AustLit
Latest Issues
AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Based on A. B. (Banjo) Paterson's classic poem, The Man from Snowy River is a coming-of-age story set in the Snowy River highlands of Northern Victoria and southern NSW in about 1880. Young stockman Jim Craig has lived his first eighteen years in the mountains.The death of his father forces him to leave the family property and go to the low lands to earn enough money to get it back in operation. He finds work on the property of the wealthy Mr Harrison, but when a valuable colt runs off to join a mob of brumbies in the highlands, he is forced to get it back and hopefully clear his name. Harrison offers a reward, which brings to the hunt dozens of the best horsemen in the district (including Clancy of the Overflow). Unimpressed by Jim's undersized mountain horse, Harrison and the other stockmen suggest that he stay behind. Jim uses his knowledge of the mountains and his horse's experience to track the colt down and bring it home. He doesn't ride so much for the reward, however, as to prove his worth to Harrison's headstrong daughter Jessica.
The narrative's sub-plot sees Jim and Jessica caught in the middle of a twenty-year-old feud between Harrison and his twin brother, Spur (who was also Jim's father's best friend and Jessica's now-dead mother's former true love).
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Horses Down Under : The Underdog Schematic Narrative Template and Australian Nationalism
2021
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Australian Studies , vol. 45 no. 1 2021; (p. 18-32)'The underdog is a familiar figure in Australian popular culture. Yet Australian studies scholarship has tended to focus on the related, but somewhat broader, concept of egalitarianism. The figure of the underdog therefore remains a popular trope, rather than an object of serious study. This article seeks to critically engage with constructions of the underdog, arguing that this figure underpins some of the most significant narratives of Australian identity and is ripe for further analysis. I build on the work of American anthropologist James Wertsch, and what he has described as schematic narrative templates, to position the underdog narrative as an Australian iteration of his schema. In particular, I focus on narratives that feature the horse as significant. Touching on key cultural texts including “The Man from Snowy River” and the Silver Brumby series to illustrate this schema, I then draw more deeply on constructions of the racehorse Phar Lap to argue the template’s use in framing a nationally significant historical narrative. I contend that the underdog schematic narrative template and what I have termed the Australian “horse discourse” function to mutually reinforce the legitimacy of both, creating powerful sites for the expression of nationalism.' (Publication abstract)
-
Man From Snowy River Exhibition Celebrates 40 Years since Film Put Mansfield on the Map
2020
single work
column
— Appears in: ABC News [Online] , November 2020;'Four decades since The Man from Snowy River began filming in north-east Victoria, the town at the heart of it all is giving fans the chance to revisit the iconic movie.'
-
Rhiannon Bannenberg : 6 Favourite Family Films
2017
single work
column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 23 September 2017; -
It Isn't Like We're Lacking Inspiration in Our Books and Music : What's Happened to Great Aussie Movies?
2014
single work
column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 23 September 2014; (p. 22) -
Poetry as Cinema : A Discursive Screening from 1913-2006
2011
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 71 no. 3 2011; (p. 135-148) 'Australian cinema began with a confident leap into the future. Charles Tait's The Story of the Kelly Gang, made in Melbourne in 1906, is credited as the world's first narrative feature. Post-Federation years continued to see poetry influence the national imagination, and occasionally inspire cinema on its journey.' (Author's abstract)
- y 'The Man from Snowy River' and Australian Popular Culture 1982 Perth : Centre for Research in Culture and Communication (Murdoch University) , 1995 Z1617922 1982 single work criticism A critical examination of The Man from Snowy River, first published shortly after the film's release.
- y 'The Man from Snowy River' Perth : Centre for Research in Culture and Communication (Murdoch University) , 2002 Z1617934 2002 single work criticism Research undertaken by a student of the Centre for Culture and Communication (Murdoch University) into the 1980 feature film The Man from Snowy River. Includes aspects relating to the production phase, critical reception, principal performers and production crew, references and a synopsis.
-
Watchin a Video with Aunty Joanie
2007
single work
short story
humour
— Appears in: Me, Antman and Fleabag 2007; (p. 56) -
Sacrificing Steve : How I Killed the Crocodile Hunter
2010
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Cultural Studies Review , vol. 16 no. 2 2010; 'Bob Hodge and Vijay Mishra argue that the complex issues of illegitimacy at the core of Australian identity are repressed through a continual process of cyclical silencing, where traces of a shameful past are exorcised by a focus on images of a mythologised 'legend', embodied in characters such as 'The Man from Snowy River'. This article explores such a 'schizophrenic' cycle in relation to the life, death and resurrection of Steve 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin.' (Authors' abstract) -
Desperate Diversions : The Snowy, the Gulf, and Populism
1991
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Continuum : The Australian Journal of Media & Culture , vol. 4 no. 2 1991;