The Man from Snowy River II

The Man from Snowy River II is a 1988 Australian drama film, the sequel to the 1982 film The Man from Snowy River.

The Man from Snowy River II
Australian DVD cover
Directed byGeoff Burrowes
Produced byGeoff Burrowes
Written byBanjo Paterson (poem)
Geoff Burrowes (story)
John Dixon
Starring
Music byBruce Rowland
CinematographyKeith Wagstaff
Edited byGary Woodyard
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures
Release date
  • 24 March 1988 (1988-03-24) (Australia)
  • 15 April 1988 (1988-04-15) (United States)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
BudgetA$8.7 million[1]
Box office$13,687,027

It was released in the United States as Return to Snowy River, and in the United Kingdom as The Untamed.

Reprising their roles from the first film were Tom Burlinson as Jim Craig and Sigrid Thornton as Jessica Harrison, while Brian Dennehy appeared as Harrison instead of Kirk Douglas.

Plot

Some years after his dangerous ride down the steep mountain to capture the Brumby herd and regain the colt, Jim Craig, now with a large herd of mountain-bred horses of his own, returns to take up with his girl, Jessica Harrison. She is still smitten with him, but opposition from her father remains as resolute as ever. Further, she also has a rich would-be suitor, Alistair Patton (son of the banker from whom Harrison is seeking a large loan), endeavouring to court her. Before he returns from Harrison's property to his home, Jim meets an army officer seeking quality horses for the remount service on a regular basis.

As he realizes Jessica's affections remain for Jim, and that she doesn't "give a damn" about him, Patton jealously and maliciously recruits a gang to steal Jim's horses. Jim gives chase and in so doing again rides his horse down the steep mountainside. Patton shoots at him; the horse is killed and Jim is injured but manages to recover and resume the pursuit. Jim had earlier let the wild stallion which led the Brumbies loose into the wild again; in a twist of fate, the stallion shows itself from the wild at this crucial moment, and Jim finally trains the horse that has been the enigma of the entire district for decades. As Jim breaks him in and learns to ride him, they become friends, and together they catch up to Patton and his gang.

Jessica's father has also relented during this time, and he eventually joins with Jim and his friends to hunt down Patton and his gang. Jim Craig gets and wins his man-on-man duel with Patton, and Harrison gives his final approval for Jessica and Jim to marry.

Cast

Production

Geoff Burrowes, who produced the first movie, decided to direct as he felt he would clash with any other director because he felt so strongly about the material.[2]

A horse was injured during the making of the movie and had to be put down. A government inquiry later found, contrary to allegations by the RSPCA, that the horse was put down in the most humane way possible under the circumstances.[3][4][5][6]

Soundtrack
Main article: Return to Snowy River

Award and nominations

Box office

The Man from Snowy River II grossed $7,415,000 at the box office in Australia.[7]

References
  1. "Production Barometer", Cinema Papers, May 1988 p46
  2. David Stratton, The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990 p67
  3. Larry Schrwartz, "Doubt Cast on Need for Mare's Death", Sydney Morning Herald, 5 June 1987 p2
  4. "Film director set to sue RSPCA". The Canberra Times. 1 June 1987. p. 1. Retrieved 24 December 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "Moviemakers cleared of cruelty charges". The Canberra Times. 16 August 1987. p. 3. Retrieved 24 December 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "Witnesses to horse death to tell story". The Canberra Times. 31 May 1987. p. 3. Retrieved 24 December 2015 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office
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