Herencia de un valiente

It is hard to believe that so many years has past since I first saw "A Man from Snowy River." I was young and borrowed it on Betamax (yes Betamax) from a friend. Although I wish that I could of seen a full screen version of it, I will have to settle with the still fantastic small screen version.

The story is fairly simple. After his father dies, a boy tries to prove he a man worthy enough to live on his beloved Snowy Mountain. In order achieve this prize, he finds work on lower ground on a big ranch. A sweet romance is set between Jim, the boy, and the Rancher's daughter, Jessica, who is a feisty and strong female. There are wild horses, a sympathetic-but-bad-guy rancher, and beautiful scenery all which are an integral part of the story. (I don't want to give too much of the movie away).

I recently saw this movie (this time on VHS)with my niece and nephew. I could not believe how much I enjoyed it again. The thrilling horse riding scenes kept me at the edge of my seat. It is an ultimate family film one that has no foul language, gratuitous sex or violence. Nothing is dumbed down, the viewers being treated with the respect we deserve. GO RENT IT NOW!

Clint Eastwood and Unforgiven be damned. This is by far the best western of the modern era. Its an Aussie tale, but that does not disqualify it in my books. Lonesome Dove has its group as does Unforgiven. But George Miller's The Man from Snowy River is downright majestic.

There are no stagecoaches, revenge killings, poker games or joking jail hands. There isn't even a climactic standoff in a dusty old town. But there is the hand of a maiden to win and inner demons to slay. The climax isn't a shoot out with a band of criminals, but with a stallion and a lonely ride down a rocky mountain.

Director George Miller draws clear characters and honest human situations. He understands what a camera can do. Scenes of great power play out not in a tired miasma of gunfire or hokey soliloquies, but in the striations of muscle from a horse powering through rock in slow motion. George Miler is a poet. And the Man from Snowy River is a story that will stand the test of time. See it.

The Man from Snowy River may not be the best acting, the best directing or the most exciting movie around, but it is one of the most magical. I loved it when I first saw it as a child and it is still one of my favourite movies at 31 years of age. I think the thing which makes it so special is that it doesn't have violence, nudity or profanity that so many movies have now in order to make them exciting. It is simply a nice old fashioned family movie that has a timelessness about it, like any of the classics. They simply don't make them like this anymore - unfortunately.

This movie is both perfect and imperfect. Perfect because it has amazing horse riding scenes, beautiful cinematography and music, wonderful acting from Jack Thompson who captures the quintessential Clancy of the Overflow of Australian legend, and a great performance from Tom Burlinson, and showcases the skills of the 'real deal' cattlemen of the high country who acted as extras in the horse chase scenes, and finally because it can bring a tear to the eye the way Banjo Paterson's poem has for 120 years. This film was clearly a work of love and that is wonderfully conveyed.

However it's also imperfect because Kirk Douglas simply doesn't work in this context, and his two roles seem at times ridiculous. The storyline also meanders around at times, mostly in relation to one of Douglas's two characters, and it just seems a pity that an otherwise wonderful film has these flaws.

This is a movie to stir the heart, and well worth watching, and the horse chase scenes in the movie are now as much a part of Australia's culture as the original poem.

Shawshank is superb. Roman Holiday is perfect. Raiders is a blast. But The Man from Snowy River has been, is, and always will be my favorite movie. Some movies just match your personality more than others, trumping any technical deficiencies they may have. No, Snowy River doesn't have the best acting, the best screenplay, the best direction. But in all of them it's great, and the combination of the story, the cast, the scenery, and music (Bruce Rowland deserved an Oscar for his score) is much greater than the sum of its parts. For me, it's everything a movie ought to be: uplifting, heartwarming, optimistic, romantic, adventurous. It swept me away when I was 13 and its magic hasn't dimmed at 34. What a wonderful movie.