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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
A young sister and brother are abandoned in the harsh Australian outback and must learn to cope in the natural world, without their usual comforts, in this hypnotic masterpiece from Nicolas Roeg. Along the way, they meet a young native on his “walkabout,” a rite of passage in which adolescent boys are initiated into manhood by journeying into the wilderness alone. Walkabout is a thrilling adventure as well as a provocative rumination on time and civilization. *** Wandering in the Australian outback, three young individuals survive because of an native’s abilities to extract food, water, and medical needs from the surrounding arid environment. Communication is the major issue, although more for the girl than for her younger brother. His young age enables him to disregard unnecessary etiquette and detail, and cut directly to the issue at hand. This communication bridge between the older pair—the native boy and the “city” girl—becomes their greatest adversity. As her mind wanders back to swimming naked together, it again reinforces Roeg’s subtle theme of the “hustle and bustle” of civilization versus idyllic pastoral innocence. Her appreciation of that time is purposely indecipherable. Does she regret the events that transpired? Pine for the communion with nature to return? Mark this as her maturity, her ascent to womanhood? Regardless, she’s recalling a mysterious and defining moment in her life. The whole film is no longer represented as a passing instance, but as a crucial yet tumultuous juncture in her life. The final moments of Walkabout define those days as something more than desperate survival-it brings the whole experience back to viewers and impacts them on a more personal level. .. |
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Theatrical Release: May 16th, 1971 (Cannes)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
MC One (Germany) - Region 2- PAL vs. Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Madman Entertainment - Region 0 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Umbrella - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Second Sight - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
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Bonus Captures: Reissued in August 2022: |
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Distribution |
MC One Classic Region 2- PAL |
Criterion Collection Spine #10 Region 0 - NTSC |
Madman
Region 0 - PAL |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 10 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | Umbrella - Region FREE - Blu-ray | Second Sight - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:36:12 (4%PAL Speedup) | 1:40:21 | 1:40:12 (no PAL Speedup) | 1:40:40.075 | 1:40:26.520 | 1:40:04.331 |
Video |
1.74:1
Widescreen (cropped) Average Bitrate: 7.16 PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
1.77:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.53 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s |
1.66:1
Widescreen (cropped) Average Bitrate: 5.13 PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
1.78:1 Disc Size: 42,432,499,907 bytes Feature Size: 27,326,939,136 bytes Average Bitrate: 32.00 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P |
Disc Size: 28,718,560,025 bytes Feature Size: 28,656,744,768 bytes Average Bitrate: 32.45 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P |
1.85 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 44,829,522,420 bytesFeature: 29,090,335,872 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.45 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate MC: |
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Bitrate Madman: |
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Bitrate Second Sight Blu-ray: |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), DUB: German (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 | English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono, English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 |
LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz /
1152 kbps / 24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
DTS-HD Master Audio English
0 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps /
24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 384 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 384 kbps |
LPCM
Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
Subtitles | German and none | English, None | None | English, None | None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information:
Aspect Ratio:
• Biographies-Crew • Trailers
• DVD Credits DVD
Release Date: June 5th, 2005 Chapters 28 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Widescreen - 1.70:1 Edition Details:
• Audio commentary by Nicolas Roeg and Jenny Agutter
DVD
Release Date: May 5th, 1998 Chapters 28 |
Release Information: Studio: Madman
Aspect Ratio:
• Theatrical Trailer-2 same as Criterion • Biographies-Crew • Roger Ebert Essay,
• Trailer-The Bank; Mullet DVD
Release Date: Dec 10th, 2000 Chapters 28 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion j 1.78:1 Disc Size: 42,432,499,907 bytes Feature Size: 27,326,939,136 bytes Average Bitrate: 32.00 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P
Edition Details:
• Audio
commentary featuring Roeg and actress Jenny Agutter
Blu-ray
Release Date: May 18th, 2010 Chapters 17 |
Release Information: Studio: Umbrella j 1.78:1 Disc Size: 28,718,560,025 bytes Feature Size: 28,656,744,768 bytes Average Bitrate: 32.45 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P
Edition Details: • Commentary Roeg and Agutter
Blu-ray
Release Date: March, 2019 Chapters 14 |
Release Information: Studio: Second Sight
1.85 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 44,829,522,420 bytesFeature: 29,090,335,872 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.45 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• A new audio commentary with Luc Roeg and David Thompson
Custom Blu-ray Case Chapters 13 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 54 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Second Sight use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original
English language. It exports the film's flat audio - effects carry some
weight and the brilliant score by the
iconic John Barry (The
Whisperers, Boom, Deadfall,
The Chase, Midnight
Cowboy, Dances
With Wolves,
Inside Moves and the Bond themes
among his many credits) plus electronic music from "Hymnen"
by Karlheinz Stockhausen, some cultural didgeridoo etc. all sound
wonderful in the uncompressed. This music is a huge part of the film
experience. Second Sight offer optional English
subtitles on their Region 'B'
Blu-ray.
The Second Sight
Blu-ray
has a new audio commentary with Luc Roeg and David Thompson. Luc, being
a small boy during the shoot doesn't recall too many details but
provides welcome information on his father's film, how impressed he was
with David Gulpilil, some of the more difficult scenes, Jenny Agutter,
his siblings and mother plus some fascinating analysis on his father's
editing and unique camerawork etc. I thought it was definitely worth
indulging in and I listened, intently, all the way through - fans should
be keen to indulge. There are also a series of new interviews running
over an hour with Producer Si Litvinoff (who loves the film!), with Luc
Roeg entitled ' Luc's Walkabout' for over 10-minutes. Next is
Jenny in the Outback spending 20-minutes with Jenny Agutter - then
comes 'Remembering Roeg' with Danny Boyle for shy of 20-minutes,
a 2011 BFI Q&A with Nicolas Roeg, Jenny Agutter and Luc Roeg for
over 1/4 hour and an archival introduction by Nicolas Roeg to the film
for 4-minutes. The package has a rigid slipcase with new artwork by
Michael Boland, the source novel 'Walkabout' with cover artwork
excusive to this release, a soft cover book featuring facsimile copy of
the original 65-page First Draft Script with preface by Daniel Bird and
another soft cover book with new essays by Sophie Monks Kaufman, Simon
Abrams and Daniel Bird plus stills and lobby card images. Wow.
I love this film so much. Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout
is one of the most memorable and iconic films of - not just the 70's -
but of all time. Roeg communicated volumes with unique editing,
sound and mise-en-scene. Seeing it
in this new 4K-restored transfer - I fell in love with it on an even deeper level
- the uncompressed mono audio, new commentary, and new interviews plus
booklets make it extremely desirable. It is a limited edition box set of
only 3,000 units. If you like the new HD 4K presentation then
this Blu-ray
ADDITION: Umbrella - Region FREE - Blu-ray (March 2019): This Umbrella release is a barebones affair, save for an audio commentary. There is no menu screen - the film just starts when you put the disc in. The image is akin to Criterion's Blu-ray, though slightly darker with deeper blacks showing in shadow detail. Both are in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. This is most notable in the capture of the sand. The second capture also shows the swimming pool taking on a darker hue of blue. Otherwise the image is similar, in terms of detail, grain, etc. It's a film-like presentation advancing on the SD renderings. Umbrella have decided to transfer Walkabout's audio via a 24-bit 2.0 Mono DTS-HD Master track. The uncompressed linear PCM track on the Criterion displays a somewhat better sound, though it would be hard to discern between the two unless you were flipping back and forth. There are no subtitles on this Region FREE Blu-ray.
The sole extra here is the previously available,
revealing, audio commentary featuring Nicolas Roeg and
actress Jenny Agutter.
Fans of Roeg's mesmerizing, elliptical and almost
hypnotic "Walkabout", should be pleased with the
image on this new Umbrella
Blu-ray. I tend to prefer
the somewhat brighter Criterion image, which better
represents the sun-bleached mirages of the desert. That
said, I believe some may prefer this new darker image
from Umbrella. Region 'B' fans will be satisfied owning this
classic on
Blu-ray, and though
the only extra is a commentary, it is worth your time.
For the film this is always a recommendation. We like
the cover too!
Colin Zavitz
NOTE:
The Criterion initial
Blu-ray had issues of disc
rot (browning around the edges and freezes at the
51-minute mark), They had a replacement program and the
subsequent printings seems to have resolved the issue.
ADDITION - Criterion - Region 'A' -
Blu-ray May 2010 -
The Criterion is advertised
as "New, restored high-definition digital transfer, made from a newly
minted 35 mm interpositive and approved by director Nicolas Roeg."
While the improvement visually is less noticeable in some sequences - in
others it is quite dramatic. The ratio is 1.78:1 and the 1080P shows
more information in the frame than any of the DVDs. While the, almost,
40-year old film can't compete with the image quality of modern
production - I feel confident that it is expressing the best that this
masterpiece will ever look for home theater consumption. There are many
parts that show depth with the textures of the arid and rocky landscape
environment it was filmed. The contours of the sand look marvelous in
this HD transfer. Colors (the sky) appear far more true and
un-manipulated in the new Criterion
Blu-ray. Since the
original Criterion DVD was not even 16X9 enhanced this new transfer
actually represents a vast superiority over the 12-year old digital
presentation. Grain is not overly apparent but this disc gives a very
positive presentation. Some individuals probably had higher expectations
for the image but this appears to be as faithful as we are likely to get
with this dual-layered transfer and its supporting high bitrate. I doubt
that it can look any better.
Criterion stay true-to-form in keeping
the original single channel audio, but it is given a lossless transfer
in a linear PCM track at 1152 Kbps.
Certain outdoor sounds definitely sound tighter and more crisp more
closely resembling more robust tracks with demonstrative depth. This is
the best I've ever heard Walkabout sound.
As usual, there are expertly rendered, optional, English
subtitles and my
Momitsu
has identified it is being Region 'A'-locked. I
was looking forward to the new supplements on the disc. Retained from
the original Criterion is the Roeg / Agutter commentary. Still
enlightening with a revisit after many years past. We get some new
digital extras - all in HD. There are 20-minute separate interviews with
the lovely Agutter and actor Luc Roeg as they both discuss the director
and the making of the film. Gulpilil—One Red Blood is an
hour-long documentary from 2002 on the life and career of actor David
Gulpilil. I found this less engaging. We also get a theatrical trailer
for a lengthy 4-minutes and a 28-page liner notes booklet featuring an
essay by author Paul Ryan and filled with impressive photos. An
easy recommendation - a favorite film looking and sounding better than
ever before with over 1.5 hour's worth of new supplements. I've
rekindled my crush on Jenny Agutter (it re-surfaced briefly in
Logan's Run - but
it's definitely back now). I'll take two copies of this
Blu-ray
(in case anything happens to one of them). Our highest recommendation
and a probable vote-getter in the Year End Poll. *** ADDITION - MC One Classics (16X9) June
2005 - Being one of my favorite films I have anxiously awaited an
anamorphic DVD edition. I had never heard of MC One and did not have
high expectations, but I very happy. Frankly, I think the MC One edition
may have the most accurate colors of the 3 releases. The Criterion has
some some contrast manipulation and very slight edge enhancement is
noticeable - this shows in the form of slightly brighter (almost
saturated) picture. Although the Criterion initially appears sharper - I
don't think it has that much of an edge over the MC One. For colors the
pool and desert scenes (see below) give the best indication of the
differences of the three editions - each gaining in the color richness
as your eyes wander down OR colors seem more faded as your eyes rise.
It's very hard to know what colors are most akin to the theatrical
presentation. Riding the fence we will state that the Criterion may be
better for tube viewers and the MC One superior for widescreen or any
projection systems. I'll do so more research but I still lean towards
the MC One edition for the best color palette.
The MC One is a little cropped on the
left and bottom edges, but is otherwise the correct ratio. It is also a
very clean print. As we come up with more information I will post it here.
*** ON
THE MADMAN: Ohhh boy I'm mad. Firstly,
Michael D's DVD
info Website is one of
the better DVD Review websites in the world. They are extremely thorough
and detailed and have over 4000's DVD reviews listed on their website. BUT
reviewer
Ian Morris
has totally misinformed anyone who read this paragraph on his Review
(located
HERE).
He states:
"Walkabout has been available for some time in Region 1 on a DVD from The
Criterion Collection. Promoted as a new digital transfer created from a
35mm interpositive, there was always something "not quite right" to me
about the transfer. Apart from being just a little grainy at times, as
well as being somewhat shimmery, this new Madman Region 4 release
emphasises the reason for my qualms about The Criterion Collection
release: the Region 1 release has a slightly muted colour palette. The
Region 4 release also seems to be a lot cleaner and since it seems to
boast an almost identical extras package, is the preferable version in
every way." This review cost me $20. You can plainly see that his comments in no way
reflect the actual truth. What has really happened here is the Madman
release has used the NTSC transfer instead of telecine-ing their own from
the original PAL source. The times are the same - no PAL speedup compared
to the NTSC. Hence we see blurred "ghosting" in motion sequences and other
artifact inconsistencies associated with this lazy production quick-step.
The Madman single-sided Region 4 (zero) is fraught with error. It is hazy.
It is overly red (see skin tones), saturated and it is a little cropped on
the vertical sides. Shameful. The Extras are duplicates making me again
suspect that Madman bought (or bootlegged) the entire package from
Criterion for PAL release. Even the chapter titles are the same. It looks
to be going "out of print" anyway in Region 1. It might suggest that this
will not be re-issued by Criterion in anamorphic, which is a shame because
I would love to see this improved. Although saying that the Criterion DVD
is quite good with accurate flesh tones, rich colors and tight sharpness.
Buy the Criterion... and soon. |
MC One - Region 2 - PAL
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Criterion (original) - Region 0 - NTSC
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Madman - Region 0 - PAL
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Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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Second Sight - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
One of a few of the mysterious frame inserts in the film
(CLICK to ENLARGE)
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Subtitle Sample - Second Sight - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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1) MC One - Region 2- PAL TOP 2) Criterion (original) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Madman - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Umbrella - Region FREE - Blu-ray - FIFTH 6) Second Sight - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) MC One - Region 2- PAL TOP 2) Criterion (original) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Madman - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Umbrella - Region FREE - Blu-ray - FIFTH 6) Second Sight - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) MC One - Region 2- PAL TOP 2) Criterion (original) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Madman - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Umbrella - Region FREE - Blu-ray - FIFTH 6) Second Sight - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) MC One - Region 2- PAL TOP 2) Criterion (original) - Region 0 - NTSC - SECOND 3) Madman - Region 0 - PAL - THIRD 4) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - FOURTH 5) Umbrella - Region FREE - Blu-ray - FIFTH 6) Second Sight - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
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Bonus Captures: Reissued in August 2022: |
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Distribution |
MC One Classic Region 2- PAL |
Criterion Collection Spine #10 Region 0 - NTSC |
Madman
Region 0 - PAL |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 10 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | Umbrella - Region FREE - Blu-ray | Second Sight - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
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