Wake in Fright

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