Wake in Fright M
In a 2-building town in the Australian desert, young schoolteacher John (Gary Bond) orders a beer in an otherwise empty bar. He’s waiting for the afternoon train that will take him to the next town, from which he plans to travel home to Sydney for the summer holidays.
But when John gets waylaid by a gambling spree that leaves him broke, he falls in with some hard-drinking locals (Donald Pleasence, Jack Thompson and Peter Whittle) who ply him with alcohol and force him to participate in a gruesome kangaroo hunt.
Over the course of just a few days, John loses his money, inhibitions, self-respect – and almost his life.
While originally shunned by local audiences when it was first released in 1971, Wake in Fright is now considered a pivotal film of the Australian New Wave, with its violent and brutal depiction of life in an outback community.
‘One of the greatest Aussie films of all time’ – ABC Radio
This film is held in the NFSA collection.
Presented in collaboration with Umbrella Entertainment.
This film is part of the NFSA's Australian New Wave program. See the full program listing here.
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