Movie Review: The Man from Snowy River

The Man from Snowy River 

Cambridge Productions, Michael Edgley International, Snowy River Investment Pty. Ltd., Australia, 1982. 

Based on poem "The Man From Snowy River" by A.B. "Banjo" Paterson. 

Pack of wild horses or brumbies disturb evening of Jim (Tom Burlinson) and his father Henry Craig (Terence Donovan). Catching the wild horses would give nice money, but the pack is lead by wild black stallion. During the hunt Henry gets hit by a falling log and dies. Also family horse Bess abandons her old life and joins the pack. Father's gold miner friend Spur (Kirk Douglas) sends Jim away because he would not survive alone. Jim must earn his right to live in the mountains. 

Jim

Spur

Jim travels to town. Wealthy rancher and Spur's brother Harrison (Kirk Douglas) has bought a new horse and Banjo Paterson (David Bradshaw) delivers the colt. Jim manages to calm the panicked horse, so Paterson arranges him a job at Harrison's ranch. Other farmhands scorn him but Jim develops a friendship with Harrison's daughter Jessica (Sigrid Thornton). Strongwilled Jessica would like to be rancher instead of being sent to a posh school for ladies. Famed horseman Clancy (Jack Thompson) arrives to help with roundup of cattle. However rookie Jim is not allowed to participate. 

Jessica and Harrison

Clancy

While Harrison is away, Jessica urges Jim to break the new horse. The pack of wild horses appears and Jim gets hurt. Harrison gets angry when he notices that Jim has been breaking his colt. When Jessica vanishes in the mountains only Jim can save her. When the colt disappears, Jim is accused. To prove his manliness he must find the missing horse. To do so he must also tame the leader of the brumbies, the mysterious black stallion.

"I must break you" thinks Jim

Brumbies

First impression about this Australian Western is that the landscapes look magnificent. It is beautifully filmed with horses galloping gracefully on the hills and the horse chase in the end is a classic scene. Award-winning musical score was composed by Bruce Rowland. The story combines old-school manly cowboy adventure with romance. The story is quite simple coming of age story but gets extra layers from storyline about old rivalry of Spur and Harrison and from Jessica's modern views of women. Also Clancy seems to represent the ideal of Australian horse riding stockman while Harrison is more modern businessman envisaging railroads and roads.

There is also a dragon version of the story, "Dawn of the Dragonslayer"!

Part of The 2016 Movie Watching Challenge (#36. Movie based on a poem)

Rating. Very good

Starring: Tom Burlinson, Terence Donovan, Kirk Douglas, Tommy Dysart, Bruce Kerr, David Bradshaw, Sigrid Thornton, Jack Thompson, Tony Bonner, June Jago, Chris Haywood, Kristopher Steele, Gus Mercurio, Howard Eynon, Lorraine Bayly, John Nash, Jack Lovick, Charlie Lovick, John Lovick, Frank Hearn, Jack Purcell
Director: George Miller (not the "Mad Max" director)