Same Old Frontier Epic

FOR those who have worried that the days of the great frontier adventure movies are over, there is some bad news. They are.

"The Man from Snowy River," a recently released Australian film based on the epic poetry of A. B. Paterson, fails because it attempts too much. The brainchild of producer Geoff Burrowes, the film tries to weave together a tender love story between two strong-willed youngsters separated by their differing social milieus ("Love Story"); a paean to the majesty and beauty of the wild mountain horse ("The Black Stallion"); and a moving tale of a young boy's physical and emotional passage to manhood ("Breaking Away"). The result is a collage of ill-connected scenes and cliched dialogue that waste an admittedly stunning setting and talented acting cast.

Newcomer Tom Burlinson stars as Jim Craig, a mountain boy orphaned in the timberlands of Australia's Great Divide. Craig returns to the high country to conquer the wild horses responsible for his father's death, and to win the love of Jessica, the spirited daughter of wealthy rancher Harrison (Kirk Douglas). On the way he encounters a gang of drunken cattlehands who try first to humiliate, then to kill, him; a legendary horseman who rides whistling through mountain-passes as coyotes howl in the background; and Spur (also Kirk Douglas), a grizzled prospector with a pegleg, an eye for women and a proverbial "heart of gold."

Grade-B dialogue makes these stock characters still more one-dimensional. With lines like "I wouldn't swap the sunlit plains for all the tea in China," and "a man without a horse is like a man without legs," the movie virtually kneels down and begs to be taken lightly. Throw in a choppy film-editing job that leaves you wondering if someone removed the cornflake commercials, and little remains save the unexceptional plot.

NEVERTHELESS, the film does have some appeal--after all, it was voted the Most Popular Film at the Montreal Film Festival, and is an overwhelming box-office success in its native Australia. The setting is breathtaking, and the camera skillfully captures the ominous power of the terrain and the majesty of the wold horse pack. The opening shots, which zoom in as stallions thunder across the plain silhouetted against an electric blue sky, are particularly magnificent.

Kirk Douglas, as Spur, is appealingly folksy, despite a poor makeup job that leaves him with a Clouseau-like costume nose. He is equally convincing in his dual role as the rancher Harrison, capturing the character's stiff formality and paternal desire to raise his way-ward daughter as "a lady." Young Burlinson, with his impish smile and refreshing honesty, is certainly a find, and Jack Thompson, who will seem familiar for his role as the defense attorney in "Breaker Morant," plays a half-cowboy, "half-bloodhound" tracker with panache.

But in spite of these good performances, Burrowes' film succeeds only as what it tries to surpass--a soppy adventure epic with great chase scenes and attractive terrain. As a T.V. movie to watch when you're in bed with a 102-degree fever. "The Man from Snowy River" is definitely worthwhile; but those seeking serious cinema fare will soon find themselves wishing they could switch off the set.