The Man from Snowy River [Blu-ray]

Director: George Miller George Miller

Overview

Inspired by an epic poem by A.B. "Banjo" Patterson, The Man From Snowy River was a major step forward for the regenerated Australian film industry of the early '80s. This "down-under Western" spotlights Tom Burlinson as Jim Craig, a headstrong young man who goes to work for a powerful cattle baron. Burlinson falls in love with Jessica (Sigrid Thornton), his boss' daughter, and becomes enmeshed in a bitter land feud. Kirk Douglas has a high old time in the dual role of hard-hearted landowner Harrison and grizzled, one-legged old prospector Spur. Previously filmed in 1920, The Man From Snowy River was directed by the other George Miller, not the director of the same name who helmed Mad Max (1979). A monumental moneymaker, the film inspired a 1988 sequel, confusingly titled Return to Snowy River, Part II.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/06/2012
UPC:	0024543760368
Original Release:	1982
Rating:	PG
Source:	20Th Century Fox
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural, Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	11,596

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tom Burlinson	Actor
Kirk Douglas	Actor
Jack Thompson	Actor
Sigrid Thornton	Actor
Terence Donovan	Henry Craig
Tony Bonner	Kane
Tommy Dysart	Mountain Man
Bruce Kerr	Man in Street
David Bradshaw	A. B. `Banjo' Paterson
June Jago	Mrs. Bailey
Chris Haywood	Curly
Kristopher Steele	Moss
Gus Mercurio	Frew
Howard Eynon	Short Man
Lorraine Bayly	Rosemary
John Nash	Tall Man,Tall Man
Charlie Lovick	Master of Horse
Gerald Egan	Crack Rider
Peter Wallis	Crack Rider
Geoff Burrowes	Crack Rider
Paul Purcell	Crack Rider
Heath Harris	Additional Rider
Jim James	Additional Rider
Kevin Stewart	Additional Rider
Bruce Rowland	Composer

Technical Credits

Cul Cullen

John Dixon

Fred Cullen

George Miller	Director
Geoff Burrowes	Producer
Michael Edgley	Executive Producer,Producer
Simon Wincer	Executive Producer,Producer
Cul Cullen	Screenwriter
David W. Gray	Sound Effects
David J. Kimball	Sound Effects
Robert J. Litt	Sound Effects
Terry Rodman	Sound Effects
John Dixon	Screenwriter
Fred Cullen	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

The Man From Snowy River may be a landmark achievement in Australian cinema -- accomplished by the standards of a fledgling film industry -- but when compared to a long history of similar American Westerns, it fares only so-so. Its more enduring place may be in the hearts of horse lovers, specifically young girls, many of whom campaigned ever more urgently for a pony as a result of watching the movie. In this way, its influence is better equated to the The Black Stallion than The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. There's a harlequin quality to the forbidden romance on the frontier storyline, which also includes scandalous family secrets and other bits of soap opera fodder. Still, it's executed with enough skill and enough mildness to rest comfortably within the realm of the sentimental family classic. Especially impressive are the horse-riding feats, even the loving way the horses are filmed, which help categorize it among horse films without that being its explicit focus. In his debut film, cinematographer Keith Wagstaff encapsulates the beauty of the Australian countryside with a real sense for its expansiveness. Kirk Douglas is an effective choice to raise the film's stateside interest level, even if the lesser half of his dual role, the salty old prospector, has the hokey feel of a theme park character.