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The Last Wave (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Richard Chamberlain (Actor), Olivia Hamnett (Actor), Peter Weir (Director) Rated:
PG
Format: DVD
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 244 ratings
IMDb6.9/10.0
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March 21, 2010
Criterion Collection
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Genre Mystery & Suspense
Format Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, Anamorphic, NTSC, Closed-captioned
Contributor Olivia Hamnett, Roy Bara, Jo England, Wallas Eaton, Nandjiwarra Amagula, Michael Duffield, Frederick Parslow, Richard Henderson, Hedley Cullen, Peter Weir, David Gulpilil, Penny Leach, Richard Chamberlain, Cedrick Lalara, Morris Lalara, Peter Carroll, John Frawley, Walter Amagula, Jennifer De Greenlaw, Athol Compton, Vivean Gray See more
Language English
Runtime 1 hour and 46 minutes
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Product Description

An Australian lawyer takes on the defense of a group of aborigines accused of killing one of their own. He suspects the victim has been killed for vioLating a tribal taboo, but the deny any tribal association. The lawyer, plagued by apocalyptic visions of water, slowly realizes his own involvement with the aborigines... and their prophecies. Starring Richard Chamberlain. (1977) Running time: 106 minutes. Languages: English.

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.77:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ CRRNLAS100DVD
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Peter Weir
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Color, Widescreen, Anamorphic, NTSC, Closed-captioned
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 46 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ March 21, 2010
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, David Gulpilil, Frederick Parslow, Vivean Gray
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Criterion Collection
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00005QAPI
  • Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 244 ratings

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
244 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mysterious Microburst
5.0 out of 5 stars Legendary film revealing potent & painful truths
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2011
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More than any other, this film reveals Peter Weir as a human with tremendous awareness and deep conscience regarding the ongoing destruction of the original inhabitants of Australia. He wrote the "story" upon which his film is based.

The speculative element involving people who appear to be just ordinary white folks who are in fact not what they seem and tragic events resulting in large part from the casual way in which wealthier white Europeans exploit the resources of planet Earth while denying that their consensual reality and prevailing religious beliefs are not shared in common by everyone is an important moral statement.

Many are trained from birth to ignore and forget what is true about themselves. In forgetting, we are molded into someone who "fits in", very often to the detriment of ourselves and others. Some are born with gifts which frighten those who hold strong opinions about what constitutes "normalcy". Rather than embracing these gifts or simply permitting the person to retain what is unique and different about themselves, what is true is discouraged and suppressed.

Just as the indigenous people of what became America and the Tibetan people today, the Aboriginal Australians have had their tribal customs ridiculed, their sacred sites destroyed or made into tourist attractions. As with Native Americans, alcoholism became a serious problem. When human beings lose what is meaningful to them and are told that their knowledge, tradition and beliefs are wrong, they often seek comfort in oblivion. The tragedy of this result of attempts to "civilize" those who already have a superior, Tribal, culture continues today.

When one understands that the Dreamtime is real, that we are all in a sense dreaming even while we are awake and the perception of time being linear is, in fact, only a perception that is in fact incorrect (quantum physics 101 will verify the truth of my statement). When one can accept that a Shaman or spiritually evolved human possesses knowledge and can be strong enough to acquire abilities which most Western minds would deny being within the realm of possibility, this is "reality which is truer". Westerners who possess a prophetic gift are often misinterpreted, dismissed and denigrated unless they conform to the prevailing beliefs of the people around them. The "witch hunts" continue to this day, although burning people alive is no longer condoned.

This film casts white Europeans in a less than favorable light, because it tells the truth about the results of fear, greed and bigotry. This film also underscores the damage that is often done by the most popular religion of Westerners. If you believe Western white culture and its prevalent beliefs are superior, if you believe we can continue to exploit the resources of our planet without dire consequences, you will feel insulted by this film. To all others, I highly recommend The Last Wave.

Richard Chamberlain, an often underrated actor, was superbly cast. Peter Weir deserved huge accolades for this film which, once viewed, is never forgotten.
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Douglas Doepke
5.0 out of 5 stars Homeowner's Insurance Won't Cover This
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2008
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You know the people in the movie are in for it when king-sized hailstones fall from a clear blue sky. In fact, the weather stays pretty bad throughout this atmospheric thriller, and only lawyer Chamberlain has the answer. But he's too much the European rationalist, I gather, to get in touch with that inner being that reveals itself through dreams.

Hauntingly original mystery heavy on the metaphysics from director-writer Peter Weir. Already he had shown skill at flirting with other dimensions in Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975). Here it's the arcane world of the Australian Aboriginies that confronts the tightly ordered world of the predominant whites. Something strange is going on inside the Aboriginie community when they kill one of their number for no apparent reason. Yuppie lawyer Chamberlain is supposed to defend them in a white man's court. But the more he looks into things, the more mysterious things get, and the more interested a strange old Aboriginal man gets in him. And then there're those scary dreams that come and go at odd times.

Well structured screenplay deepens interest throughout. One reason the movie works is the background normalcy of Chamberlain's wife and little daughters. Audiences can easily identify with them. And when their little world runs into forces beyond the usual, the normalcy begins to buckle, and we get the feeling of worlds beginning to collide. Chamberlain underplays throughout, especially during the underground tour where I think he should have shown more growing awareness than he does. After all, it's the picking up of the mask that holds the key (I believe) to the riddle, yet his reaction doesn't really register the revelation.

Of course, the notion of nature striking back has a certain resonance now, thirty years later. In the film, the notion is wrapped in a lot of entertaining hocus-pocus, but the subject itself remains a telling one. One way of bringing out a central irony is the symbolism of the opening scene. A big white SUV barrels past an Aboriginal family, leaving them in the historical dust. The terrain looks like an interior tribal reservation of no particular importance to the coastal fleshpots where industry dwells. Yet, it's also a region most likely to survive anything like a destructive last wave. Perhaps there's something about past and future to think about here.

Anyway, this is a really good movie that will probably stay with you.
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Top reviews from other countries

Monica
5.0 out of 5 stars Really different movie.
Reviewed in Canada on October 20, 2021
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I really enjoyed this file when I first saw it years ago and was so happy to get a copy of it. I found the idea of Aboriginal magic intriguing and the ending is so unexpected.
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Anthony Moore
4.0 out of 5 stars Closing scene of tidal wave seems smaller than I remember. Altered???
Reviewed in Australia on November 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
When I saw the original movie in 1976, I clearly remember the closing scene where it showed a super-sized tidal wave towering above Sydney City as it approached. The copy I received did not clearly show this, so I wonder if the final scene has been altered to diminish its perceived impact.
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I. R. Barnes
5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2010
Verified Purchase
The Last Wave is a genuinely eerie apocalyptic thriller from director Peter Weir. It is imbued with Aboriginal spiritualism and symbolism and is probably his darkest film to date. Chamberlain gives one of his better performances portraying a very pragmatic lawyer called to defend a group of Aborigines charged with a tribal killing. During his involvement with the case he begins to have unusual and portentous dreams signifying that there is much more going on than he realised. This takes place against a backdrop of extreme weather events such as black rain, torrential downpours and golf-ball sized hail.

Weir creates an extremely foreboding ominous atmosphere which builds to almost unbearable levels during the final scenes and the ending is typical of Weir, very ambiguous and unexpected and it haunts you for days afterwards!

Like all of Weir's films the music score plays quite an important part, this time featuring lots of eerie low rumbling didgeridoos. And also of particular note are the sound effects which are quite unsettling featuring a chorus of croaking frogs and insects as well as the most disturbing howling wind and rain EVER!

I love the way Weir creates an eerie film without actually showing you anything disturbing or scary, much like his previous film Picnic at Hanging Rock, everything is simply implied and leaves a lot to the audience's imagination which can be more effective than anything ever seen on screen. It would be nice to see Weir make a return to this genre.
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joker
5.0 out of 5 stars Fine
Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2021
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fine
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sheila b
3.0 out of 5 stars Apocalypse Why?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2013
Verified Purchase
Old fashioned but very watchable. Peter Weir sustained a mystical atmosphere throughout. Was rather frustrated by the fact that there was no explanation why the world was ending. Was it the whole world or just Australia?
Richard Chamberlain was great and seeing him brought back memories of Dr Kildaire and ( less happily) of the Thorn Birds.
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