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A few words about...™ Walkabout -- in Blu-ray

post #1 of 11
Thread Starter 
Nicolas Roeg's brilliant 1971 Walkabout is an art film in the truest sense of the word.  It is also gorgeous to look at, multi-layered in a sense that re-visiting always gives one something else to think about, but most important, it is a film that has beautifully stood the test of time.

Walkabout is one of those films that has seen its share of home video releases, in virtually every incarnation possible, but we finally have nirvana, as Criterion's newly minted Blu-ray appears to my eye, as if viewing a pristine 35mm print.

Color and densities are beautifully rendered.  I would think that anything less would not have passed muster with Mr. Roeg, who in his early career was a lighting cameraman, and one of the best.  I've often wondered what David Lean's Dr. Zhivago would have looked like had he completed the film, as his remaining scenes are magnificent.

In an interview filmed in 2008, actress Jenny Agutter notes that one of the film's themes is about the end of innocence, and the inability to return.  But it's also about other things, and for those who have never seen the film, they are best left undiscovered. Working one's way through the film's multiple layers is part of its charms.

While there are occasional stumbles, usually on the studio level with Blu-ray, many releases over the past year have been nothing less than marvelous.  Criterion's Walkabout is another that can be added to this very special list.

A perfect Blu-ray.

A magnificent piece of cinema.

Highly Recommended.

RAH

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post #2 of 11
It's a film that stays in your head long after your first viewing. I will be getting this.

I enjoyed a brilliant documentary about Roeg recently that consisted of snippets of interviews with various colleagues and performers down the years, but as the time passed, I was wondering about the lack of input from The Great Man himself. Until at the end, there he was, hands clasped on knees, slightly embarrassed, being hooked up to sound, sat dutifully before a single camera waiting for the first question. Which when it came sent him into a Very English Tizzy:

"What are my films about? Crikey, what a question. I mean....they...look, what are they about? You could have warned me, I mean 'what are they about?' I could spend all day just....blimey. Well, they...I do wish you'd have told me that would be..."

Roll credits...
post #3 of 11
This is one of those films I saw several times upon initial release in different venues, trying to find one that offered a stellar presentation. No luck. The picture was either not projected correctly or was in a hot, crumby box theater (one with a curved screen that didn't add anything to the experience) or had idiots in the audience who had come expecting, I dunno, an action thriller. The same happened when I tried to see DRAGONSLAYER properly. My three theatrical and three video experiences of that film were: 1. Too dark. Detail lost in cave. 2. Slightly better image, but muffled sound. 3. Inexplicably, the entire cave confrontation between Galen and dragon had been excised, probably by a projectionist who wanted a piece of the action to bring home. The best piece. Original pan and scan laserdisc was soft and lacked detail. The letterbox edition was better but was too dark. The DVD is passable, but I still feel I haven't seen this film as it should be seen. I feel that way about WALKABOUT. That Criterion is presenting this on Blu-ray and that it has Mr. Harris' coveted blessing makes me giddy with anticipation. I can only hope Criterion gets hold of DRAGONSLAYER and does similar great work.
post #4 of 11
Good to hear this title gets the RAH seal of approval. It's my top release for May, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing Walkabout for the first time in it's proper AR. After seeing what Criterion did with Days of Heaven I've no doubt that this will be a stellar release.
post #5 of 11
Looking forward to this one, and glad it looks great.

If this disc still has Jenny's commentary from the LD and DVD, I'm curious to see whether they reedited the commentary so that her comments on shoes go with the scene she is referring to.
post #6 of 11
Thanks, RAH.

Glad to hear Criterion did right by it.   Looking forward to seeing this one for the first time myself.

_Man_
post #7 of 11
I can't wait to see this on blu.  Love the film, amazing visuals, very meditative and enthralling in an unconventional way.
post #8 of 11
Blu-ray.com has a very favorable review up:

www.blu-ray.com/movies/Walkabout--Blu-ray-Review/9841/
post #9 of 11

I watched this yesterday (twice actually!) and it was the first time I'd seen it in decades, and the first time in OAR. Having forgotten much of it I watched each time as if spellbound, both the images and the score are absolutely hypnotic. I did notice some things the second time that I missed first time around, which to me is one of the qualities of a great film. Symbolism, both sexual and otherwise, is abundant. As John Hodson so rightly points out in his post above the movie stays in your head long after viewing and I must agree. I believe this movie is now one of my favorites.

 

The Blu-ray is gorgeous and looks like film as RAH points out. Simply beautiful, and I noticed no playback glitches at the 51m mark as some others have, which may be player dependent. Aside from a few very minor specks and lines the only 'flaw' I saw was a few missing frames. When the brother and sister are at the oasis early in their journey the boy is in the water playing with a toy rowboat there is a skip where it appears some frames are missing (reel end perhaps?). It's quick and if you're not paying attention you could easily miss it, but it is there. Not a big deal at all, I just wanted to mention it. A fantastic release of a fantastic movie.

post #10 of 11

Just got this blu ray and am really hoping it plays through, after all the complaints I've read. DAYS OF HEAVEN wouldn't play through, but I updated my firmware and now everything is hunky dory. I haven't seen WALKABOUT since I was a kid, when it seemed to run endlessly on telelvision.

post #11 of 11

Nobody needs me to say this, but I'll say it anyway; this is a gorgeous transfer of one beautiful, magical, film.

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