THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER
DIRECTED BY GEORGE MILLER
CAMBRIDGE FILMS
MICHAEL EDGLEY INTERNATIONAL
SNOWY RIVER INVESTMENT PTY. LTD
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Plot
Jim Craig has lived his first 18 years in the mountains of Australia on his father's farm. The death of his father forces him to go to the low lands to earn enough money to get the farm back on its feet. Kirk Douglas plays two roles as twin brothers who haven't spoken for years, one of whom was Jim's father's best friend and the other of whom is the father of the girl he wants to marry. A 20 year old feud re-erupts, catching Jim and Jessica in the middle of it as Jim is accused of letting a prize stallion loose.
Written by John Vogel
Cast
Tom Burlinson ... Jim Craig
Terence Donovan ... Henry Craig
Kirk Douglas ... Harrison / Spur
Tommy Dysart ... Mountain Man
Bruce Kerr ... Man in Street
David Bradshaw ... Banjo Paterson
Sigrid Thornton ... Jessica Harrison
Jack Thompson ... Clancy
Tony Bonner ... Kane
June Jago ... Mrs. Bailey
Chris Haywood ... Curly
Kristopher Steele ... Moss
Gus Mercurio ... Frew
Howard Eynon ... Short Man
Lorraine Bayly ... Rosemary Hume
John Nash ... Tall Man
Jack Lovick ... Mountain Horseman
Charlie Lovick ... Mountain Horseman
John Lovick ... Mountain Horseman
and many, many, many more...
Directed
George Miller
Writing Credits
A.B. 'Banjo' Paterson ... (poem)
Cul Cullen ... (script) (as Fred Cul Cullen)
John Dixon ... (screenplay)
Produced
Geoff Burrowes ... producer
Michael Edgley ... executive producer
Simon Wincer ... executive producer
Music
Bruce Rowland
Cinematography
Keith Wagstaff
Trivia
Tom Burlinson had never ridden horses much before making this movie and when he took Denny over the cliff to go after the brumbies that was a one-take shot at full gallop down the cliff face.
Tom Burlinson performed all his own horse riding stunts in the film
The movie contains numerous references to A.B. "Banjo" Patterson, besides being based on his poem. Patterson himself is a character in the movie, as is Clancy from the poem "Clancy of the Overflow" (Clancy also makes an appearance in the poem "The Man from Snowy River") Harrison's wife was named Matilda. Patterson wrote the song "Waltzing Matilda" and the melody can be heard at the very end of the movie.
This picture was one of fifty Australian films selected for preservation as part of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Kodak / Atlab Cinema Collection Restoration Project.
"The Man From Snowy River" is a poem, that was written by A.B. "Banjo" Patterson & published by The Bulletin Company, on Saturday, April 26th, 1890. Patterson himself, along with the words of the poem, are immortalized on the Australian $10 note.
Burt Lancaster and Robert Mitchum were also considered for the dual role played by Kirk Douglas.
The Biblical passage that was read under a candle, for light: starts at Genesis, Chapter 30 & verse 27, (King James Version). This Biblical verse is of cattle sheep & goats.
Crazy Credits
A herd of wild horses stampede over the hills after the end credits.
Goofs
Audio/visual unsynchronised
At the moment Jim looks down at Jessica, who is on the ledge, his lips move as he says something, but there is no dialogue to indicate what it is.
Continuity
When Jessica falls off the cliff, in lightning flashes in the darkness, her landing spot appears to be smooth and flat. The next morning, however, it is rough, uneven and sloping.
Early in the movie, Jessica is shown playing a keyboard musical instrument which resembles a clavichord or virginal and sounds somewhat like a harpsichord, as it should. A little later, she is shown playing the same instrument but now it sounds like a concert grand piano.
When Jim leaves the note hanging on the tree that Jessica is alright and heading back home, he leaves the bag with the note on one branch and his bandanna hanging on different branch. When Frew picks up the note later the bag and bandanna are hanging together on one branch.
When in the wild, the stallion has well groomed hoofs and horse-shoes that are clearly visible from the front view of the horse. If he had shoes on from when he was a colt then his hoofs would have out grown the shoes.
When the men are chasing the brumbies near the end of the film, Curly reaches over and pulls Jim's horse's bridle down from its ears. Yet, a second later when they ride through the water the bridle is back up where it should be. Later the bridle is pulled back down again and Jim stops to fix it.
Crew or equipment visible
(at around 1h 35 mins) After the brumbies run through the snowfield, there are two men on horseback in the background.
After Jim falls off the "thousand-pound" colt, he looks up and sees the herd of brumbies heading straight for him. Two riders are clearly seen driving the herd to the left and right of the screen.
Incorrectly regarded as goofs
At the end of the film when the brumbies are being driven toward a holding corral, the mare Bess and the colt are way out in front. They're domesticated, and they'd know that the ranch meant food and water, so they'd be more eager to return than the others.
Revealing mistakes
At the end of the movie when Jim gets Bess, the horse shown is a gelding instead of a mare.
Filming Locations
Merrijig, Victoria, AustraliaCentral Victoria, Victoria, AustraliaMansfield, Victoria, AustraliaMelbourne Film Studios, Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Victoria, Australia