The Last Wave (1977)

A Sydney lawyer defends five Aborigines in a ritualized taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing things about himself.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

Peter Weir (screenplay), Tony Morphett (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Chamberlain	...	David Burton
Olivia Hamnett	...	Annie Burton
David Gulpilil	...	Chris Lee (as Gulpilil)
Frederick Parslow	...	Rev. Burton
Vivean Gray	...	Dr. Whitburn
Nandjiwarra Amagula	...	Charlie
Walter Amagula	...	Gerry Lee
Roy Bara	...	Larry
Cedrick Lalara	...	Lindsey
Morris Lalara	...	Jacko
Peter Carroll	...	Michael Zeadler
Athol Compton	...	Billy Corman
Hedley Cullen	...	Judge
Michael Duffield	...	Andrew Potter
Wallas Eaton	...	Morgue Doctor

Storyline

A Sydney lawyer has more to worry about than higher-than-average rainfall when he is called upon to defend five Aboriginals in court. Determined to break their silence and discover the truth behind the hidden society he suspects lives in his city, the Lawyer is drawn further, and more intimately, into a prophesy that threatens a new Armageddon, wherein all the continent shall drown.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | murder | aborigine | court | underwater scene | 

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Taglines:

A dream that became a nightmare. His was a premonition of doom.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Italian Aboriginal

Release Date:

January 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Rain

Filming Locations:

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 810,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Commission, The, Ayer Productions, Derek Power

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First major theatrical film of actress Olivia Hamnett. Publicity for this film stated that this was Hamnett's first theatrical film but Hamnett had starred in the little-seen low-budget Australian film Plunge Into Darkness as well as appearing uncredited in The Spy with a Cold Nose.

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Goofs

Change in speed of windshield wipers: This is because Richard Chamberlain's character has entered the Dreamtime. It is a Clue - not a Goof.

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Quotes

Chris Lee: [to David Burton] But you ... I think you may be mukuru. You different tribe ... from another world ... across the sea ... from sunrise.

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Connections

Referenced in Prisoner: Cell Block H: Episode #1.263 (1982)

User Reviews

part of a wave of really good movies

"The Last Wave" is one of those movies that relies heavily on the mind. The title refers to the Aboriginal doomsday theory: there will be one last wave that wipes out everything.

David Burton (Richard Chamberlain) is a Sydney lawyer hired to defend some Aborigines accused of murder. Around this time, there has been unusually heavy rainfall in Australia. While defending the Aborigines, David learns the last wave theory, and begins to wonder whether it's just mythology.

The movie's last sequence is a metaphor for descending into the depths of one's mind. Peter Weir created a perplexing, but thought-provoking, movie. Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil (whom you may have seen in "Walkabout", "Crocodile Dundee" and "Rabbit-Proof Fence") provides an interesting supporting role as one of the defendants.

If you get a chance, watch the "making of" feature on the DVD. Peter Weir explains some of the film's undertones, some of which relate to Richard Chamberlain's background.