I saw the film in the mistaken belief that this was a product of director George Miller of the Mad Max series and found that the director George Miller of "The man from the snowy river" was a totally different person with considerably less command of the medium than his namesake. In fact, this Miller cannot match the brilliant works of Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford (in their Australia period), Gillian Armstrong and cinematographer Russell Boyd. If you like Australian outdoor films "Phar Lap" (a horse film) and "We of the never never" are superior movies compared to "The man from the snowy river" particularly in direction, screenplay, photography and editing.
What was good about the film? The sequences of wild galloping horses held your attention more because they great creatures to watch on screen rather than the brilliance of the camerawork. Kirk Douglas is a good actor when directed by good directors (Elia Kazan, for one) but this film gave you the feeling that you were watching a soap opera on TV!
I am a great admirer of good Australian cinema but this film is certainly not one that represents the rich talent from Down Under. At best, it is an average family fare that ineffectively tries to imitate the American western.
What was good about the film? The sequences of wild galloping horses held your attention more because they great creatures to watch on screen rather than the brilliance of the camerawork. Kirk Douglas is a good actor when directed by good directors (Elia Kazan, for one) but this film gave you the feeling that you were watching a soap opera on TV!
I am a great admirer of good Australian cinema but this film is certainly not one that represents the rich talent from Down Under. At best, it is an average family fare that ineffectively tries to imitate the American western.