience convinces Grant that he can reach Sydney alone and without money. He gets to the next town, where a stranger agrees to drive him further down the road. However, exhausted and dehydrated, Grant falls asleep in the back of his truck -- and then wakes up when the man stops in front of Bundanyabba’s City Hall.

Based on the novel by Kenneth Cook, Wake in Fright is an uncompromising, brutal film that once seen cannot be forgotten. In 1971, it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or Award, but following mixed reviews at home and only one airing on commercial television, it quickly disappeared. Nearly four decades later, following an extensive digital restoration, it returned to Cannes and was reintroduced in the Classics section.

The brutality that flourishes before Kotcheff's camera makes large portions of Wake in Fright quite difficult to endure. The raw hunting footage, in particular, is deeply unsettling. In a video interview recorded after the digital restoration was completed, Kotcheff clarified that he shot the footage while following real hunters doing their jobs. However, Anthony Buckley’s editing is so effective, it easily creates the impression that Kotcheff’s camera was in the company of deranged men who were in fact killing the animals for fun.

Evan Jones’ screenplay is loaded with plain, often quite rough words and statements, just like the men who utter them. There are a few splashes of humor, but the odd, unexpected contrasts they create make the brutality appear even more authentic.

The entire cast is enormously impressive. Bond looks genuinely frustrated and lost, and in the end, completely delusional. Pleasence plays a madman who has decided to drink himself to death, and it certainly looks like he does everything he possibly can to get the job done. Thomas is superb as the kooky drunkard. Rafferty, one of Australia's all-time greatest actors, is unforgettable as the aggressive constable.

Wake in Fright 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Umbrella Entertainment's release of Wake in Fright is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and the Blu-ray are Region-Free.

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray disc and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-28 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #32-40 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

I have only one other release of Wake in Fright in my library. It is this Region-B Blu-ray release, produced by British label Eureka Entertainment in 2014. I used it to do various comparisons.

The combo pack introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of Wake in Fright. In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. Also, I viewed large parts of the 1080p presentation of the 4K restoration on the Blu-ray.

The 4K restoration is a genuine revelation that finally makes it possible to experience Wake in Fright the right way. Indeed, it produces solid organic visuals that can look pretty striking in native 4K and 1080p. For a number of different reasons, too. For example, unlike the previous restoration, which is plagued by heavy filtering adjustments, the 4K restoration retains all high-frequency information, ensuring that native grain fluctuations, highlights, finer nuances, and shadow nuances are properly reproduced. Unsurprisingly, clarity and depth are superior in numerous dramatic ways, too. Why numerous dramatic ways? Because the camera intentionally captures sunlight, other natural light, and shadows in many unique ways, and all of the native fluctuations between these stylistic preferences are now very obvious and easy to appreciate. They are part of the film's native identity. Additionally, because of all of these properly reproduced aspects of the original cinematography, all visuals have a vastly superior dynamic range. (This is an upgrade that is very obvious in native 4K and 1080p). Indeed, even during darker or nighttime footage, the visuals are significantly richer and better detailed. Color reproduction and balance are improved. Interestingly, but unsurprisingly, darker footage with different ranges of darker nuances benefit as much and occasionally even more because now their dynamic range is proper. On the previous restoration, the filtering adjustments collapse many of them. The rich and bright yellow and brown are outstanding. The HDR grade is very good. However, I prefer how certain, typically brighter, segments look without it. Also, the native 4K presentation handles the many grain fluctuations better than the 1080p presentation, so if you have a very large screen, the superiority of the former becomes undeniable. Image stability is excellent. The 4K restoration is very healthy, but I noticed several small blemishes and nicks that could have been eliminated with digital tools. In summary, it is very easy to declare that Wake in Fright finally looks as it should -- on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. My score is 4.75/5.00.

Wake in Fright 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The original soundtrack incorporates various organic sounds and noises. As a result, there are numerous fluctuations affecting balance and dynamic intensity. I would say that all exchanges are very easy to follow. However, in select areas, the audio can become too thin, even a tad too flat. These are inherited limitations too, so they are properly reproduced. However, if the new 4K restoration had introduced a new, 2.0 or 5.1, track where some of these limitations were addressed, I would have definitely spent time with it.

Wake in Fright 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and critic Peter Galvin. After viewing the 4K restoration of Wake in Fright, I listened to the entire commentary and thought that it was outstanding. Galvin apparently spent several years researching the production history of Wake in Fright and shares quite a few interesting bits about the film's reception in Australia (and why and how some of its themes resonated in different ways), different lensing choices, a key sex speech and how it was rehearsed, Kenneth Cook's novel, etc. Galvin also shares bits from a very interesting Canadian article, describing the bizarre image Australians had outside of Australia.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary with director Ted Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley initially appeared on the Australian home video releases of Wake in Fright. The commentators spend a great deal of time explaining how and where the film was shot, and discuss Chips Rafferty's final role (the late actor apparently insisted on drinking real beer while key sequences from the film were shot), some of the initial reactions to the film's script, its digital restoration, etc.).

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary One - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by author and critic Peter Galvin. After viewing the 4K restoration of Wake in Fright, I listened to the entire commentary and thought that it was outstanding. Galvin apparently spent several years researching the production history of Wake in Fright and shares quite a few interesting bits about the film's reception in Australia (and why and how some of its themes resonated in different ways), different lensing choices, a key sex speech and how it was rehearsed, Kenneth Cook's novel, etc. Galvin also shares bits from a very interesting Canadian article, describing the bizarre image Australians had outside of Australia.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary with director Ted Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley initially appeared on the Australian home video releases of Wake in Fright. The commentators spend a great deal of time explaining how and where the film was shot, and discuss Chips Rafferty's final role (the late actor apparently insisted on drinking real beer while key sequences from the film were shot), some of the initial reactions to the film's script, its digital restoration, etc.).

• Return to the 'Yabba - in this new program, film and television historian Andrew Mercado visits Broken Hill, where the 'Yabba was built and large portions of Wake in Fright shot. The famous gambling game seen in the film is discussed as well. In English, not subtitled. (50 min).

• Yer Mad, Ya Bastard! - in this archival program, Ted Kotcheff recalls how he was introduced to Kenneth Cook's novel and the idea for a film based on it materialized. Kotcheff recalls his first trip to Australia and addresses the production of Wake in Fright. Apparently, Kotcheff admired the real people who chose to live in remote places like the 'Yabba. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Q&A with Ted Kotcheff - this Q&A session with Ted Kotcheff was filmed at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2009. Kotcheff discusses his background, career, and involvement with Wake in Fright. In English, not subtitled. (46 min).

• Take in Fright - in this program, director of photography Brian West recalls how he was offered to work with Ted Kotcheff on Wake in Fright and discusses the difficult filming conditions in Broken Hill. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Jack Thompson - in this archival interview, featured in Mark Hartley's documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!, actor Jack Thompson (Dick) discusses the Australian identity of Wake in Fright, which many Australians did not want to acknowledge at the time of its release. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• The Cinema's Great Squeaky Bald Git - in this recent program, critic Kim Newman discusses the life and career of Donald Pleasence, as well as some of his famous cinematic transformations. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• The Filmmaker and the Filmbuff - in this recent program, Philippe Mora (Mad Dog Morgan) and Paul Harris discuss Wake in Fright. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Foreign Vision of Local Stories - presented here is a trailer reel of Australian films helmed by overseas filmmakers. In English, not subtitled. (39 min).

• Alternate Scenes From Outback - Wake in Fright was released in the U.S. and UK under the title Outback. The film was trimmed of some of its violence, language, and sexual content -- and some additional audio was added. Presented here are scenes from Outback illustrating the changes. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• 7:30 Report - this short video piece focuses on the production history of Wake in Fright and its controversial message. It features clips from archival interviews and more recent interviews with the people responsible for the film's previous digital restoration. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Ted Kotcheff Interview - presented here is a very long audio interview with Ted Kotcheff in which he discusses his career and Wake in Fright. The interview was conducted by Paul Harris. In English, not subtitled. (131 min).

• John Scott Interview - presented here is a very long audio interview with composer John Scott in which he discusses his career and involvement with Wake in Fright. The interview was conducted by film music film historian Daniel Schweiger. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Who Needs Art? - the archival footage presented here was shot during the filming of Wake in Fright. Portion of the footage is dedicated to some of the challenges the local film industry was facing during the early '70s. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• TV Spot - presented here is a restored original TV spot for Wake in Fright. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Chips Rafferty Obituary - presented here are short clips from archival interviews with Chips Rafferty (Wake in Fright was his final film) and Australian director Ken G. Hall, who made a number of films with the iconic actor. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Stills Gallery - presented here is a collection of vintage promotional stills for Wake in Fright. With music. (5 min).

• Sunstruck (1972) - presented here is a bonus feature film from the producers of Wake in Fright. In English, not subtitled. (92 min). (5 min).

Wake in Fright 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some Australians think it is rather odd that one of the greatest Australian films was made by a Canadian director and several British actors. It is not odd, it makes perfect sense. Usually, an outsider can see, understand, and appreciate a lot that is either intentionally or unintentionally misinterpreted or flat-out ignored by a local. I am not trying to imply that this is the only reason Ted Kotcheff's Wake in Fright is a special film. However, it is undoubtedly one of the most important reasons. This combo pack introduces an outstanding, much needed 4K restoration that finally makes it possible to experience Wake in Fright the right way. Hopefully, an American label will bring it to America soon. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.