Heath Harris Movies
Based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Steven Farley, son of Walter Farley, writer of the original The Black Stallion, The Young Black Stallion is a prequel to the 1979 Academy Award-winning classic starring Mickey Rooney. Directed by Simon Wincer, the film is set during the second World War and follows the adventures of the titular equine as he meets and befriends Neera, a young girl, played by Biana Tamini, who has lost her family in a Middle Eastern desert. Also starring Patrick Elyas and Richard Romanus, The Young Black Stallion was created specifically to be shown in IMAX theaters. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Romanus, Biana G. Tamimi, (more)
Underrated leading man Jeff Fahey carries most of the dramatic weight of the Australian Wrangler. Fahey plays a handsome, athletic businessman who vies for the hand of rancher's daughter Tushika Bergen. Our hero must not only contend with his romantic rival, a dashing but dangerous cattleman (Steven Vidler), but also with a villainous creditor who craves the land left to Bergen by her late father. By nature of its plotline and setting, Wrangler can't help but invite comparisons to the popular The Man From Snowy River. Still, the stars and director Ian Barry keep up the appearances of freshness and originality. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeff Fahey, Tushka Bergen, (more)
Inspired by an epic poem by A.B. "Banjo" Patterson, The Man From Snowy River was a major step forward for the regenerated Australian film industry of the early '80s. This "down-under Western" spotlights Tom Burlinson as Jim Craig, a headstrong young man who goes to work for a powerful cattle baron. Burlinson falls in love with Jessica (Sigrid Thornton), his boss' daughter, and becomes enmeshed in a bitter land feud. Kirk Douglas has a high old time in the dual role of hard-hearted landowner Harrison and grizzled, one-legged old prospector Spur. Previously filmed in 1920, The Man From Snowy River was directed by the other George Miller, not the director of the same name who helmed Mad Max (1979). A monumental moneymaker, the film inspired a 1988 sequel, confusingly titled Return to Snowy River, Part II. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Jack Thompson, (more)
The first of two consecutive films to see director Peter Weir team with Mel Gibson (the other being The Year of Living Dangerously), Gallipoli follows two idealistic young friends, Frank (Gibson) and Archy (Mark Lee), who join the Australian army during World War I and fight the doomed Battle of Gallipoli in Turkey. The first half of the film documents the lives of the young men in Australia, detailing their personalities and beliefs. The second half of the movie chronicles the ill-fated and ill-planned battle, where the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps is hopelessly outmatched by the enemy forces. Gallipoli was the recipient of eight prizes at the 1981 Australian Film Institute Awards. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, (more)
Breaker Morant is one of the most acclaimed Australian films, telling a powerful tale of wartime betrayal and injustice. Henry "Breaker" Morant (Edward Woodward) is an Englishman living in Australia at the end of the 19th century. When war breaks out in 1899 between Britain and the Boers (descendants of Dutch colonists), Morant and a number of Australians volunteer for duty and are absorbed into the non-regular units of the British army. Acting under orders from his commanders, Morant oversees the execution of several Boer prisoners; it turns out that one of them was German, and in order to keep the peace with Germany, Britain agrees to courtmartial Morant and two other soldiers, sentencing two to death and one to life imprisonment. Based on a play by Kenneth Ross, Bruce Beresford's film is powerfully filmed and acted and has become a classic anti-war movie since its 1980 release; the script (co-written by Beresford) was nominated for an Academy Award. The final execution scene is nearly overpowering in its sense of tragedy and futility. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edward Woodward, Bryan Brown, (more)
Set during the years when Australia was a newly established British colony reserved for prisoners, this feminist oriented drama centers upon a band of escaped female convicts who flee into the outback after killing their guard and taking a judge's daughter hostage. It doesn't take them long to learn survival skills and set up a new society in their hostile new environment. The story's climax comes when soldiers catch up to the women. A bloody, brutal battle ensues as the women fight for their freedom. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lillian Crombie, Jeune Pritchard, (more)
