Wake in Fright (a J!-ENT Movie Review by Michelle Tymon)

Alongside Mad Max and Walkabout, WAKE IN FRIGHT is widely acknowledged as one of the seminal films in the development of modern Australian cinema. Directed by Ted Kotcheff (Rambo: First Blood) and starring Donald Pleasence, Gary Bond, Chips Rafferty, Sylvia Kay and Jack Thompson, the film tells the story of a British schoolteacher’s descent into personal demoralization at the hands of drunken, deranged derelicts while stranded in a small town in outback Australia. Virtually unseen in the United States and renowned in its home country after years of neglect, WAKE IN FRIGHT is ripe for rediscovery and returns to cinemas, including this Nuart engagement.
 
WAKE IN FRIGHT originally made its debut at Cannes in 1971, where it earned a Palme D’Or nomination. The film made its return to the festival in 2009 courtesy of guest-curator Martin Scorsese, following the completion of a comprehensive restoration. It was there where WAKE IN FRIGHT held the honor of being one of two films to have been shown twice in the history of the festival. The film is lauded for its stark and uncompromising vision by champions such as Roger Ebert who said WAKE IN FRIGHT is “powerful, genuinely shocking and rather amazing,” and celebrated musician/songwriter/screenwriter Nick Cave, who said the film is “the best and most terrifying film about Australia in existence.”
 
Believed to be lost for many years, WAKE IN FRIGHT was restored after an exhaustive decade-long search for original film elements. Fortuitously, the negative was unearthed in Pittsburgh, PA, in canisters marked for destruction just one week away from its impending incineration. The materials were then restored frame-by-frame at Sydney’s At Lab Deluxe with the aid of the National Film and Sound Archives of Australia.

The Australian Landmark Thriller by Ted Kotcheff

WAKE IN FRIGHT

Lost 1971 Australian thriller now fully restored

Theatrical Release Date: New York, October 5, 2012 at Film Forum;
Los Angeles, October 19, 2012 Landmark NuArt Theatre; Nationally Oct/Nov 2012
Running time: 116 Minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Language: English

Directed by Ted Kotcheff

Written by Kenneth Cook (Novel), Evan Jones

Produced by George Willoughby

Executive Producers: Howard G. Barnes, Bill Harmon

Music by John Scott

Cinematography by Brian West

Edited by Anthony Buckley

Production Design by Dennis Gentle

Costume Design by Ron Williams

Starring:

Donald Pleasence as ‘Doc’ Tydon

Gary Bond as John Grant

Chips Rafferty as Jock Crawford

Sylvia Kay as Janette

Jack Thompson as Dick

Peter Whittle as Joe

Al Thomas as Tim Hynes

“Have a drink, mate?”

“Wake in Fright” is a horror film, but probably not like any you’ve seen before.  There are no monsters or serial killers out to get you.  No, just some very friendly people who insist you have a drink with them.  Doesn’t sound too scary, right?  John Grant (Gary Bond) probably thought that too.  But somehow, by the end of the movie, he has a rifle pointed at his head with a single round left and is trying to figure out what he wants to do with it.  Most horror movies are scary because there is usually at least one physically scary thing to be scared of.  Deranged killers, sudden loud noises, elements of the paranormal, etc.  However, we can dismiss these things in our brain as not being real if we wanted to.  “Wake in Fright” has none of these elements, yet is probably more frightening than any recent horror movie.  Why?  Because the five-day downward spiral you see Grant go through is something that you can actually see happening in real-life.

John Grant (Gary Bond) is a bonded school teacher in a tiny town in Australia.  At the beginning of summer vacation, he plans to head to Sydney to see his girlfriend, but stops in a place called Bundunyabba, or “the Yabba”, first.  He plans to just stay one night and fly off to Sydney in the morning.  He decides to check out the nightlife and goes to a local bar, where he meets a policeman named Jock Crawford (Chips Rafferty), who offers to buy him some drinks.  After they both consume a ridiculous amount of drinks, Crawford introduces Grant to the gambling game called “two-up”.  Once he understands the game, Grant participates in a few rounds and wins big.  He goes back to his hotel, but decides he’ll try his luck again and goes back.  Sadly, this time he loses it all.  Now depressed, broke and stuck in the area, he’s offered more drinks and some food.

He eventually meets Doc (Donald Pleasence) that night, another man who was not from the Yabba but had stayed.  The next morning, Grant misses his flight and is still broke.  He then runs into Tim Hynes (Al Thomas) and is once again, offered some drinks.  Tim takes him back to his house to stay and well, they drink more.  Grant also encounters Tim’s daughter, Janette (Sylvia Kay) and his friends, Dick (Jack Thompson) and Joe (Peter Whittle) while he’s at the house.  He is also reunited with Doc there and what do they do? Drink. A lot!

The one day that Grant  was supposed to spend in the Yabba, has now become five.  During those five days, Grant goes through various disturbing encounters and events and by the end of it, is pointing a rifle at his head.

This movie is quite brilliant.  There are no demons, no ghosts, no crazy people (well, other than the fact that the people of the Yabba love to drink their alcohol) but this movie is eerie.  The viewer is left uncomfortable watching the movie the whole time (at least I was…).  Nothing disturbing is happening, but at the same time you feel disturbed.  Another reason it’s creepy, is it feels like it can happen to almost anyone (unless you don’t drink alcohol, but that would offend the people of the Yabba and then who knows what might happen).

Nothing too overly violent (however there is a disturbing hunting scene) and no excessive nudity (although there is some), but it’s creepier than most horror movies loaded with either of those things.  Pretty much, this movie comes down to a guy who drinks entirely too much and everything goes wrong.  Terribly wrong.  But it’s believable.  You are left creeped out more than a slasher flick would leave you.  This is indeed a psychological thriller and one of the best of its kind that I’ve seen.  Ted Kotcheff (who also directed “First Blood” and “Weekend at Bernies”) did a great job with using practical light to make certain scenes even creepier.

Usually, when people drink a lot of alcohol in movies, there are usually funny and sometimes unfortunate consequences that follow.  John Grant apparently has horrible luck and one terrible thing happens one thing after another in his five days in the Yabba.  None of the things that happen are meant for humor.  Everything that goes wrong for John Grant are all examples of some dark aspect of human nature.

So this film doesn’t have excessive blood or violence, and no vengeful spirits or demons.  But I would classify it as a horror movie and a very effective one.  It may not scare you, but it is disturbing and creepy to watch and I still feel a bit creeped out by it.  Sometimes simplicity really is best, and this movie is proof.

If you like horror movies or thrillers and are looking for something a little different than the usual slasher film or vengeful demon film, check this movie out!  (4 STARS)