Walkabout
Dir: Nicolas Roeg
1971
*****
Visually Walkabout is like a box of chocolates. This makes sense in a way as Nicolas Roeg tackles a multitude of issues, not that every one is filmed differently or anything but all are individual, contrasting, delicious and moreish. Apart from the the coffee flavoured chocolate that spoils things somewhat. The coffee flavoured chocolate I'm referring to is the sexual statements made. It certainly has its place in the film and I'm certainly no proud, but I do feel that many important aspects of this film have been missed because Walkabout has become 'The film where Roberta 'Bobbie' Waterbury from The Railway Children goes skinny dipping'. It's overdone to an uncomfortable level. I know Jenny Agutter was 21 at the time but still. It is only a minor dent however in what is an astonishing achievement. This is how you edit a film! The snappy effects and multi-layering of images highlights the similarities and differences of the issues of nature, destruction, rites of passage and humanity perfectly. It's visually rich as it is culturally important, a film to discuss and one that's hard to forget.