Der endlose Horizont

Set in Australia in the 1920s,this wonderful movie tells the story of sheepdrover Mitchum, wife Kerr and son Anderson, drifting through the Australian wilderness,never settling down.Tired of constantly being on the move Kerr wants a home for her family,but Mitchum is insensitive to his family's wishes.

Deborah Kerr gives a fantastic performance that brings to life even the inner emotions of her character.She's never been better.Robert Mitchum is very believable in his assignment.It's perhaps one of his most complex roles.Also Peter Ustinov scores a triumph:A man too irresponsible to have a family of his own,and therefore clings to Mitchum and Kerr's family. The story isn't much on paper,but Fred Zinnemann's imaginative direction gives the incidents the needed emotions. Beautiful cinematography and sock performances from the rest of the cast makes this a movie you shouldn't miss.

Anyone who enjoys the tales of the pioneers' trials to carve a nation out of the wilderness will enjoy the The Sundowners. The cast as would be expected is superb. It's a treat to see quintessential American tough-guy-with-a-soft-spot Robert Mitchum, one of my all-time favorite actors, pull of an Aussie accent. Deborah Kerr as the long-suffering but loyal wife and devoted mother is also worthy of high praise. Peter Ustinov and his English accent provide great comic relief. All in all, very good entertainment and insight into a lifestyle not familiar to the general American public, 7/10.

I was a bit disturbed to see a rather vitriolic, negative review of this film. The Sundowners has its faults, and is probably not in "must see" category, but it entertains, pleases and amuses. Its genre should probably be called "adventure lite"...the drama keeps you engaged, but doesn't get the adrenaline going.

The acting is solid (in particular, Ustinov really "completes" the cast nicely), the cinematography is excellent and all in all, it's a good film for a rainy night. I'd agree with the poster who pointed out that you probably won't want to watch it over and over again, but to me, this isn't necessarily a knock on it; after all, think how tedious it would be if all films were as arcane as, say, "Pulp Fiction."

A solid 7 out of 10.

"The Sundowners" was a favourite movie of mine at the time of its initial release in 1960,and watching it again recently it still came across as a an engaging and pleasant little movie but one that perhaps has lost something of its impact with the passing years,ones in which Australian movies and actors have come to the fore internationally.In 1960 it was considered necessary to import two Hollywood names to give world wide box office appeal,something not necessary today with performers like Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett.(Of the egregious,smarmy self -centred Anglophobe Mr Gibson I will remain silent) Sundowners are itinerants ,moving from place to place in a small wagon picking up work on an as and when basis.The Carmody family-Paddy,Ida and teenage son Sean -are one such but while Paddy is content with the life the others are keen to put down roots and buy a farm. The picaresque tale tells of how the family as they drift across Australia finding work at a sheep station,becoming race horse owners etc gradually resolve their conflicts En route they meet a nomadic upper class Englishman,played as well as ever by Ustinov who acts as a kind of comic relief as he dispenses well honed epigrams The central section dealing with life on the sheep ranch is the best with some richly comic scenes including a shearing contest and some bar room scenes straight out of John Ford

The accents of Kerr and Mitchum are not secure or convincing but they carry the roles through sheer star power and their are strong contributions fron Glynis Johns and John Meillon

Still enjoyable but a remake with indigenous actors would be an interesting idea Still,all in all a bitter-sweet little gem of a movie I am glad I saw it again

Desptite the "struggles over accents", the dramaturgy went along well and the stringing together of the events in the lives of the Carmody family kept me watching and enjoying what came along. The sheep shearing was believable, and Mitchum's exhaustion was realistic and was genuine.

Debora Kerr's wife was what I, as a male, sympathized with. Tis is not comparable to "Thousand Mile Fence"having to do with Aboriginal experiences. In a way it is a mirror of it in those who had taken over the land in their struggles to survive. My wife and I were there a few years ago, on the east coast, the barrier reef from Kairns down to Sydney, never getting to the outback, so after that we watched every Australian film we could.