Wake in Fright

"Have a drink, mate? Have a fight, mate? Have some dust and sweat, mate? There's nothing else out here."

1971 1h 49m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 360

DramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young schoolteacher descends into personal moral degradation after finding himself stranded in a brutal, menacing town in outback Australia.

“Have a drink, mate? Have a fight, mate? Have some dust and sweat, mate? There's nothing else out here.”

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Cast

Donald Pleasence
Doc Tydon
Gary Bond
John Grant
Chips Rafferty
Jock Crawford
Sylvia Kay
Janette Hynes
Jack Thompson
Dick
Peter Whittle
Joe
Al Thomas
Tim Hynes
John Meillon
Charlie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ted Kotcheff
Writers: Evan Jones, Ted Kotcheff
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 50% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

55 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ted Kotcheff, shot by Brian West. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Anthony Buckley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Donald Pleasence and Gary Bond and Chips Rafferty carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ted Kotcheff directs. Brian West behind the camera. John Scott scores. Anthony Buckley cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 50% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
355 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4International production across 3 countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Directed by Ted Kotcheff, shot by Brian West. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by John Scott. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Anthony Buckley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Donald Pleasence and Gary Bond and Chips Rafferty carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Have a drink, mate? Have a fight, mate? Have some dust and sweat, mate? There's nothing else out here.".
10IMDB entry: tt0067541 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 13 themes, including "australia", "based on novel or book", "gambling", "beer".
12Released under 19 different titles around the world.