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Dear Friends,
That was some heavy content earlier in the week, and I am just dying to write about something light. Something good, true, and lovely. It turns out I have another heavy (and unsavory) topic, but I am going to postpone it until next week.
Do you know what motion picture holds up after forty-three years? The Man From Snowy River. I showed it to my youngest last night for her first time. She is extremely picky about watching things she’s never seen before, and so honestly, “I didn’t hate it” is about as resounding an endorsement I can get. If it isn’t Jane Austen, she basically wants nothing to do with it.
I do not only enjoy the film because it is a core memory of my childhood. I enjoy it because it is truly great. The cinematography is superb; the cast is fantastic; the story is a classic one that has its own kind of “Western” equivalent of what the Grandpa said in The Princess Bride with its sword fights and wrestling and fire swamps. The Man From Snowy River has class conflict between “mountain people” and the urban tycoon, a young boy trying to prove his manhood, sibling rivalry and estrangement, deep dark family secrets and a fateful stormy night, young romance, a rescue from near-certain death, controlling father and fiercely independent daughter conflict, a prized horse gone missing, a mob of wild horses led by an astoundingly beautiful stallion, and bravery and heroism. Are you kidding? It has everything! Everything that makes a great, even if cliché, drama.
Kirk Douglas * plays the roles of the tycoon Harrison as well as his estranged twin brother “Spur.” And he plays them both perfectly. A truly virtuosic performance. I found myself amused at how much “wink wink” there was in Spur’s flirtations with Matilda, the cook; it all went over my head as a kid. I had thought that maybe “Jessica” was only great in my memory, but no: she played the role of the impetuous, manipulative, “feminist” daughter extremely well. (And I must say that I am not offended by her idealistic brand of feminism: “A woman should be allowed to do anything she is capable of doing.” Not “anything a man can do.”) And Tom Burlinson as protagonist Jim Craig? Wow, that dude was handsome and looked great in that hat and on that horse.
* Speaking of the late, great Kirk Douglas: What did Spartacus say when he was told that a lion ate his wife?
“I’m gladiator.” (I’ll be here all week.)
And you cannot sing the praises of The Man From Snowy River without mentioning the musical score. It deserves the designation of “classic.” Not only is the theme instantly recognizable, but the way they worked “Jessica’s Theme” from “soundtrack” into “actual song in the movie” by having Jessica play it on the piano was inspired, even if the composition does not fit the historical period.
If you haven’t seen it or haven’t in a long while, I heartily recommend it. Great for a family movie night and, as I say, you might think it will look “dated” and maybe not what your kids are used to but they’ll like it. It holds up really, really well.
Some dear friends of mine recently took possession of a massive collection of vinyl LPs. No, that doesn’t sound impressive enough. I am talking about thousands of vinyl LPs—that is understating it, I am certain. It came as a bonus, unaware, sight-unseen portion of an estate they had acquired for other reasons. Surprise! What do you do with ten or, I don’t know, twenty thousand vinyl LPs?
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