The Last Wave (1977)

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7.4	Rating (92 ratings)
7	IMDB rating

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Directed by

Peter Weir

Starring (View all)

Richard Chamberlain
David Burton

Olivia Hamnett
Annie Burton

David Gulpilil
Chris Lee

Vivean Gray
Dr. Whitburn

Nandjiwarra Amagula
Charlie

Walter Amagula
Gerry Lee

Peter Carroll
Michael Zeadler

Wallas Eaton
Morgue Doctor

Written by

Peter Weir
(screenplay)

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A thematically intriguing, haunting Aussie mystery

2 years, 6 months ago at Sep 9 11:29

PvtCaboose91

3 votes

Director Peter Weir's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1977's The Last Wave is a seminal motion picture from the Australian New Wave era of the '70s and '80s, during which Australian cinema saw a resurgence in worldwide popularity. Instead of a generic or simplistic apocalyptic drama, The Last Wave is steeped in Australia's Indigenous culture, with unique Dreamtime the... read more

View all The Last Wave (1977) reviews

Description: A desert town in Australia. Children play around the school during recess. The sun is out and the sky is cloudless. Suddenly the sound of thunder. A few kids look up to the sky, confused. Then a heavy downpour followed by a violent hailstorm. In Sydney, the rains cause traffic jams. The strange occurrence in the desert town is reported as a quirk of nature. David Burton, a tax lawyer, returns to his suburban home outside the city. That night he is troubled by a dream in which he sees the apparition of a man. The malevolent weather continues for days. At one point the rain turns into a shower of black blobs. David Burton is A desert town in Australia. Children play around the school during recess. The sun is out and the sky is cloudless. Suddenly the sound of thunder. A few kids look up to the sky, confused. Then a heavy downpour followed by a violent hailstorm.

In Sydney, the rains cause traffic jams. The strange occurrence in the desert town is reported as a quirk of nature. David Burton, a tax lawyer, returns to his suburban home outside the city. That night he is troubled by a dream in which he sees the apparition of a man. The malevolent weather continues for days. At one point the rain turns into a shower of black blobs.

David Burton is asked by a legal aid lawyer to take on a strange case involving the death of an aborigine. Five of his acquaintances have been charged with his murder. Is it a simple case of a drunken brawl or does it have something to do with tribal punishment for a grave offense? The four aborigines have little to say about the incident. Burton feels he is getting nowhere until he meets Chris, the fifth member of their circle. He happens to be the man who has appeared in two of the lawyer's dreams.

David and his wife Annie read up on the aborigine culture of their area. They learn about the central place of dreams in their tribal lore. When he invites Chris to his home for dinner, hoping to build a defense case on what he hears, David finds that he is the subject of an inquiry by Chris and his friend Charlie, an aborigine painter and sorcerer. They seem to think that David has the answer within his dreams to explain the strange goings-on in the weather. But is David capable of traveling further into the "dreamtime" to face more shocks and revelations?

Peter Weir's extraordinary film is a visually startling and totally engrossing meditation on the close connection between the mysteries of nature and the power of dreams. We have often been told of the importance of dreamtime in the religion of the American Indian. We have seen the same force at work in Carlos Castaneda's trilogy about Don Juan. Now the theme emerges from the Australian aborigine culture. Yet can we live in the presence of a mystery that consistently baffles reason and challenges our consensual vision of reality? The Last Wave is another in a series of works urging us to attempt the descent into the unconscious. And it does so with an aesthetic sureness that is both salutary and stunning. Russell Boyd's cinematography and Max Lemon's editing are absolutely brilliant. They snare us in a web that interweaves everyday happenings with the inexplicable in a totally convincing way.

Another central point made in this thriller is that we cannot break our ties with primitive beings and their understandings. Weir is not pitching the savage way of life in a revival of romanticism. Instead he would have us see that we have lost — and must find again — what they possess instinctively — an ability to link the rhythms of nature to the imaginative powers of the unconscious. The ones who are really in trouble, the aborigines tell us, are those who have forgotten about the dream world.

Certainly a key to this film's success is the fine acting. Richard Chamberlain is very impressive as an establishment lawyer whose life is turned upside down and inside out by his dreams. Olivia Hamnett is good as his wife, a sensitive woman who just can't handle the sea of change that sweeps away her husband. But the two standout performances are by Gulpilil and Nanjiwarra Amagula as Chris and Charlie. They manage by body language alone to set before us the deep waters of primitive cultures.

In one of the film's most poignant scenes, David criticizes his stepfather, a minister: "Why didn't you tell me there were mysteries? You stood in that church and explained them away." During the latter part of this decade, we have seen swarms of seekers give up their quest for truth and turn instead to the satisfaction of resting in certainties. A few have remained interested in a religion whose essential mysteries serve as an impetus to spiritual growth. It is to this group that The Last Wave will speak. For the film is indirectly a very religious statement that is both a mind breaker and a soul shaker. ... (more)

Release date: 1 January 1979
UPC: 037429161920

Tags: Mystery (8), Thriller (6), Australia (4), Drama (3), Murder (3), 1977 (3), 1970s (3), Dream (3), Doom (2), Beach (2), Australian (2), Nightmare (2), Rain (2), Eating (2), Fish (1), Fantasy (1), Horror (1), Book (1), English (1), Bar (1)

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"18.1 Weir/Australia Peter Weirin läpimurtotyössä David Bowien näköinen Richard Chamberlain sotkeentuu aboroginaalien touhuihin. Cityboy-aboriginaalit ovat myllyttäneet erään heimolakeja rikkoneen eli pyhiä kaluja syyhkineen toverinsa hengiltä. Valkoisella eliitillä ei ole harmainta aavistustakaan abojen sosiologiasta, mitä elokuvassa toistuvasti alleviivataan. Oudot tapahtumat ja häiritsevät unet sekoittavat Richard Chamberlainin pääkopan. Elokuva pyrkii kiristämään jännitet"

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Australian Films (1459 movies items)

Chazz Reinhold voted for a review of The Last Wave (1977) 2 years, 5 months ago

“Director Peter Weir's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1977's The Last Wave is a seminal motion picture from the Australi”

Stehako voted for a review of The Last Wave (1977) 2 years, 6 months ago

“Director Peter Weir's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1977's The Last Wave is a seminal motion picture from the Australi”

rewster commented on a review of The Last Wave (1977) 2 years, 6 months ago

loved this movie. Excellent review

rewster voted for a review of The Last Wave (1977) 2 years, 6 months ago

“Director Peter Weir's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1977's The Last Wave is a seminal motion picture from the Australi”

PvtCaboose91 posted a review 2 years, 6 months ago

A thematically intriguing, haunting Aussie mystery

“Director Peter Weir's follow-up to the critically acclaimed Picnic at Hanging Rock, 1977's The Last Wave is a seminal motion picture from the Australian New Wave era of the '70s and '80s, during which Australian cinema saw a resurgence in worldwide popularity. Instead of a generic or simplistic apocalyptic drama, The Last Wave is steeped in Australia's Indigenous culture, with unique Dreamtime themes that are seldom represented in mainstream motion pictures. With a screenplay by Weir, Tony Morphett and Petru Popescu, this is a thematically intriguing and haunting mystery, buoyed by a top-notch cast and a consistently engaging, ethereal visual style.

A mysterious wild weather event hits Australia, bringing heavy rain and hail to both rural towns and metropolitan areas, and the Ind” read more

PvtCaboose91 posted 2 images 2 years, 6 months ago

PvtCaboose91 added this to a list 2 years, 6 months ago

Movies Viewed in 2020 (354 movies items)

" First Viewing Viewing Date: September 6th Via: iTunes Store Plot: In the 1970s, Sydney lawyer David Burton defends five Aboriginals accused of murder. At the same time, a wild weather event hits the city and David begins experiencing disturbing visions which could be premonitions of a coming apocalypse. Rating: 7.9/10 You can read my review here"

rewster posted a image 2 years, 7 months ago