The Man from Snowy River (1982)

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  • 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.


    Memorable Quotes


    Filming Locations
    Merrijig, Victoria, AustraliaCentral Victoria, Victoria, AustraliaMansfield, Victoria, AustraliaMelbourne Film Studios, Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia




    Victoria, Australia

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • 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,
    Jack Thompson as Clancy, Tom Burlinson as Jim Craig, 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.


    Production
    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


    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.


    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. 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.


    One review of the movie comments
    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
    Kirk Douglas later sued Burrowes for a share of the profits.



    User Review


    15 years later, the movie is still fresh
    2 October 1999 | by mihee (Sacramento, CA)


    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

  • Definitely a stand-out movie for me. While I am not particularly a horse person, I love the scenes with the horses and of course that scene with the "descent" is quite memorable.


    The other piece for me is the music, which I don't really see mentioned in most of the writings about the movie. Just a few notes of it . . . evokes significant emotion for me.


    Mrs. C :angel: