RETURN TO SNOWY RIVER

The Man from Snowy River was so engrossing, I had to get the sequel to see what had happened to Jim Craig and his Jessica. Return to Snowy River premiered at the box office in 1988, six years after the original movie. It served up what I'd been hoping for. A gripping western set in turn-of-the-century Australia.Maybe some plot spoilers.Gripping, that is, if you'd gotten invested in what went down in the first movie. In that age-old tradition, Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) left Jessica Harrison (Sigrid Thornton) behind to seek his fortune. Not until he'd made something of himself would he return to her, he an impoverished mountain boy, she the lone child of a wealthy cattle rancher who heartily disapproves of him and his low-born ways.Who knows how long Jim was gone, drifting place to place. Months? Years? Over that span of time, he'd gained a reputation for his horsemanship and his horsebreaking. And Jim's got himself a stake now, to the tune of a large herd of horses. He's made something of himself. Time to get back to Jessica.But it's not as if time had stood still for the girl. As some character remarks, "A few funny things have been happening." For one thing, Jessica is being courted by an arrogant flash of an Army officer. Lieutenant Alistair Patton (Nicholas Eadie), son of an influential banker, fancies himself quite the horseman. He arrogantly shows off his equestrian prowess running the skills challenge staged on the field. Watch him soak up the crowd's oohs and ahs.While the swaggering soldier sets his eyes on the rancher's daughter, his father the banker has bigger fish to fry. His ambition is to acquire the bountiful mountain grazing areas, ostensibly for the benefit of the valley, but, really, homie's on some sort of power trip. To achieve his goal, the riffraff inhabiting the high country must be run out. Jim Craig happens to be one of those riffraff.Other changes. Jim's old peg-legged friend, Spur, had died. A rough mining town, Eureka Creek, stands where Spur used to dig for gold. What's not changed: that wild black stallion - that gave Jim so much grief - still lords it over his herd of brumbies. I was glad of that.Like its predecessor, the sequel romanticizes Australia's Old West and dares you to not succumb to its sweeping sentimentalism. At its heart, the plot revolves around that old saw of a young man needing to prove himself. And, man, do I like Jim Craig's style. Jim is the focus of storytelling that achieves near mythic proportions. Something about the photography work. How it captures the poetry in the surging muscles of a horse in full gallop and the grandeur of the stunning, unforgiving landscape.I love the moxie on Jim, love his guts and his showmanship. This is a guy who knows how to make the most of his moments, whether it's upstaging that sneering lieutenant at his own skills challenge or using the vertical side of the cliff as if it were a main thoroughfare. As for his romancing of the refined, high-spirited Jessica, I figure he did most of the work in the first movie. Once Jessica got over her snit of Jim's having been gone for so long, she got back to being simpatico with her fella. Now, as it was in the first movie, it's all about Jim's gaining her father's blessing. And whether played by Kirk Douglas or, here, by Brian Dennehy, the domineering Mr. Harrison carries on not being a fan of Jim Craig.And never underestimate the reprisal of a thwarted spoiled child. Jealous of Jim, young Lieutenant Patton resorts to rustling Jim's horses. To pile on to Jim's heap of worries, the mountain folk don't appreciate Jim's having brought Jessica to the high country, fearful of her father's wrath. I don't think a lot of anyone's made mention of how good Sigrid Thornton was in her role. Her interpretation of Jessica idealizes the sort of woman a man would, to quote Louis L'Amour, ride the river with. Time hadn't changed Jessica much. She's still willful, still plays her sonatas on the piano beautifully, is still mad about horses, loves her stern father but also loves her unpolished horseman from the high country.There is a pulse-pounding horse race of sorts, even if it's not quite Hidalgo or Seabiscuit. Return to Snowy River has its share of rousing moments. It is high adventure in peak form. It evokes the zeitgeist of rough-and-tumble Oz as it must've been circa turn-of-the-century. For them thinkers, it presents the snobbery of the upper class and the pridefulness and perseverance of the common fella. When I think of the finest of Australian cinema that's made it across the pond, I rank the Snowy River films right up there with Gallipoli, Breaker Morant, Mad Max, and Crocodile Dundee. For my money, ain't no one better than Jim Craig to embody the rugged individualism so cherished by natives of Oz.

This movie is awesome and really heart felt. I love it and finally bought the streaming version. I have had the DVD version for years.

Good movie and story line

love all the actors, continued story line, and the scenery

A good watch if you like classic movies. A good story line with decent pacing would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a western theme.

Great acting, timeless

Quality is great and the price is too.

Loved these movies the story was wonderul.

I ordered this as a Christmas present for my husband, although it was a fairly late order it arrived in time for Christmas so I was really impressed with the seller. Sadly the dvd wouldn't work in our player even though it's multi region and plays other NTSC movies. I returned the dvd's according to the sellers specification and emailed them to check that I had done everything correct and would be getting my refund as I couldn't find a telephone number to talk to someone prior a return. They emailed back to say that a refund would be issued when they received the package, I sent this at New Year and I've not had any communication from the seller since - very disappointed and certainly wouldn't purchase from them again, to top it all my husband is down a Christmas present!

Film grew on me the more I watch it still is a good all round family film, romance for the ladies and action for the men.The first series Snowy River is a better film, but can't have one without the other. One thing is the scene when the horse dies my 4 and 8 year old were in tears and I must admit it gets me too. Us in the UK don't get much choice when it comes to good family films just the same old over produced, over rated, all special effects and weak story lines. Still it is good that I can get film delight from Amazon.

I didn,t even know the film had been made, and it was as enjoyable as the 1st film in the man from snowy riverI thoroughly enjoyed it and will watch it again!!It came quickly and was very well packed. Thankyou

I saw this film years ago and loved it, watched it again and was not disappointed. The horsemanship is outstanding and the story line was reasonable. Seller was great delivered on time and packaged well.

Brilliant film over the australian outback.