I had to study the original novel in high school and remember not liking the film - it was a famous movie because there was a copy of it in the library, allowing students to fast forward to Jenny Agutter's full frontal nudity (ah, the days when it was hard for teenage boys to access images of naked women...) but it departed from the book in many ways - too many for me, with its lack of geographical logic (they drive out into the outback from the city and bang they're in the middle of nowhere), all the cuts to civilisation, the lack of development in the love story between the boy and the girl, the ridiculous sex comedy sequence involving the scientists (including a cleavage plunging Noelene Brown).
But years later I read Louis Nowra's excellent book on the film and his enthusiasm made me revisit it with fresh eyes. It's a movie of remarkable hallucinatory imagery and sensuality - it overwhelms the senses. And it was a lot more enjoyably going in knowing there would be a lot of symbolism and non-linear narrative and that it wasn't going to be a faithful adaptation of the book - it was going to be it's own creation.
A lot about it I still didn't like - the lingering shots of Agutter's nubile body (she was 16 when this was filmed which when I was fifteen was no problem but feels a bit wrong now), that weird sequence involving the scientists, some of the cuts. The desert feels too crowded - there's not much of a sense of danger. And the emotional distance that the two white kids feel throughout the movie I think caused me to feel emotionally distant towards them.
But it's beautifully shot, definitely thought provoking. The cast is superb - Gulpilil was a magnificent find, Luc Roeg is perfect as the matter of fact young boy and Agutter is idea, so beautiful but also with a streak of practical ruthlessness. John Meillion also registers strongly in his role as their suicidal father.
I'm not surprised this wasn't a hit at the box office when it came out but it's held up well and remains fascinating.
No comments:
Post a Comment