The Last Wave (1977)

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

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:

voodoo | australian aborigine | philosophy | supernatural | police officer | 

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Taglines:

Hasn't the weather been strange...could it be a warning?

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Criterion Collection South Australian Film Corporation

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:

McElroy & McElroy, Derek Power, The South Australian Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This Australian film was partially financed by an advance sale to the American major film company United Artists (UA) for rights to all English speaking territories outside of Canada and the USA. UA provided approximately half of this film's estimated $750-810,000 (Australian) production costs which equated to approximately $350,000 (Australian). Interestingly, UA did not actually distribute this film in the USA, World Northal Films Corporation did.

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Goofs

When Chamberlin's character leaves his office and drives in the rain the windshield wipers are moving at a fast rate. When the shot changes to inside the car the wipers are suddenly moving at a slower rate.

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Quotes

Prosecutor: Now, you mustn't permit the sorry history of conflict between the aboriginal and European cultures to cloud your judgment. Your verdict must not in any way reflect the sympathy we all feel for the few unhappy survivors of the original inhabitants of this land who operated until the arrival of the white man under a system of tribal laws. Your verdict must be based upon the laws it prevails today over and for the protection of all Australians.

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Connections

Referenced in South Australian Film Corporation 20th Birthday Celebration (1993)

User Reviews

One of my favorites for atmosphere

I am a big fan of this film and may not be able to make a coherent case for it, especially after reading some of the lukewarm comments some of the viewers offer. I agree that some of the themes could have been developed better, and think that the ending smacks of a "Planet of the Apes" solution to a mystery, yet this film is superb for its relentless atmosphere of otherworldly possibility.

Perhaps I associate this film with the strangeness of the 1970's, when Pyramid Power, UFO cults, and interest in occult phenomena occupied much of popular culture. Weir plays on the apocalyptic feelings of many in that decade with his shots of mud falling from the skies and other phenomena. One of my all time favorite scenes is when Charlie the shaman visits the urbane upper-middle class household of Richard Chamberlain et al. and asks to see the family photo album. I still get chills up my spine thinking of that one.

An element that I enjoyed is the counter-intuitive idea that "there are no tribal aborigines" living in Australian cities...they are all assimilated into the European worldview. This opinion, asserted by the most prominent aborigine in the movie, is subverted bit by bit until the very structure of European logic (as represented by the lawyer Chamberlain) is completely undermined by the end of the movie. Another amazing touch is the juxtaposition of the aboriginal sacred cave complex and what the Europeans are using it for, and Chamberlains descent into all that darkness.

Don't try viewing this one on a commercial channel, it will make very little sense broken up in pieces. Rent it, suspend disbelief a little, and enjoy.