The Man from Snowy Riverreceives a mostly glowing review from two stunt performers. Based on the Banjo Paterson poem of the same name, the 1982 Australian Western follows a young man who, after the death of his father, sets out to become his own man by taking a job with a horse rancher, earns the love of his daughter, and fights to clear his name after being wrongly blamed for losing an expensive horse. Themovie stars Kirk Douglas, Jack Thompson, Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton, Terence Donovan, Chris Haywood, and Lorraine Bayly.
On the latest episode ofCorridor Crew’s “Stuntmen React” series, host Niko Pueringer was joined by stunt performers Gui DaSilva-Greene and Anis Cheurfa to breakdown action scenes in movies, including ahorse stunt inThe Man from Snowy River. Watch the portion of the video below:
The three reacted to a scene in which Tom Burlinson’s character rides a horse down an incredibly steep hill. Read a portion of their reaction below:
Niko Pueringer: the horse is going vertical. That’s really steep. Look at the trees. The trees are going straight up.
Gui DaSilva-Greene: Imagine getting that call like, “Hey, we want you to do some horse stunts.” “All right sure, that’s what I do.” You get there they’re like, “Yeah so you see that hill, you got to go down that hill.” Even the horse is like, “I didn’t signed up for this.
Niko Pueringer: You can tell that the horse is going that steep because the sunt person’s standing straight up and down still. If you do a ground under the feet they look like it’d be standing straight up and down, and there’s like a close-up where the guy almost gets thrown off the horse.
What The Stuntmen’s Reactions Mean For The Man From Snowy River
Great Stunts Always Hold Up
Gui DaSilva-Greene and Anis Cheurfa’s reactions to the scene inThe Man from Snowy Riverhighlight howits horse stunts still hold up 42 years later. Tom Burlinson had limited experience riding a horse before he was cast and, for the movie, he was trained by mountain cattleman Charlie Lovick. For some riding scenes, including the dramatic jump into the “terrible descent,” Gerald Egan acted as Burlinson’s double. Professional stuntmen handled other challenging moments, though Burlinson performed significantly more riding than is typical for actors, including all the profile shots during the downhill ride.
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The film was released to a fair amount of critical acclaim in 1982, earning an 85% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics, coupled with an 89% score from audiences, who also found it enjoyable and highly entertaining. At the box office,The Man from Snowy Riverwas also a hit, earning A$17,228,160 in Australia, making it the country’s highest-grossing film untilCrocodile Dundeecame out four years later. This reflected the film’s broad appeal in its home country and earned its status as aniconic Australian Western.
Our Take On The Man From Snowy River’s Horse Stunt
It Helped Cement Its Place As An Iconic Australian Western
The breathtaking horse stunts inThe Man from Snowy River, especially the jump into the “terrible descent,” have helped cement the film’s place in history as an iconic Australian Western. The remarkable scene, featuring Tom Burlinson and his stunt double Gerald Egan, continues to captivate audiences, and especially stunt performers, over 40 years later. The boldness of the stunt, coupled with the rugged beauty of the Australian landscape, epitomizes the spirit of adventure that defines the Western genre.
The Man from Snowy River
Cast
The Man from Snowy River is a television series that follows the adventures of Matt McGregor, a pivotal figure in the Australian high country, and his family. Set in the 19th century, the show explores themes of love, loyalty, and the pioneering spirit against the rugged backdrop of the Snowy Mountains. The series stars Andrew Clarke as Matt and features episodic challenges and dramatic encounters in a small frontier town.
