NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Second Sight Blu-ray (July 2020): Second Sight have transferred Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout to Blu-ray. It is advertised as being from a "Brand new 4k scan and restoration". There are some significant differences from the previous releases, most notably colors. There are some strong shifts to, mostly, a far richer palette. There are deeper reds, warmer flesh tones etc. While I have never seen the film theatrically, I won't discount some embellishment but, regardless the visuals - from prepared food to animals to desert flora - are all so impressively vibrant and, frankly, don't look unnatural. Also, the image is easily the sharpest of the six compared. It is quite remarkable in many close-ups that this is the tightest image. It is in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and, generally, show a shade more information in the frame than the other 1080P transfer. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. In summation, while I doubt these colors are totally accurate to the theatrical but, as I say, I don't know - it is notably sharper and the best I have ever seen the film look. For such a visual cinematic experience - it is definitely highly impacting. 

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 seems a must-own for cinephiles. An absolutely glorious presentation.

Gary Tooze

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.

- Gary W. Tooze