Walkabout

Movie Information

Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present Walkabout at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 6, at Phil Mechanic Studios (109 Roberts St., River Arts District, upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com
Score:

Genre: Drama
Director: Nicolas Roeg
Starring: Jenny Agutter, Luc Roeg, David Gulpill, John Meillon, Robert McDarra
Rated: PG

When I last reviewed Walkabout (1971), I wrote: “Prior to Walkabout, Nicolas Roeg had co-directed (with Donald Cammell) only one film, the astonishing Performance, so a good deal was riding on the cinematographer-turned-filmmaker’s second outing. Could Roeg pull off a solo film? Indeed he could—and in so doing he established himself as a filmmaker with a unique, if not always completely penetrable, vision. … Nowhere is this more evident than in Walkabout, where we’re given a story predicated on a father taking his children (Jenny Agutter and Luc Roeg) on a wilderness picnic—where he proceeds to try to shoot them, before setting his car on fire and committing suicide. There are intimations from the onset that things are not as they should be, but that’s all—and the set-up seems mostly designed to get us to the basic story of the children wandering through the Australian outback in the most disturbing manner possible.” Full review here: http://www.mountainx.com/movies/review/walkabout.php

SHARE
About Ken Hanke
Head film critic for Mountain Xpress from December 2000 until his death in June 2016. Author of books "Ken Russell's Films," "Charlie Chan at the Movies," "A Critical Guide to Horror Film Series," "Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker."

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.