It's 1888 Australia. Young Jim Craig loses his father in a logging accident partly due to a wild horse herd led by a black stallion. Fellow mountain men claim that Jim has not earn the experience to work the property. Spur (Kirk Douglas) is an one-legged miner friend of the family. Jim goes into town and finds work at the ranch of Spur's wealthy brother Harrison (Kirk Douglas). It's love at first fight with Harrison's daughter Jessica (Sigrid Thornton). The brothers ignore each other over a 20 year old sibling feud.
This is an Australian western romantic epic. I remember this movie being a trailer mention during my childhood with the cable movie channel. It didn't appeal to a young boy for obvious reasons. This is very much a romantic frontier fable. It is traditional western with a dash of modern independence. The landscape is as epic as the story construct. The only strange aspect is that I kept wondering why Jim doesn't tell Jessica about her uncle Spur. It's strange for him to keep a secret from her. It might work even better if the brothers were played by different actors and they reveal their secret family connection late in the movie. Otherwise, it's a great romantic epic.
This is an Australian western romantic epic. I remember this movie being a trailer mention during my childhood with the cable movie channel. It didn't appeal to a young boy for obvious reasons. This is very much a romantic frontier fable. It is traditional western with a dash of modern independence. The landscape is as epic as the story construct. The only strange aspect is that I kept wondering why Jim doesn't tell Jessica about her uncle Spur. It's strange for him to keep a secret from her. It might work even better if the brothers were played by different actors and they reveal their secret family connection late in the movie. Otherwise, it's a great romantic epic.