The Sundowners (1960)

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Isobel Lennart (screenplay)
Jon Cleary (novel)

Release Date:

11 August 1961 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure

Tagline:

HERE COME "THE SUNDOWNERS"!

Plot:

In the Australian Outback, the Carmody family--Paddy, Ida and their teenage son Sean--are sheep drovers...

Plot Keywords:

Traveling | Starting Over | Husband Wife Relationship | Racer | Finance

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Deborah Kerr	...	Ida Carmody
Robert Mitchum	...	Paddy Carmody
Peter Ustinov	...	Rupert Venneker
Glynis Johns	...	Mrs. Firth
Dina Merrill	...	Jean Halstead
Chips Rafferty	...	Quinlan
Michael Anderson Jr.	...	Sean Carmody
Lola Brooks	...	Liz Brown
Wylie Watson	...	Herb Johnson
John Meillon	...	Bluey Brown
Ronald Fraser	...	Ocker
Gerry Duggan	...	Shearer
Leonard Teale	...	Shearer
Peter Carver	...	Shearer
Dick Bentley	...	Shearer

Also Known As:

Fred Zinnemann's The Sundowners (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Canada:G (video rating) | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-8 | USA:Approved | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Associated British Elstree Studios, Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Warner Bros.

Trivia:

Peter Carver was only cast as Clint the Shearer only after the actor first cast was cast in a different part.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fade to Black (1980)

The Sundowners is no "downer". Ha ha

It's a real joy just to watch this movie. It's a movie where the characters really seem to come to life and inhabit the world which is presented to us by director Fred Zinnemann. Even though the movie is basically about the strong ties that keep a family together during changing times, he never lets it get soppy. Robert Mitchum and Deborah Kerr play an Australian couple who travel the around Australia, pick up jobs like cattle-driving and sheep-shearing where they can, and never stay in place for too long. Michael Anderson, Jr. plays their 16-year-old son, who begins to yearn for a steady home and station in life. There are so many great things in the movie: the photography, the way the story unfolds in an amusingly rambling pace, etc. But the best has to be the cast. The Sundowners is probably Deborah Kerr's least glamorous role and yet she has never been more attractive and appealing than here. Perhaps it took a more gritty setting to really bring her beauty to the surface. She seems less weighed down here than in other roles. Robert Mitchum is a big hunk of tasteful testosterone. A beer-drinking man's man who gets into fights but who nevertheless is completely faithful to his family. Michael Anderson, Jr. is great at being youthfully sunny and yet awkwardly self-conscious at the same time. The movie has a truly great scene where the strong Mitchum faces off against a frail-looking old man in a sheep-shearing contest and is surprisingly pushed way beyond his physical limits. This dream of a movie also stars Peter Ustinov and Glynis Johns in memorable roles. **** out of ****