An incredibly thoughtful study on masculinity, Wake in Fright benefits immensely from actor Gary Bond's own homosexuality. He's perfectly cast here, too pretty for the Australian outback and distinctly prissy though the film gets evermore butch. That his spiral of shame culminates in a gay sexual encounter packs a serious punch, as he's thoroughly emasculated by the "real men" around him at every turn. The brutal hunting sequence drives home just how out of place he is. But that he's ultimately mastered by Donald Pleasance, a hard-drinking brute that defies gay stereotypes, suggests to him that manliness comes in many forms, and he hasn't got an ounce of it.
The hints of Pleasence's homosexuality (e.g. defensively making the only reference to homosexuality early on, sneaking a peak at Gary Bond urinating) underscore how well-planned this screenplay is. It's something of a masterclass of writing, particularly as Bond first falls prey to the town's decadence when he begins gambling, only to end up hungover the next morning without a stitch on. Wake in Fright touts its themes in such distinctly visual ways, even if they get a little obvious. A montage near the end where a pained Bond relates all the film's sexual imagery borders on heavy-handedness. Yet that's nothing when considering how this bookends on the same opening shots. From that wide shot of the hostile desert, you'd recognize something was amiss even without knowing what a serious transformation this character has undergone.
