Hammers Over the Anvil (1993)

This is the story of the crippled young Alan Marshall and his hero worship of the local he-man horse trainer East Driscoll, the schoolboy crush Alan has on the local aristocratic English ... See full summary »

Director:

Ann Turner

Writers:

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

Stars:

Charlotte Rampling, Russell Crowe, Alexander Outhred

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

This is the story of the crippled young Alan Marshall and his hero worship of the local he-man horse trainer East Driscoll, the schoolboy crush Alan has on the local aristocratic English beauty Grace McAlister and the affair that young Alan witnesses developing between Grace and East. Things inevitably take a turn towards the tragic when East becomes determined to force Grace to leave her husband and run away with him.

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Plot Keywords:

english | horse trainer | hero | horse | husband wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes strength and courage take unexpected forms

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Beyond Films [au] South Australian Film Corporation

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 1994 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Az erdőlakó fia

Filming Locations:

Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Harvest Productions Pty. Ltd., South Australian Film Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 97 min (Ontario)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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".

User Reviews

Brilliant and very touching movie about a handicapped boy growing up

It's an exceptionally well done film with a great storyline, beautiful photography and brilliant acting by the main characters, Russell Crowe (as East), Alexander Outhred (as Alan) and Charlotte Rampling (as Grace). It is one of those movies which I like better each time I watch them. I bought the movie on DVD for my Russell Crowe collection and watched it on five evenings in a row. Each time I discovered more subtle details, more subtle facial expressions. It is a drama and has a very sad ending but there are still so many pleasant and even humorous scenes in this film that make watching it so enjoyable. My score is 10 out of 10.