Les horizons sans frontières

Frequently slow, solemn and simplistic, the films of Fred Zinneman are the work of a director who appears to have equated artistry with neatness, objectivity with aloofness, and significance with decorative, humorless reverence…

"The Sundowners" was perhaps the best 'Australian' film made up to that time, and was, incidentally, a perceptive study of a marriage: Deborah Kerr was the wife who wanted to settle down, and Robert Mitchum the husband who didn't… It reveals much about their life-style and the land in which they live… Their good teenaged son Sean (Michael Anderson Jr.) explains the meaning of a sundowner as someone whose home is wherever he happens to be when the sun goes down…

So Paddy (Mitchum) and Ida (Kerr) are a warm and well-adjusted couple with one grown son, except for one argument—the struggle between his love of being a wanderer and her fundamental desire for the stability of a home… Paddy was a man who couldn't settle in one place… For him, most places were fit only for arrivals and departures…

The film—which constantly endeavored to show the Australian woman's compassion for the problems of women in a big male society—is also a happy celebration with other notable participants being Glynis Johns as an awfully pleasant barmaid-innkeeper who loves men's company and knows how to deal with them; Peter Ustinov as an educated but slightly mysterious Englishman, a likable drifter, a kind of an elderly turtle who wears a nautical cap, with wealth of experience, but not much of a mind to make use of it…This turtle signs on as a drover with Paddy, apparently not so much for a job but for something to pass the time…

Outstanding is a scene in which Ida, as a woman with no makeup, sitting on the wagon, spots in the window of a stationary train a well-dressed woman who obviously has all the things she doesn't... They look at each other for an instance as the rich woman applies powder to her face… Ida gently lifts her fingers over her cheeks… They stare at each other and we rapidly notice Ida's thoughts…

"The Sundowners" is one of the very best of Mitchum's films… In the pub sequence, he is at his best when he sings "Botany Bay" and "Lime Juice Tub."

Deborah Kerr gave the role both a touch of delicacy and a touch of sensuality… She wins, for her impressive performance, her sixth and last Oscar nomination…

The motion picture, splendidly photographed in Technicolor and with a nice atmospheric music, contains fires in the dry forests, shearing contests, fist-fights, the Aussie's love of beer, a game of two-up, a big race meeting, much of the beautiful Australian landscape and the life on sheep farming stations

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.

I would love to sit and watch this film with an Aussie. That's because as an American, I don't know enough to know how accurate this movie is--and if the accents of all the non-Australians in the leads are even close to being correct.

This film is about a family of migrant workers--not a lazy 'sundowner' (see the IMDb trivia for more on this). They travel across Australia driving and shearing sheep to make a few quid--always on the move and no permanent home of their own. As for the husband (Robert Mitchum), he loves this sort of life with few responsibilities. But the wife (Deborah Kerr) is getting tired and sees a need to settle down and finally have a house of their own--especially since their son is getting older and wants some permanence in his life. The vast majority of the film, though, is almost like a documentary--showing what the life is like--like you get a little window into their migrant ways.

This is a well made film. The acting, direction and music are all quite nice. My only serious qualm is that the film is slow and I know many folks simply wouldn't sit still for such a seemingly mundane plot. But, if you are patient, it's well worth your time.