The Man from Snowy River (1982 film)
| The Man from Snowy River | |
|---|---|
 Australian DVD cover | |
| Directed by | George T. Miller |
| Written by | Screenplay: John Dixon Story: Fred Cul Cullen Poem: Banjo Paterson |
| Produced by | Geoff Burrowes Michael Edgley Simon Wincer |
| Starring | Tom Burlinson Sigrid Thornton Kirk Douglas |
| Cinematography | Keith Wagstaff |
| Edited by | Adrian Carr |
| Music by | Bruce Rowland |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | Template:FilmAustralia |
| Language | English |
The Man from Snowy River is a 1982 Australian drama film based on the Banjo Paterson poem The Man from Snowy River. The film had a cast including Kirk Douglas in a dual role as the brothers Harrison (a character who appeared frequently in Patterson's poems) and Spur, a prospector, Jack Thompson as Clancy, Tom Burlinson as "Jim Craig" (The Man), Sigrid Thornton as Harrison's daughter Jessica, Terence Donovan as Jim's father Henry Craig, and Chris Haywood as Curly.
Both Tom Burlinson and Sigrid Thornton later reprised their roles in the 1988 sequel, The Man from Snowy River II, which was released by Walt Disney Pictures.
Plot summary
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (August 2009) |
The film opens with young Jim Craig (Burlinson) and his father Henry (Donovan) discussing their finances. A herd of wild horses called The Brumby Mob passes by and disturbs their mare Bess. Henry wants to shoot the 20-year-old black stallion which leads the Brumbys at first. But they need money, and Jim convinces his father to capture them to sell them. The next morning, as they are at work, the Brumby Mob gallops through the station (ranch). This startles Bess, who bolts and joins the Mob. In the process, Henry is killed by a falling log. Jim is set to inherit the ranch, but a group of mountain men tell him that he must first earn the right to live in the mountains, like his father did. They tell him he must go down to the lowlands and work.
Jim goes to see an old friend, Spur (Douglas) - a one-legged miner, who gives him a horse for the ride down to the lowlands and comments nostaligcally that he "remembers" the stallion. Jim gets a job on a ranch owned by Harrison (Douglas), who is clearly Spur's brother, based on a recommendation by Harrison's friend Banjo Patterson. Kane, the ranch foreman, and Mrs. Bailey, a cook at the station, are surprised to learn that Jim has been hired despite Patterson's recommendation, citing a decades-ago incident which caused Harrison to develop a hatred for the mountains from which Jim comes. He also develops a rivalry with Curly (Haywood) and befriends Frew. Jim also tells his co-workers that his father and the legendary Clancy were once mates and that he knows him, but he is disbelieved and mocked.
Meanwhile Clancy appears at Spur's mine and the two discuss their pasts and futures. It is revealed here that Henry Craig and Spur were once partners in the mine and that Jim is set to inherit his father's share, no matter how large or small it is. Clancy also laments the diminishing nature of the plains and compares his disappearing way of life to "chasing rainbows."
Clancy arrives at Harrison's station to lead a cattle muster. Here he recognizes Jim and confirms that he and Henry Craig were once mates. At a dinner party Harrison and Clancy argue over what suits Australia better, future progress and technology (Harrison's claim) or the status quo of the plains and bush life (Clancy's claim). Clancy also refers to the plains as a vision splendid. Harrison's inability to bring progress to his station is because of the independent and self-reliant mountain men. When prodded about domesticizing the Snowy River country by Clancy, Jim mentions that taming the mountains would be akin to stopping the tide. Harrison also tells Clancy that "he has no brother" when referring to Spur.
Harrison organizes a roundup of his cattle. Jim stays behind as punishment for his claim that the mountains should not be tamed. While the others are gone, Harrison’s daughter Jessica asks Jim to help her break in a prize colt. Mrs. Hume, Jessica's aunt, also notices that Jessica has become fond of Jim. Then the Brumby Mob appears again. Jim sees his mare Bess in the Mob and decides to give chase on the new colt to retrieve her.
Jim returns without Bess. When Harrison returns from the roundup, he sends Jim to bring back 20 strays. Jim reunties with Spur in the mountains and mentions that he never knew he had a brother, to which Spur dismissively replies that Jim "never asked" about his brother. Spur also gives Jim advice on how to round up the strays and encourages him to stay on with Harrison. Later Harrison is furious to find that Jim took the valuable colt to chase after the Brumby Mob. It is also revealed that Harrison has a history with the black stallion. He tells Jessica that when Jim gets back, he’s fired and that she will be sent to a women's college. Jessica impuslivley rides off into the mountains. After she storms out Mrs. Hume cryptically asks Harrison what would have happened if his aim had been better all those years ago. Harrison also questions Jessica's paternity. She is caught in a storm, thrown from her horse, and lands on a ledge where she is trapped. Spur, meanwhile finally finds a large amount of gold in his mine.
Jim finds Jessica’s horse and later rescues her from the ledge. She tells him that he’s going to be fired. Jim says that he’s going to finish the job anyway, and leaves Jessica with Spur while he takes the cattle back down to the lowlands. Jessica is surprised at meeting Spur, her uncle, who she had never been told about. She is also confused when Spur mistakes her for her late mother, Matilda, and when she finds a picture of her mother in his house. Jessica prods Spur about these things, but he refuses to tell her anything, aside from mentioning to Jim that he'd watch over her "like his own daughter."
After returning home Mrs. Hume tells Jessica that Spur and Harrison both fell in love with Matilda and that Matilda issued a challenge to her suitors that she'd marry whichever man made his fortune first. Harrison bet his life savings on Pardon, a 50-1 shot horse in the cup which turned victorious and became rich overnight while Spur went looking for gold. Harrison and Matilda were married while Spur continued to look for his fortune and has never stopped. Jessica asks about her paternity and Mrs. Hume assures her that Harrison is her daughter, though she herself expresses her doubt.
Harrison returns to the ranch and is very grateful to Jim for saving Jessica, but he becomes angry when Jim tells him that he loves her and orders him off his property. Spur appears to defend Jim and Harrison tells them both to leave and threatens them with violence. It is then revealed by Mrs. Hume that Spur had gotten Matilda a fole from Old Regret as a wedding present and that Harrison hated the animal and let it loose. When Spur saw it running free he returned it to Matilda and when Harrison saw them together he assumed infidelity shot Spur, the reason for his peg leg. Matilda shortlty thereafter died in child birth while delivering Jessica. Jim and Harrison leave the station with Jim telling Jessica that she should forget about him and Spur forgiving Harrison for maiming him. spur later confirms Jessica's paternity and chastises Harrison for ever doubting Matilda.
As Jim is clearing out his belongings from the bunk house he engages Curly in a fist fight. The prize colt is then let loose by Curly as he knows that Harrison will pay top-dollar to have it returned and that Jim will likely be blamed for the crime. Jim and Spur camp out in the plains and Spur tells Jim about the share of his father's gold that he will be inheriting. Clancy approaches them and tells them about the colt. He also suggests that Jim return with him to attempt to retrieve the animal. Jim refuses.
Harrison offers a reward of ₤100 for to any person or group who returns the colt. This attracts the attention of every top rider, drover, thrill-seeker, and fortune-hunter from every station in the province. Harrison is waiting for as long as possible for Clancy to arrive before he is forced to leave. Clancy does eventually show, along with Jim, who Harrison orders off the property as the one who released the colt. clancy defends Jim and tells him that if he were guilty he would not have returned and Clancy later tells Harrison that he wanted Jim to go searching for the colt. Harrison finally relents upon Clancy's insistence. The colt has joined the Mob.
Several riders have accidents in pursuit of the colt and Clancy is unable to contain the mob. In addition, Curly falls from his horse into a river, ending his chance for the reward money. All riders, including both Harrison and Clancy, give up when the mob descends a seemingly impassable grade and disappears below. However, Jim and his prized mountain horse Denny go forward with the "terrible descent" and continue the chase. Jim finds the Mob and single handedly brings the colt and the entire Mob back to Harrison’s ranch. Harrison offers him the reward but he refuses saying, "That's not why I rode." It meant he has cleared his name and proven his manhood. However he would return for some of the horses and, looking at Jessica, anything else. He rides back up to his home in the highlands, knowing that he has earned his right to live there.
Cast
- Tom Burlinson as Jim Craig
- Sigrid Thornton as Jessica Harrison
- Kirk Douglas as Harrison / Spur
- Terence Donovan as Henry Craig
- Tommy Dysart as Mountain Man
- Bruce Kerr as Man in Street
- David Bradshaw as Banjo Paterson
- Jack Thompson as Clancy
- Tony Bonner as Kane
- June Jago as Mrs. Lorraine Bailey
- Chris Haywood as Curly
- Kristopher Steele as Moss
- Gus Mercurio as Frew
- Howard Eynon as Shorry
- Lorraine Bayly as Rosemary Hume
Production
Tom Burlinson has confirmed that it was definitely he who rode the horse over the side of the mountain for the 'terrible descent' during the dangerous ride — commenting that he had been asked about this numerous times, and that he became known as "The Man from Snowy River" because of his ride.[1]
The Craigs' Hut building was a permanent fixture created for the film. Located in Clear Hills, east of Mount Stirling, Victoria, the popular 4WD and hiking landmark was destroyed on 11 December 2006 in bushfires.[2] The hut has since been rebuilt.
Reception
The film "was released to a fair degree of critical acclaim, but more importantly, moviegoers found it to be a likable and highly entertaining piece of filmmaking that made no effort to hide its Australian roots, despite the presence of American star Kirk Douglas in one of the principal roles. "[3] The film has a rating of 80% on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[4]
Awards and nominations
- Won 1982 AFI Award for Best Original Music Score — (awarded to Bruce Rowland)
- Won 1982 Montreal World Film Festival Award for Most Popular Film — (awarded to George T. Miller)
- Nominated for 1982 AFI Award for Best Achievement in Sound
- Nominated for 1983 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film Australia
Soundtrack
Bruce Rowland composed the music for the film, a soundtrack that became one of the most critically acclaimed in the history of motion pictures. He also composed the music for the sequel.
2000 Summer Olympics — Bruce Rowland composed a special Olympics version of "The Man from Snowy River" Main Title for the Olympic Games, which were held in Sydney. The CD of the music for the Sydney Olympics includes the Bruce Rowland's special Olympic version of "The Man from Snowy River".
The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular — Bruce Rowland composed special arrangements of some of the film soundtrack music for the 2002 musical version of The Man from Snowy River.
Box Office
The Man from Snowy River grossed $17,228,160 at the box office in Australia,[5] which is equivalent to $50,132,946 in 2009 dollars.
References
- ^ "How The Hell Did We Get Here? — The Baby Boomers Guide To The Movies"
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald, 11 December 2006, Bushfires ravage iconic Craig's Hut
- ^ http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/manfromsnowyriver.php
- ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/man_from_snowy_river/
- ^ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office