The Man from Snowy River (1982)

The Man from Snowy River movie storyline. Jim Craig has lived his first 18 years in the mountains of Australia on his father’s farm. The death of his father forces him to go to the low lands to earn enough money to get the farm back on its feet. Kirk Douglas plays two roles as twin brothers who haven’t spoken for years, one of whom was Jim’s father’s best friend and the other of whom is the father of the girl he wants to marry. A 20 year old feud re-erupts, catching Jim and Jessica in the middle of it as Jim is accused of letting a prize stallion loose.

The Man from Snowy River is a 1982 Australian drama film based on the Banjo Paterson poem “The Man from Snowy River”. The film had a cast including Kirk Douglas in a dual role as the brothers Harrison (a character who appeared frequently in Paterson’s poems) and Spur, Jack Thompson as Clancy, Tom Burlinson as Jim Craig, Sigrid Thornton as Harrison’s daughter Jessica, Terence Donovan as Jim’s father Henry Craig, and Chris Haywood as Curly. Both Burlinson and Thornton later reprised their roles in the 1988 sequel, The Man from Snowy River II, which was released by Walt Disney Pictures.

About the Story

When Jim Craig and his father Henry are discussing their finances, a herd of wild horses called the Brumby mob passes by, and Henry wants to shoot the black stallion leader, but Jim convinces his father to capture and sell them. The next morning the mob reappears and Henry is accidentally killed. Before Jim can inherit the station, a group of mountain men tell him that he must first earn the right – and to do so he must go to the lowlands and work.

Jim meets an old friend called Spur, a one-legged miner. Jim then gets a job on a station owned by Harrison, Spur’s brother, on a recommendation by Harrison’s friend. Meanwhile, Clancy appears at Spur’s mine and the two discuss their pasts and futures. Clancy goes to Harrison’s station to lead a cattle muster. At dinner, Harrison tells Clancy that “he has no brother” when referring to Spur.

Harrison organizes a round-up of his cattle, but Jim is not allowed to go. While the others are gone, Harrison’s daughter Jessica asks Jim to help her break in a prize colt. The mob appears again, and Jim unsuccessfully gives chase to the valuable horse. When Harrison returns, he sends Jim to bring back 20 strays. Later, Harrison learns of Jim’s actions and tells Jessica that Jim will be fired and that she will be sent to a women’s college. Impulsively, she rides off into the mountains where she is caught in a storm.

Spur, meanwhile, finally strikes a large gold deposit. Jim finds Jessica’s horse and rescues her. She tells him that he’s going to be fired, but he still leaves to return the cattle. Jessica is surprised at meeting Spur, her uncle, whom she had never been told about. She is also confused when Spur mistakes her for her dead mother and refuses to tell her anything about his past.

After returning, Jessica learns that Spur and Harrison both fell in love with her mother, Matilda. Matilda declared that the first to make his fortune would be her husband. Spur went looking for gold, while Harrison bet his life savings on a horse race. Harrison became rich overnight when the horse he bet on won. Having made his fortune, Harrison wed Matilda, but she died while delivering Jessica. Harrison is grateful to Jim for returning his daughter, but he becomes angry when Jim says he loves her. As Jim leaves, a prized colt is let loose by a farmhand in the hope that Jim will be blamed.