The Man from Snowy River (1982 film)

The Man from Snowy River

Australian DVD cover
Directed by George T. Miller
Produced by Geoff Burrowes
Michael Edgley
Simon Wincer
Screenplay by John Dixon
Story by Fred Cul Cullen
Based on The Man from Snowy River 
by Banjo Paterson
Starring
Music by Bruce Rowland
Cinematography Keith Wagstaff
Edited by Adrian Carr
Production
company
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • 5 November 1982 (1982-11-05)
Running time
 102 minutes
Country Australia
Language English
Budget A$3 million (est.)[1] or $3.5 million[2]
Box office A$17,228,160 (Australia)

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 Paterson'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 Burlinson and Thornton later reprised their roles in the 1988 sequel, The Man from Snowy River II, which was released by Walt Disney Pictures.

Plot summary

When Jim Craig and his father Henry are discussing their finances, a herd of wild horses called the Brumby Mob passes by, and Henry wants to shoot the black stallion leader, but Jim convinces his father to capture and sell them. The next morning the mob reappears and Henry is accidentally killed. Before Jim can inherit the station, a group of mountain men tell him that he must first earn the right – and to do so he must go to the lowlands and work.

Jim meets an old friend called Spur, a one-legged miner. Jim then gets a job on a station owned by Harrison, Spur's brother, on a recommendation by Harrison's friend. Meanwhile, Clancy of the Overflow appears at Spur's mine and the two discuss their pasts and futures. Clancy goes to Harrison's station to lead a cattle muster. At dinner, Harrison tells Clancy that "he has no brother" when referring to Spur.

Harrison organizes a round-up of his cattle, but Jim is not allowed to go. While the others are gone, Harrison’s daughter Jessica asks Jim to help her break in a prize colt. The mob appears again, and Jim unsuccessfully gives chase on the valuable horse. When Harrison returns, he sends Jim to bring back 20 strays. Later Harrison learns of Jim's actions and tells Jessica that he's fired and that she will be sent to a women's college. Impulsively, she rides off into the mountains where she is caught in a storm.

Spur, meanwhile finally strikes a large gold deposit. Jim finds Jessica’s horse and rescues her. She tells him that he's going to be fired, but he still leaves to return the cattle. 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 dead mother, and refuses to tell her anything about their past.

After returning, Jessica learns that Spur and Harrison both fell in love with her mother, Matilda. She declared that the first to make his fortune would be her husband. Spur went looking for gold, while Harrison bet his life savings on a horse race. Harrison became rich overnight when the horse he bet on, Pardon, won. Having made his fortune, Harrison and Matilda wed, but she died while delivering Jessica. Harrison is grateful to Jim for returning his daughter, but he becomes angry when Jim says he loves her. As he leaves, the prized colt from old Regret is let loose by a farmhand in the hope that Jim will be blamed.

Later, while camping out, Spur tells Jim that he is set to inherit his father's share of the mine. Clancy joins them and informs them of the colt, but Jim refuses to retrieve the animal. Meanwhile, Harrison offers a reward of ₤100, attracting riders and fortune-hunters from every station in the area. Clancy does eventually show, accompanied by Jim, who Harrison finally allows to join the hunt.

Several riders have accidents in pursuit and even Clancy is unable to contain the brumby mob. The riders give up when the mob descends a seemingly impassable grade. However, Jim goes forward and returns the horses to Harrison’s farm. Harrison offers him the reward but he refuses. Having cleared his name, Jim would like to return some day for the horses and, looking at Jessica, "anything else that's mine." He rides back up to the mountain country, knowing that he has earned his right to live there.

Cast

Production

Craig's Hut undergoing reconstruction in 2007
Craig's Hut undergoing reconstruction in 2007

According to Geoff Burrowes, the idea to make the film came at a dinner party when someone suggested the poem would make a good movie. Burrowes developed a treatment with George Miller then hired John Dixon to write a screenplay. All three men had worked together in television; another former TV colleague, Simon Wincer, became involved as executive producer with Michael Edgley and succeeded in raising the budget.[1][3][4]

The screenplay contains numerous references to Banjo Paterson, aside from using his poem The Man from Snowy River as the source material and his inclusion as a character in the film. For example, the numerous references to the late Matilda are likely a reference to the song Waltzing Matilda, which was written by Paterson. In addition, the melody for "Waltzing Matilda" can be heard near the end of the film.

A Bible Passage from Genesis 30:27, which talks about cattle, goats, and sheep is read aloud in a scene in the middle of the film.

Burt Lancaster and Robert Mitchum were considered for the dual role of Harrison and Spur before Kirk Douglas was cast in the roles.

The movie was not shot in the actual Snowy Mountains but in the Victorian High Country near Mansfield, Victoria, where Burrowes' wife's family had lived for several generations, which was logistically easier.[1][5]

Tom Burlinson has confirmed that it was definitely him 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.[6] Remarkably, Burlinson had never ridden a horse before being cast in the film and the "terrible descent" was a one-take shot at full gallop down the cliff face. Burlinson performed all of his own stunts in the film.

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.[7] The hut has since been rebuilt. The film was selected for preservation as part of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Kodak/Atlab Cinema Collection Restoration Project.

Reception

The film "was released to a fair degree of critical acclaim" and "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."[8] The film has a rating of 80% on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.[9]

One review of the movie comments:[10]

The Australian film industry has been responsible for many decent films for decades (and some utter crap, of course), but the percentage with international appeal is quite small. That is changing, and it is films such as The Man From Snowy River that have ensured ongoing interest. The film was inspired by the ‘Banjo’ Paterson poem of the same name, and stars numerous respected local talents and a Hollywood big name star in Kirk Douglas, playing two roles.

The two standouts of this film are the majestic mountain scenery, and the final chase scenes with that awe-inspiring horse ride down the mountainside. The film stars many big names and familiar faces including Gus Mercurio (Paul's father), Lorraine Bayley (The Sullivans), Tony Bonner (Skippy) and Chris Haywood. The sets and costumes are also great, the script is strong, and the various threads that run through the film are well handled.

Box office

The movie was the most popular Australian film of all time until Crocodile Dundee (1986).

Kirk Douglas later sued Burrowes for a share of the profits.[11]

Awards and nominations

Soundtrack

Bruce Rowland composed the music for the film, and it became one of the most critically acclaimed soundtracks 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 main title.

Bruce Rowland composed special arrangements of some of the film soundtrack music for the 2002 musical version of The Man from Snowy River, The Man from Snowy River: Arena Spectacular.

Box office

The Man from Snowy River grossed $17,228,160 at the box office in Australia.[12]

Legacy

As indicated by its box office takings, The Man from Snowy River gained a very large audience, popularising the story and Banjo Paterson's poem. Since 1995 the story has been re-enacted at The Man From Snowy River Bush Festival in Corryong, Victoria.[13]

Jack Thompson who played Clancy in the film has released recordings of a number of Banjo Paterson poems including Clancy of the Overflow and The Man from Snowy River on the album The Bush Poems of A.B. (Banjo) Paterson.[14]

The film's main title famously appeared in the post credits scene of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite where it was played during the part where Napoleon arrives to the ceremony on the "wild honeymoon stallion".

References

  1. 1 2 3 David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990, pp. 64–66
  2. ↑ "LIFE STYLE Man From Snowy River — 'a remarkable movie'.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (ACT: National Library of Australia). 26 January 1983. p. 20. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Young actors tipped for plum roles.". The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) (1933 - 1982: National Library of Australia). 19 November 1980. p. 32 Supplement: FREE Your TV Magazine. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "RIDE TH COUN HE HIGH NTRY.". Filmnews (Sydney, NSW : 1975 - 1995) (Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia). 1 September 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  5. ↑ "ON THE SET OF 'THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER [?].". The Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982) (1933 - 1982: National Library of Australia). 6 May 1981. p. 16. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  6. ↑ How The Hell Did We Get Here?—The Baby Boomers Guide to the Movies
  7. ↑ Sydney Morning Herald, 11 December 2006, Bushfires ravage iconic Craig's Hut
  8. ↑ http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/manfromsnowyriver.php
  9. ↑ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/man_from_snowy_river/
  10. ↑ http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=3982 The Man From Snowy River (1982)
  11. ↑ "Douglas has been paid, says producer.". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995) (ACT: National Library of Australia). 30 August 1983. p. 15. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  12. ↑ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office
  13. ↑ The Man from Snowy River Bush Festival
  14. ↑ "The Bush Poems of A.B. (Banjo) Paterson at Fine Poets"

External links

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