VAULT ID: wake-in-fright-1971

Wake in Fright

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CAST & CREW
Donald Pleasence Donald Pleasence Doc Tydon
Gary Bond Gary Bond John Grant
Chips Rafferty Chips Rafferty Jock Crawford
Sylvia Kay Sylvia Kay Janette Hynes
Jack Thompson Jack Thompson Dick
Peter Whittle Peter Whittle Joe
Al Thomas Al Thomas Tim Hynes
John Meillon John Meillon Charlie
John Armstrong John Armstrong Atkins
Slim DeGrey Slim DeGrey Jarvis
Maggie Dence Maggie Dence Receptionist
Norm Erskine Norm Erskine Joe the Cook
Buster Fiddess Buster Fiddess Charlie Jones
Tex Foote Tex Foote Stubbs
Nancy Knudsen Nancy Knudsen Robyn
DEEP DIVE
TRIVIA
THEORIES
PLOT
  • The film was long feared lost. Editor Anthony Buckley spent years hunting for a surviving print, and in 2002 found the original negative in a Pittsburgh, USA warehouse, sitting in a shipping container labeled "For Destruction" — days from being junked. That find became the basis for the 2009 restoration.
  • The kangaroo-hunt footage was real: Ted Kotcheff and his crew tagged along on an actual licensed cull carried out by professional roo shooters (their kill sold for pelts and pet food) — no animals were killed for the production. Kotcheff, a vegetarian, said he cut roughly 75% of what was filmed that night for being too graphic; the sequence still caused walkouts when the film screened at Cannes Classics in 2009.
  • Chips Rafferty, who plays the outback cop, finished his role in the film but died of a heart attack on a Sydney street on May 27, 1971 — shortly before Wake in Fright's Cannes premiere. It was his final screen role.
  • Rafferty reportedly insisted on drinking real beer instead of the non-alcoholic substitute during the pub scenes, at times putting away dozens of pints across a shooting day, and the extras hired for the hotel bar sequence swelled from roughly 220 to nearly 300 as word got around that there was real drinking money in it.
  • Wake in Fright premiered in competition on opening night of the 1971 Cannes Film Festival alongside Walkabout, but it flopped in Australian cinemas after distributor United Artists failed to promote it, and prints became nearly impossible to find until Buckley's discovery led to the restored 2009 re-release.
  • Shooting took place on location in Broken Hill, NSW starting in February 1970, during brutal summer heat that reportedly climbed to around 50°C (122°F) in the shade.

Collector's Corner

Special Features (Blu-ray)

  • Commentary with Director Ted Kotcheff and Editor Anthony Buckley: This commentary was recorded in 2009, shortly after the film's re-release. Much of Kotcheff's commentary consists of stories he retells elsewhere in the various featurettes, but he also recalls additional detail about the production as he watches individual scenes. Buckley does less talking, but he does comment on some of the practical challenges of editing the footage. Both director and editor repeatedly note areas of detail that have never before been visible.
  • To "The Yabba" and Back: An Interview with Ted Kotcheff (480i; 1.78:1, enhanced; 12:45): This featurette grew out of an interview done by Mark Hartley for his rollicking documentary about the Australian film industry, Not Quite Hollywood (2008), which is unfortunately not available on Blu-ray in Region A.
  • Q&A with Ted Kotcheff at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival (480i; 1.78:1, enhanced; 45:52): With moderation by Martin Knelman, Kotcheff provides an overview of his career and a number of interesting stories and insights about the making of Wake in Fright. Much of the material duplicates To "The Yabba" and Back, but in greater depth.
  • Who Needs Art?: Vintage Segment on Wake in Fright (480i; 1.33:1; 5:36): Created while the film was in production, this news report focuses on whether Wake in Fright is genuinely "Australian", given its Canadian director, English stars and international co-financing.
  • Chips Rafferty's Obituary (480i; 1.33:1; 3:19): Rafferty died of a heart attack at age 61 on May 27, 1971, months before Wake in Fright opened in Australia. This TV obituary traces his career and offers tributes from colleagues.
  • TV Spot: ABC's 7:30 Report on the Rediscovery and Restoration of the Film (480i; 1.78:1, enhanced; 6:23): A brief report on the film's recovery. Unfortunately, the information on restoration is too spotty and the comparison frames of too low quality to be truly useful.
  • Trailers (1080p)
  • Wake in Fright
  • The Ambassador
  • Bullhead
  • Klown
  • Miami Connection
  • Drafthouse Alliance
  • Booklet: In addition to stills and other illustrations, the booklet includes the following essays:
  • Lost and Found, Anthony Buckley, August 2009: A detailed history of the search for WIF's negative and related materials.
  • Restoring "Wake in Fright", Graham Shirley, Senior Curator, Moving Image, NFSA: As the title suggests, an overview of the restoration efforts.
  • Rediscovering a Classic, Meg Labrum, Chief Curator, NFSA: A companion piece to Buckley's account and a plea for film preservation.
  • Film Restoration, Anthos Simon, Film/Digital Restoration Manager, Atlab/Deluxe: Considering that Simon is the person who performed the lion's share of the restoration work, one might hope for something more than three brief paragraphs.
  • Dreaming of the Devil, Peter Galvin, Sydney, Australia, September 2009: A lengthy and thoughtful consideration of the film, its sources and contemporary reactions to it.

Blu-ray Screenshots

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