Walkabout Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Walkabout Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 20, 2019

Nic Roeg's "Walkabout" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. There are no bonus features on this release. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The abandoned

A man (John Meillon, The Fourth Wish) decides to take his teenage daughter (Jenny Agutter, An American Werewolf in London) and son (Luc Roeg) deep into the Australian Outback for a picnic. Once there, he goes berserk and attempts to kill them. When they run away, he torches his car and then blows his brains out. Alone, the girl and the boy embark on a treacherous journey back to civilization.

Along the way the two meet a young Aboriginal boy (David Gulpilil, Rabbit-Proof Fence) who is on a “walkabout”, a rite of passage into manhood. He does not speak their language and they don’t speak his. Nevertheless, the Aboriginal boy begins teaching his new friends how to survive.

The more time the three spent together, the more interested they become in each other. Eventually, mesmerized by the girl’s beauty, the Aboriginal boy decides to reveal his feelings to her. He performs a traditional mating dance, but the girl misinterprets it and rejects his advances, which forces him to commit suicide. Shocked and heartbroken, the girl and her brother continue their journey. Eventually, they reach civilization, but quickly discover that everything has changed.

Based on James Vance Marshall's book, Nicholas Roeg's Walkabout is a fascinating exploration of two very different cultures. One seems primitive, the other advanced and modern. Both are aware of each other, but only the former is interested in reaching out.

The main characters in the film are innocent young people whose minds have not yet been corrupted by fear or hatred. They meet by chance and connect out of curiosity. They learn to communicate with each other but not by speaking a common language; rather by avoiding words and following their instincts. They also observe each other and gradually begin to learn about the things that make them different.

The message Walkabout delivers, however, is not that despite of their cultural differences people could connect with each other. Rather, it is a message that points to the fact that it is the environment people live in that determines what their limitations are, what their talents are, and what they would become. There is a good reason why the main characters in Walkabout are young people who have not yet completed their cultural training -- the girl is still in school while the Aboriginal boy is on his way to complete his final educational course, the walkabout -- and are later on seen struggling to survive after they are forced out of their comfort zones.

The dialog in Walkabout is rather limited, and communication is done primarily through images. Also, there are a variety of different flashbacks that pop up throughout the film that draw parallels between urban life and life in the Outback, as well as how men treat nature in general.

I imagine that Walkabout would not resonate with modern audiences in the same way it did with those who saw it during the early '70s. The film does look dated and its fragmented structure, which was once a hot topic of discussion, does not seem as controversial.

Still, it is impossible not to admire Roeg, who prior to 1970 worked as a cinematographer for such renowned directors as François Truffaut (Fahrenheit 451) and John Schlesinger (Far from the Madding Crowd), for his ability to capture life in such a poetic fashion. This is a simple yet so profoundly moving film, and if you think carefully about what it attempts to convey to its audience, so incredibly accurate.

*In 1971, Walkabout was nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or award the Cannes Film Festival. However, when the film was eventually released in Australia, many local critics were not overly impressed with it.

Walkabout Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nic Roeg's Walkabout arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

I like the master that was used to produce this release a lot. In fact, I am fairly certain that it is the same 2K master that Criterion worked with when they produced the first high-definition release of this classic film in 2010. (The Janus Films logo appears before the film). However, it appears that the release was encoded with slightly elevated gamma levels. As a result, some of the darker footage and its nuances do not have what I consider to be proper balance. However, my system does some automatic adjustments that actually make this issue extremely difficult to spot. (You can see very obvious examples if you compare screencaptures #3 and 16 with the corresponding screencaptures from our review of the Region-A release). The unevenness can have a small impact on the color balance as well, though saturation and stability are very similar as well. The rest looks wonderful. Stability and fluidity are very good. Also, there are no distracting damage marks, debris, stains, or other age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Walkabout Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is stable and clean. John Barry's score also never struggles to add more to the already excellent atmosphere. When I first viewed the 2K restoration on Blu-ray, I thought that there was some room for optimizations in the mid-range, and I still do, but I think that the overall quality of the audio is already very good.

Walkabout Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: You can access the audio commentary that is mentioned below only by using your remote control and change the audio tracks. The disc does not have a menu and the commentary isn't even listed on the disc's back cover.

• - this audio commentary with director Nic Roeg and Jenny Agutter was recorded for Criterion in 1996, and it appeared on their DVD release of Walkabout. The commentary is excellent -- it is very personal, revealing details about the production process and how specific scenes were shot, as well as the complex thematic structure of the film and its message.

Walkabout Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I did some direct comparisons between this new release of Nic Roeg's classic film and the one that Criterion produced in North America in 2010 and I think that the two look very similar. However, this release has its gamma levels slightly elevated, and I can't quite tell if they were set that way by mistake or intentionally. For what it's worth, the Janus Films logo appears before the film, so it would appear that Umbrella Entertainment did indeed license the 2K remaster that Criterion produced. The only bonus feature on the disc is the vintage audio commentary that director Nic Roeg and Jenny Agutter recorded for Criterion. RECOMMENDED (if you find it on sale).