Hammers Over the Anvil (1993)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Ann Turner

Writers:

Alan Marshall (stories)
Peter Hepworth (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 July 1994 (Australia)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

From the producer of "THE HEARTBREAK KID", and based on the writings of celebrated author, ALAN MARSHALL (I Can Jump Puddles), comes an unforgettable story of passion, courage and discovery.

Plot:

This is the story of the crippled young Alan Marshall and his hero worship of the local he-man horse trainer East Driscoll...

Plot Keywords:

Affair | English | Hero | Horse Trainer | Horse

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Charlotte Rampling	...	Grace McAlister
Russell Crowe	...	East Driscoll
Alexander Outhred	...	Alan Marshall
Frankie J. Holden	...	'Bushman' Marshall
Jake Frost	...	Joe Carmichael (as Jake D. Frost)
Alethea McGrath	...	Mrs. Bilson
John Rafter Lee	...	Charles McAlister (as John Lee)
Frank Gallacher	...	Mr. Thomas the Preacher
Amanda Douge	...	Nellie Bolster
Kirsty McGregor	...	Elsie Marshall
Daphne Grey	...	Mrs. Herbert
Caroline Kemp	...	Lucy Taylor
Sam Nightingale	...	Freckles Jack
Syd Brisbane	...	Duke the Dance Caller
Peter Osborn	...	Father Finnegan

Runtime:

Argentina:95 min | Australia:97 min | Canada:97 min (Ontario)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

When "The Magpie and Stump Hotel" in Mintaro in the Clare Valley, South Australia appeared in "Hammers Over The Anvil", the name of the pub was painted over. However, when the painters repainted back the name, they got it wrong and instead called the pub the "The Magpie Stump Hotel".

Underground Classic in the works

As this year's films slip into the annals of film history, joining all the other visual works of man, the collective aesthetic speaks its choice.

"Hammers Over The Anvil" is destined to be one of those classics that is cited again and again as defining the genre.

The film is depthful, heart-breaking and heart-warming -- a lush visual journey, timeless in its insights. "Coming to manhood" is an essential human theme, and this film portrays it honestly and memorably, leaving the viewer with much to think about, deeply moved.

While successful U.S.-distributed movies "borrowed" their themes and content from this film, eight years in the making, and undercut its distribution potential in the early 1990's, they can never diminish or replace its unique brilliance.

Had its original distribution not been botched, it is my opinion that American movie goers would even now be citing this film along with "Gone With The Wind", "The African Queen", and "It's A Wonderful Life".

Today's film-goers have an insatiable appetite for excellence, whetted by the substance-less salads offered as main entrées. They will find this classic and devour it, again and again.

Final words... gorgeous, warm, chilling, real, unforgettable. This one will not go away.