Nicolas Roeg

Walkabout

Walkabout

A young sister and brother are abandoned in the harsh Australian outback and must learn to cope in the natural world, without their usual comforts, in this hypnotic masterpiece from Nicolas Roeg. Along the way, they meet a young aborigine on his “walkabout,” a rite of passage in which adolescent boys are initiated into manhood by journeying into the wilderness alone. Walkabout is a thrilling adventure as well as a provocative rumination on time and civilization.

Film Info

  • United Kingdom, Australia
  • 1971
  • 100 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.78:1
  • English
  • Spine #10

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, made from a newly minted 35 mm interpositive and approved by director Nicolas Roeg, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Audio commentary featuring Roeg and actress Jenny Agutter
  • Video interviews with Agutter and actor Luc Roeg
  • Gulpilil—One Red Blood (2002), an hour-long documentary on the life and career of actor David Gulpilil
  • Theatrical trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by author Paul Ryan

New cover by Neil Kellerhouse

Purchase Options

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, made from a newly minted 35 mm interpositive and approved by director Nicolas Roeg, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Audio commentary featuring Roeg and actress Jenny Agutter
  • Video interviews with Agutter and actor Luc Roeg
  • Gulpilil—One Red Blood (2002), an hour-long documentary on the life and career of actor David Gulpilil
  • Theatrical trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by author Paul Ryan

New cover by Neil Kellerhouse

Walkabout
Cast
Jenny Agutter
Girl
Lucien John
Boy
David Gulpilil
Aborigine
Credits
Director
Nicolas Roeg
Screenplay
Edward Bond
Producer
Si Litvinoff
Cinematography
Nicolas Roeg
Music
John Barry
Production design
Brian Eatwell
Editing
Antony Gibbs
Editing
Alan Pattillo

Current

Walkabout: Landscapes of Memory
Walkabout: Landscapes of Memory
Some years ago, I screened Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 film Don’t Look Now for a group of international students who were learning English. Rarely have I seen an audience more engaged by what they were watching. We discussed the film afterward, and I w…

By Paul Ryan

Walkabout
Walkabout
For many years now, one legendary film has appeared on every list of fine movies that are missing from distribution and home video. That film is Nicolas Roeg’s Walkabout, the 1971 drama about a fourteen-year-old girl and her little brother, who are…

By Roger Ebert

Amy Seimetz’s Top 10
Amy Seimetz’s Top 10

The multitalented filmmaker behind Sun Don’t Shine (now playing on the Criterion Channel) and She Dies Tomorrow shares a list of favorites that subvert narrative convention and dive into the mysteries of identity.

Kelly Reichardt’s Top 10
Kelly Reichardt’s Top 10

On the occasion of the release of her latest film, First Cow, the acclaimed director shares a list of masterpieces that have been touchstones for her throughout her moviegoing life.

Nicolas Roeg in His Own Words
Nicolas Roeg in His Own Words

The legendary British director—now the subject of a retrospective on the Criterion Channel—opens up about the creative process behind some of his most provocative works.

Method Scoring: An Interview with Clint Mansell
Method Scoring: An Interview with Clint Mansell

The distinctive musician and composer discusses his instinctive approach to composition and the value of a total immersion into a film’s world.

By Hillary Weston

Keith Gordon’s Top 10
Keith Gordon’s Top 10

Filmmaker Keith Gordon has directed the features The Chocolate War (1988), A Midnight Clear (1992), Mother Night (1996), Waking the Dead (2000), and The Singing Detective (2003).