"May you dream of the devil and wake in fright."
An Old Curse
Wake in Fright (aka Outback, for the international circuit) is a 1971 benchmark in Australian, New Wave cinema. It was directed by Ted Kotcheff and scripted by Evan Jones, based on Kenneth Cook's esteemed, 1961 novel (in its own right, inspired by Richard Harris Barham's 1837 poem). Despite gaining critical praise, it became a perceived "lost" movie, but was, in truth, tucked away only so that it might return for far greater fame, as in Arrow's 4K & Blu-ray restoration.
The adventure startled audiences for being not only a dark character study, but an on-the-cusp, horror movie, though its monsters are palpable variants of those one might meet along a forbidding path or perhaps like a frenzied composite that stares back at one during a spiraling bender.
The concept stars Gary Bond as schoolteacher John Grant, who embarks on a Christmas holiday to meet his girlfriend, played in flashback by Nancy Knudson. However, on his way to Sydney, he stops at a colorful but sordid town called "Yabba," where he succumbs to the Faustian draw of booze and gambling and must lean on those who are, to say the least, not quite what who they seem, including Doc Clarence F. Tydon, portrayed by Donald Pleasence, in one of the great thespian's most disconcerting roles.
Wake In Fright's HD and Blu-ray, companion releases are accentuated by the following: audio commentary by Kotcheff and film editor Anthony Buckley; audio commentary by Peter Galvin, writer of The Making of Wake in Fear; a "Return to Yabba," location segment; interviews with cinematographer Brian West, sound editors Keith Palmer and Eddy Joseph, music composer John Scott and Kotcheff (the latter archival); a Donald Pleasance tribute, guided by film historian Kim Newman; a discussion on the movie between filmmaker Phillippe Mora and critic Paul Harris; an obituary on character-actor costar, Chips Rafferty (by Ken G. Hall); behind-the-scenes footage; alternate scenes; the movie's restoration process; trailers and TV spots; plus much more.
The edition also contains an exquisite booklet, penned by Jay Slater, Paul Le and David Michael Brown, along with a two-sided insert sleeve featuring the prime, original, poster artwork and Jeff Marshall's striking, 2026 re-imagining.
Wake in Fright inspired a 2017 miniseries, which respects the first's gritty heart while taking matters in a much different direction. It would be wonderful if Arrow released that version, as well, but for the present, the original is here to re-ruminate, thanks to Arrow's painstaking polishing.
Take a gamble on Wake in Fright. For better or worse, you'll come away demented yet invigorated.
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