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The Last Wave

  • 1977
  • PG
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Richard Chamberlain in 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.
Play trailer2:39
1 Video
91 Photos
Dark FantasyLegal DramaDramaFantasyMysteryThriller

A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal Persons in a ritualized taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing things about himself and premonitions.A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal Persons in a ritualized taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing things about himself and premonitions.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
    • Tony Morphett
    • Petru Popescu
  • Stars
    • Richard Chamberlain
    • Olivia Hamnett
    • David Gulpilil
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writers
      • Peter Weir
      • Tony Morphett
      • Petru Popescu
    • Stars
      • Richard Chamberlain
      • Olivia Hamnett
      • David Gulpilil
    • 75User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
    • 85Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 8 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:39
    Trailer

    Photos91

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    Top cast29

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    Richard Chamberlain
    Richard Chamberlain
    • David Burton
    Olivia Hamnett
    • Annie Burton
    David Gulpilil
    David Gulpilil
    • Chris Lee
    • (as Gulpilil)
    Frederick Parslow
    • Rev. Burton
    Vivean Gray
    • Dr. Whitburn
    Nandjiwarra Amagula
    • Charlie
    • (as Nandjiwarra Amagula M.B.E.)
    Walter Amagula
    • Gerry Lee
    Roy Bara
    • Larry
    Cedrick Lalara
    • Lindsey
    Morris Lalara
    • Jacko
    Peter Carroll
    Peter Carroll
    • Michael Zeadler
    Athol Compton
    • Billy Corman
    Hedley Cullen
    Hedley Cullen
    • Judge
    Michael Duffield
    • Andrew Potter
    Wallas Eaton
    • Morgue Doctor
    Jo England
    • Babysitter
    John Frawley
    • Policeman
    Jennifer De Greenlaw
    • Zeadler's Secretary
    • (as Jennifer de Greenlaw)
    • Director
      • Peter Weir
    • Writers
      • Peter Weir
      • Tony Morphett
      • Petru Popescu
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews75

    6.911.8K
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    Featured reviews

    lauloi

    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.
    7Coventry

    One...Two...Mulkurul is coming for you!

    It doesn't happen too often that a film has such a powerful and promising opening sequence as here in "The Last Wave". Playtime at a little countryside school in central Australia, during a sunny & cloudless November day, gets brutally interrupted when a ferocious hailstorm breaks loose and practically destroys the classroom. What an amazing start, especially if - like me - you have a fondness for cataclysmic situations and ecologic horror!

    The plot then moves to big-city Sydney, but also there is heavily and non-stop raining the entire time, through which writer/director Peter Weir creates a foreboding and genuinely unsettling atmosphere. In Sydney another crucial theme of the film comes to the surface, namely an extreme clash in cultures. In one of the greatest roles of his career, Richard Chamberlain depicts lawyer David Burton, defending five aboriginals accused of murdering one of their own. Whilst getting more and more persuaded they are forming a traditional tribe within the city, Burton sees one of the aboriginal in his dreams and suffers from increasingly apocalyptic premonitions. It's almost as if our white liberal lawyer is spiritually connected to the aboriginal deity Mulkurul; - but the rebirth of Mulkurul goes hand in hand with the Armageddon!

    "The Last Wave" doesn't necessarily has the most plausible script, and is quite honestly a hodgepodge of loose ideas, but Peter Weir is such a fantastic storyteller, and he makes such excellent use of locations, set-pieces, music and the rich Australian culture/history. Notably the extended sequences guided by constant didgeridoo tunes are sending shivers down the spine, and some of Burton's visions are also very depressing. The final, say, 10-15 minutes are a bit disappointing in my humble opinion, but nevertheless a recommendable Aussie cult film.
    7ctomvelu-1

    Chamberlain at his finest

    THE LAST WAVE is never going to win over the mainstream audience. It is a slow-moving but fascinating film for those who are willing to go along with it. An Australian properties lawyer is asked to take on the case of five aborigines accused in the murder of one of their own. All sorts of portents and omens soon pop up, as the man's death involves a tribal issue that was not meant for white man's court, and pretty soon the lawyer is having trouble distinguishing reality from fantasy. It looks like the end of the world may be at hand, and he and the aborigines may know this but no one else does. Richard Chamberlain as the lawyer is at his peak here. David Guptil, a familiar face from several other Australian flicks and a decent actor, is one of the five aborigines on trial. THE LAST WAVE is simply not for everyone, anymore than is MAGNOLIA (both happen to have strange things falling from the sky). Check it out on a slow Saturday night.
    8jckruize

    Eerie thriller with unique Aussie slant.

    Peter Weir's first international success, THE LAST WAVE is an effective chiller with a fascinating back story based on Aboriginal myth. Richard Chamberlain is quite good as a defense lawyer whose life becomes increasingly unmoored from reality as he delves into a murder case involving Aboriginal tribal rivalries. David Gulpilil plays one of the suspects, who does his best to guide Chamberlain thru the realm of 'Dreamtime', an alternate reality/timeline central to native Australian history and tribal custom. Heavy on atmosphere, deliberately ambiguous in plotting, the film builds to an unsettling finale which is somewhat diminished by poor effects, probably due to budgetary limitations. Nevertheless an intriguing film whose overall impression of mystery and dread lurking just below the surface of what we perceive as 'reality' will stay with you.
    8Muldwych

    Stands the test of time.

    'The Last Wave' is far more than the sum of its parts. It's not merely a disaster film, not simply an exploration into Australian Aboriginal spirituality, and certainly more than a simple court drama. Writer/Director Peter Weir manages to take these elements to the next level to produce a truly effective and thought-provoking film with the same eerie atmosphere he gave to 'Picnic At Hanging Rock' two years earlier, that you will continue to remember years later.

    When lawyer David Burton (Chamberlain) is called to defend Chris Lee (Gulpilil) over the death of an Aboriginal for which he may or may not be directly responsible, he finds himself not merely struggling to get the truth from Lee, but making sense of what he hears when it does come. As with the Aboriginal belief that there are two worlds - the everyday and the Dreamtime, the truth exists on two completely different levels, with ramifications more disastrous than Burton could ever have imagined.

    No doubt the reason why 'Picnic At Hanging Rock' is better remembered is because of its enduring mystery. We are led along the same path but forced to find answers for ourselves. In 'The Last Wave', we can piece everything together by the end of the film. However, even with all the information, we have to choose how much of it we want to believe, because the film takes us beyond the borders of our normal realities.

    On the production side, Weir uses his budget to great effect, progressively building a sense of doom in everything from soft lighting, to heavy rain, to good use of sound. The incidental music is unobtrusive, never trying to be grandiose. Richard Chamberlain manages to convey the bafflement the audience would doubtless feel as he tries to unravel the mystery. David Gulpilil excellently portrays a man trapped between two worlds, wanting to do the right thing, but afraid because he already knows the ending.

    Put all these things together, and you have a perfect example of why David Weir is a familiar name in cinema thirty years on. Strongly recommended.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Director Peter Weir asked tribal Aboriginal actors David Gulpilil and Nandjiwarra Amagula about the script and incorporated their reactions to the finished dialogue.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Chris Lee: Dream is a shadow ... of something real.

    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: The North Avenue Irregulars/The Last Wave/Agatha/Norma Rae/Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1979)

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 18, 1979 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Australia
    • Official site
      • Criterion Collection
    • Languages
      • English
      • Italian
      • Aboriginal
    • Also known as
      • La última ola
    • Filming locations
      • Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
    • Production companies
      • McElroy & McElroy
      • The South Australian Film Corporation
      • The Australian Film Commission
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • A$810,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $957
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $495
      • Dec 2, 2001
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,662
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 46 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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