FILM · 1977 · AUSTRALIA
The Last Wave
- Directed by
- Peter Weir
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Studio
- Australian Film Commission, McElroy & McElroy, Derek Power
20 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
A Sydney lawyer defends five Aboriginal people in a ritualised taboo murder and in the process learns disturbing truths about himself and premonitions.
Summary: TMDB
All facts (20)
- #001
Director Peter Weir asked the Aboriginal actors David Gulpilil and Nandjiwarra Amagula questions about the script and incorporated their reactions into the finished dialogue.
- #002
The city of Adelaide doubled extensively for Sydney in this film. During production, Sydney experienced difficult weather conditions with constant heavy rain. Ironically, that weather had to be recreated in Adelaide, which was sunny and pleasant during shooting.
- #003
This is the only film of Nandjiwarra Amagula, a tribal elder from northern Australia.
- #004
Producers Hal McElroy and Jim McElroy reportedly mortgaged their homes and business shares on director Peter Weir's previous film, Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), so that this film could maintain its cash flow and continue production.
- #005
Katrina Sedgwick, who played one of Burton's young daughters as a child, is now the Director of the Adelaide Film Festival. This was Sedgwick's first feature film.
- #006
This is the second of six collaborations between cinematographer Russell Boyd and director Peter Weir. The others are Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), Gallipoli (1981), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) and The Way Back (2010).
- #007
The dark, black, stormy and rainy weather conditions were created using wind machines and giant tornadoes, and the giant tornadoes were operated with a large number of fire trucks.
- #008
In the opening scene, a hand emerges from a window and holds a bone. The hand points the bone at the man, and the man collapses and dies. This is called pointing the bone. Aboriginal belief is so strong that the person dies with no apparent cause.
- #009
The producers of this film aimed for it to reach the American market strongly. Richard Chamberlain was brought in for the lead role, American writer Petru Popescu was brought in for co-writing the film, and sales and distribution were set up with the major American company United Artists.
- #010
The house seen in the film, belonging to a lawyer (Richard Chamberlain), was rented from a doctor. The house was located in Mitcham, a leafy suburb of Adelaide.
- #011
This film is part of spine number 142 of the Criterion Collection.
- #012
The house used in the shooting was said to be haunted. One night, the crew was so frightened that they stayed to deal with the equipment and left the house, abandoning everything unattended.
- #013
The main trailer for this film was made by director Brian Trenchard-Smith, credited on this film as Promotions Consultant. The voice-over was done by Alfred Sandor.
- #014
Most of the production crew on this film had worked on director Peter Weir's previous film, Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975). Among them were producers Jim McElroy and Hal McElroy, actors Tony Llewellyn-Jones and Vivean Gray, camera operator John Seale, cinematographer Russell Boyd and many other technical crew and staff.
- #015
Of the three main films that Australian child actor Greg Rowe appeared in for the South Australian Film Corporation at the time — Storm Boy (1976), The Last Wave (1977) and Blue Fin (1978) — all three featured storms and bad weather.
- #016
Awards: 1978 AFI Award: Best Achievement in Cinematography (Russell Boyd) and Best Achievement in Sound (Don Connolly, Greg Bell, Phil Judd); 1978 Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival: Special Jury Prize; 1982 Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival: Clavell de Plata - Best Actor (Richard Chamberlain).
- #017
This film was a notable contemporary departure for actor Richard Chamberlain, whose previous several films had all been period pieces such as The Man in the Iron Mask (1977), The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella (1976) and The Count of Monte Cristo (1975); Chamberlain was also known at the time for appearing in other period films such as Lady Caroline Lamb (1972) and The Music Lovers (1971).
- #018
The Last Wave is director Peter Weir's third feature film, following The Cars That Ate Paris (1974) and Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975).
- #019
The Last Wave was actress Olivia Hamnett's first major theatrical film. Its publicity stated that this was Hamnett's first theatrical film, though Hamnett had appeared in the little-seen low-budget Australian film Plunge Into Darkness (1978) and had an uncredited appearance in The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966).
- #020
The Italian censorship visa # 73912 was issued on 10 August 1979.
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