The Man from Snowy River (1982)

Such a frustrating disappointment

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

When a teenage boy's father dies, he works on a ranch to save enough money to restore his father's farm to its former glory. While learning the ropes and becoming a man, he falls in love, but finds himself in the middle of a long-standing feud between two brothers who could interfere with his impending marriage. Kirk Douglas plays a dual role in The Man from Snowy River, as both estranged brothers, and while that's fun to watch, you're probably not going to like this movie unless you're really in love with westerns. Most of the movie focuses on the beauty of the landscape, and showcasing wild horses running around and cowboys working with cattle. If you think watching scene after scene of that will bore you to tears, you might want to try a different western, or a new genre altogether. If that type of scene appeals to you, you'll probably like it and will want to read A.B. "Bajo" Patterson's original poem. As you know, I'm not terribly in love with westerns. I much preferred Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

It's 1880's in Australia. Jim Craig's father is killed and so he goes to work for Mr. Harrison. His one-legged brother Spur is his brother's enemy and Jim's friend. Jim starts to have feelings for Harrison's daughter Jessica. He also wishes to find his horse who ran off with wild horses. The Man from Snowy River (1982) is a film by George Miller. It's an Australian western with a twist of romance. Kirk Douglas is fantastic as both of the brothers. Today happens to be the 100th birthday of this legendary actor. He has had a remarkable career that spanned for many decades.Other actors may be overshadowed by Mr. Douglas' performance, but none of them does a bad job. Tom Burlington does a very nice job as Jim. And so does Sigrid Thornton as his love interest Jessica. Watch this movie if you like horses, and Kirk Douglas.

I won't write this review crapping all over a modern day classic like The Man From Snowy River. I know many adore this film and think of it fondly with great nostalgia. I waited a very long time to see it and finally decided to give it a try. I love westerns, 80's films and Disney classics but for some reason this didn't strike the right chord with me. Despite a promising concept, I found the film dawdles along without ever having a lot of chemistry between the key characters. The performances are good, in fact one in particular is excellent but its lacking depth when it comes to the relationships. The scenery is stunning and yet I felt like the film makers underused the breathtaking Australian outback. The film definitely shows a lot of beautiful horses so people that are looking for that will enjoy it. There is somehow a lack of significant emotion to a story that should be full of moving moments. The romance which should be a focal point in the latter part of the movie feels forced and rushed and very technical. There are some moments where it feels like they're actually bartering for the romantic lead.Tom Burlinson is our lead in the film. He is okay but he is also a key reason the characters lack emotion. He feels almost stoic at times and well he is always determined he wasn't necessarily the right choice for the lead of the movie. Kirk Douglas is literally the reason to watch this movie. He is amazing in a dual role as Harrison and Spur. Both characters are so different from each other and he just absolutely nails both. He is so obviously the seasoned professional and it shows. Sigrid Thornton is the object of Burlinson's affections but also causes one of the biggest issues with the movie. Thornton looks almost stunned throughout her entire performance and the chemistry between her and Burlinson is practically nil. Its almost painful to watch their so called romance unfold and yet I had heard what a classic love story this was but I didn't get it at all. Supporting cast is alright but no one really stands out as being noteworthy.Coming from a long history in Television director George Miller has done a lot of TV and a lot of straight to TV movies. I don't think he had the experience in movies to handle this and make it outstanding. Imagine this film in the hands of a truly amazing director who stuns with cinematography and could handle the script better. That being said, the script left a lot to be desired too. I suppose I was even more let down because this seems like the type of movie I would absolutely adore and I didn't. My expectations were high because so many people just rave about this and they love it and I respect that. I am not saying that its a terrible movie but it certainly didn't appeal to me at all. Someday I may watch the sequel but I'm not anxious to see it for sure. This was a miss in my books. 5.5/10

Kirk Douglas is great in two roles and Jack Thompson is there as he is in just about every other Aussie film these two fine actors get star billing. Jack plays Clancy of the Overflow but its really a cameo. The real star of the film is a young Tom Burlinson and he not only looks great he gives the most heart warming natural performance. It is Tom's film. The producers felt there needed to be a love interest and poor Tom gets Sigrid Thornton who is the only disappointment in the film. Thornton delivers her dialogue quite stiffly almost as though she is reading. There is more romance and chemistry between Tom and the horse than there is with poor old Singrid. The scene of her rescue is however spectacular. But forget all that and feast your eyes on Tom and enjoy the glorious scenery, listen to a magnificent score. Some of the dialogue is rather twee especially when there are direct quotes from Patterson's brilliant poetry. The poem is a great classic and Banjo is one of the greatest writers of all time.