WAKE IN FRIGHT
Image: Mateship quickly deteriorates into mayhem in this startling, surreal study of the Australian national character. Originally released in 1971, it has now been remastered and features standout performances by Gary Bond, Jack Thompson and Chips Rafferty. (AB)
‘May you dream of the devil and wake in fright,’ runs an old curse. It comes to life in this 1971 Australian classic based on the cult novel by Kenneth Cook. Why is this a new release? Because while widely declared one of our most influential films, it had rarely been seen by generations of Australian viewers. Now beautifully remastered, it’s time to revisit it. John Grant (a dreamy Gary Bond) is a bonded teacher, stationed in two-shack Tiboonda. En route to a holiday in Sydney, he gets caught up in the hard-drinking, hard-gambling world of the nearby ‘big smoke’, Bundanyabba. Mateship quickly deteriorates into mayhem in a startling, surreal study of the Australian national character that rings as true today as then.
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