By the 1990s, "Wake in Fright" had developed a cult reputation as Australia's great "lost film" because its master negative had gone missing, resulting in censored prints of degraded quality being used for its few television broadcasts and VHS releases. After the original film and sound elements were rescued by editor Anthony Buckley in 2004, the film was digitally remastered and given a 2009 re-release at Cannes and in Australian theatres to widespread acclaim; it was issued commercially on DVD and Blu-ray later that year. "Wake in Fright" is now considered a pivotal film of the Australian New Wave, earning praise from contemporary critics for Kotcheff's direction and the cast's performances.