Seeing Green

Wake in Fright: Heat, Dust, Hostility and Outback Eco-systems

March 02, 2022 Seeing Green Season 1 Episode 1
Seeing Green
Wake in Fright: Heat, Dust, Hostility and Outback Eco-systems
Show Notes

It’s now become a classic of Australian cinema. But for years it faded into obscurity and was nearly lost forever.  Wake in Fright is a psychological horror that paints a damning portrait of a particular kind of Australian culture.

In this episode, we’re looking at Ted Kotcheff’s 1971 film adaptation of Wake in Fright - a novel by Kenneth Cook. We’re exploring what this film reveals about contemporary environmental issues like climate change, species loss and the enduring impacts of colonialism.

In this discussion: Associate Professor in Film and Screen Studies at Monash University (and one of our executive producers), Belinda Smaill.

And PhD candidate in conservation psychology at the University of Melbourne, Chris McCormack. He's also co-founder of the nature charity, Remember the Wild.