MovieChat Forums > Walkabout (1971) Discussion > It has to be taken as fantasy

It has to be taken as fantasy

posted 9 years ago by diana-lyons
3 replies | jump to latest

I first saw this movie when it was released in Australia (yes, I'plot m old) and have seen it few times since then. One thing has always stood out for me - the silliness of taking kids on a picnic from Sydney and ending up in 'the outback' not long after with a non-refrigerated picnic meal still nice and fresh.

It's just ludicrous.

Any Australian will tell you just how long it would take to drive a 1960s VW from Sydney to a location like those shown in the film. You'd need an overnight stop, or two. And much more than half a tank of petrol and a jerry can with some more, just in case.

I take this movie as a fantasy, it's the only way to deal with the one huge, screaming flaw in it. The movie itself is magical and fascinating and should be seen as an Australian classic.

[–] willjohn 9 years ago

They were supposed to be in Adelaide.

[–] diana-lyons 9 years ago

An Adelaide that looks just like Sydney, down to the harbour bridge.

Even if it is set in Adelaide at the beginning it's still a five or six hour drive to 'the desert'.

I preferred the original book on which the movie was loosely based, with the kids being the only survivors of a plane crash in the desert. It would have made more sense to go with this, rather than the father committing suicide after trying to kill his kids idea.

But still, a great movie, with a lot going for it.

[–] L0GAN5 9 years ago

I think the main reason they avoided the plane crash is because plane crashes are expensive to film, and the budget was only about $1 million. It was probably done out of economy. I think artistically it was an interesting choice because the father turning the gun on his children is still shocking today. If they had staged a plane crash it probably would have looked pretty ropey by modern standards. So in that sense it has helped it stay more relevant.

Also, lots of films take liberty with geography, and real locations often stand in for other places. Manchester in England frequently stands in for period New York, and it is jarring when you see Captain America running past some building in Manchester. You just have to accept they are movies.