The Sundowners (1960)

In the Australian Outback, the Carmody family--Paddy, Ida and their teenage son Sean--are sheep drovers, always on the move. Ida and Sean want to settle down and buy a farm. Paddy wants to ... See full summary »

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Isobel Lennart (screenplay), Jon Cleary (novel)

Stars:

Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum, Peter Ustinov

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In the Australian Outback, the Carmody family--Paddy, Ida and their teenage son Sean--are sheep drovers, always on the move. Ida and Sean want to settle down and buy a farm. Paddy wants to keep moving. A sheep-shearing contest, the birth of a child, drinking, gambling and a race horse will all have a part in the final decision.

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Plot Keywords:

farm | sheep | horse | birth | love | 

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Taglines:

HERE COME "THE SUNDOWNERS"!

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Genres:

Drama | Adventure

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 1961 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Les horizons sans frontières

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gerry Duggan, who plays Turk, was also thought suitable for a minor role of a drunk.

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Quotes

Sean Carmody: [on hearing Venneker had been a ship's captain] Why'd you leave?
Rupert Venneker: My stomach. I was a notoriously bad sailor.
Sean Carmody: Dad says you must have been a better sailor than you are a horseman.
Rupert Venneker: What the devil is he talking about? I was cashiered from the 17th Lancers before he knew one end of a horse from the other! NOT that he does now! Hah!
Sean Carmody: What does cashiered mean?
Rupert Venneker: Uh - kind of promotion from the army into civilian life.

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Connections

Referenced in Elvis Mitchell: Under the Influence: Richard Gere (2008)

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Soundtracks

"The Lime-Juice Tub"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Quoted in the background score and played by the band at the first race meeting and also sung at Mrs Firth's hotel

User Reviews

Mitchum's mimicry

Robert Mitchum had one undeniable talent as an actor, his phenomenal ability to pick up and use any kind of accent or dialect. I can't think of another actor who could have so convincingly played a New England hood in The Friends of Eddie Coyle, native Irish in Ryan's Daughter and A Terrible Beauty, and pure Australian in The Sundowners. Although the rest of the cast is great, it's his performance that pivots the whole film.

The movie itself is amazing in that the characters created are so engaging that even though the film really has no plot, just a series of connected wanderings, you enjoy it nevertheless. The film ending is also offbeat. Normally you would think that Deborah Kerr would win out in her desire to settle down on a farm. But unusual for Hollywood she gives in to Mitchum's wanderlust.

In their travels herding sheep through rural Australia of the 1920s these people, hardworking and living close to the poverty line look like their lives are fun. Like Mitchum's Paddy Carmody says he has no worries and no ulcers because he doesn't own any property or has any money in the bank. A whole lot like the real Mitchum in his Kerouac like youth. It's what makes this film just good fun.