Dear Jodie - M is for The Man From Snowy River

Dear Jodie,

I watched The Man From Snowy River last week for the very first time, and was quite taken with parts of it. It has many qualities of the American Western, but much more subtle and far less shoot-em-up.

The beautiful shots of the horses evoked the poetry of Banjo Paterson.  I really do enjoy the poetry of Banjo Paterson. His poems tell the story of a land better than any I've ever read anywhere about any place. 

They are, in a word, evocative!

Some of the actors I am familiar with. I’ll get to Kirk Douglas in a second. I know the lovely, passionate Sigrid Thornton from the mini-series “All The Rivers Run,” a work that almost single-handedly put my mother and sister on a plane to Melbourne.

I enjoyed her work in this very much, or maybe I just have a crush on her. I’m also familiar with Jack Thompson who played Clancy (of the Overflow). I thought he had just the right mix of mountain man and compassion for the boy about to become a man.

I had not seen Tom Burlinson before. His Jim Craig had some nice notes, from the uncertain youth to The Man From Snowy River capable of taming a herd of wild horses (brambies). I wish he could have found a more tender melody in the romance.

What can I say about Kirk Douglas? He’s never been one of my favorite actors, but I thought he was fine in this, at least as Harrison. As Spur . . . well, let me just say that I had trouble getting past the movie star teeth.  And when you give Kirk Douglas a wooden leg and scraggy beard, he'll chew up the scenery.

And did.

The acting would win no Oscars, true, but I love the sweep of the movie.  Some of the shots of the Australian landscape were spectacular, particularly the aerial shots of the horses!

I want to board a plane to the land down under!

I give it 6 out of 10.

I'm curious about the relationship you choose to focus on and how you rate it.

Read Jodie's review here!

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I take back what I said earlier.  Any actor who signs an autograph for me is a favorite.  :-)