Storm Boy (1976)

Mike is a lonely Australian boy living in a coastal wilderness with his reclusive father. In search of friendship he encounters an Aboriginal native loner and the two form a bond in the care of orphaned pelicans.

Director:

Henri Safran

Writers:

Sonia Borg, Sidney L. Stebel

Stars:

Greg Rowe, Peter Cummins, David Gulpilil

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Greg Rowe	...	Mike 'Storm Boy' Kingley
Peter Cummins	...	Tom 'Hide-Away Tom' Kingley
David Gulpilil	...	Fingerbone (as Gulpilil)
Judy Dick	...	Miss Walker
Tony Allison	...	Ranger
Michael Moody	...	Boat Master
Graham Dow	...	Edwards
Eric Mack	...	Jones
Frank Foster-Brown	...	Lynch
Michael Caulfield	...	Hunter
Paul Smith	...	Hunter
Hedley Cullen	...	Marina Manager

Storyline

Storm Boy tells the story of a 10-year-old boy, called Mick by his father Tom, and Storm Boy by the Aboriginal loner Fingerbone he befriends. This boy is growing up in an isolated corrugated iron shed next to a wildlife sanctuary. He lives with his father, who supports them by fishing alone. He is not attending school; he is illiterate and ignorant. Mick's father resents any intrusion of their secluded life, be it a washed-up radio or a mob of idiot bird shooters who kill a number of birds before they are scared off by Fingerbone. Amongst the dead are some pelicans whose chicks are still in the nest. The boy brings them home to care for. His father isn't keen, but permits it. Three pelicans become a lot to feed when they reach maturity, so his father insists on releasing them. Two are never seen again, but one, Mr Percival, keeps coming back. Another intruder is the new primary school teacher, brought by the park ranger. She is concerned about the boy's education, and pushes hard for ...

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Plot Keywords:

australian aborigine | intergenerational friendship | night driving | vegetation | lying on a bed | 

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Taglines:

Dramatic and exciting story set in South Australia's scenic Coorong

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

South Australian Film Corporation Umbrella Entertainment - Blu-Ray [Australia]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 1977 (Australia)

Also Known As:

A vihar fia

Filming Locations:

The Coorong, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 320,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

AUD 2,645,000, 9 August 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

The South Australian Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 32 min (short version) (edited) (short)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The production shoot for this movie went for four weeks.

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Goofs

When Tom and Mile and Fingerbone return to the Coorong as the boat, "Tern" leaves Goolwa harbour, they are not towing Mike's raft but when they arrive back at the jetty, they are.

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Quotes

Fingerbone: [to Mike as a pelican freshly hatches from its egg] Mr. Percival all over again, a bird like him never dies.

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Alternate Versions

A half-hour edited shortened version of the feature film exists running approximately about thirty-two minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in A Pelican's Tale: The Making of 'Storm Boy' (2019)

User Reviews

It's still a WONDERFUL movie...more comments, please!

...especially from Aussies who know this film well; it'd be great if we could somehow attract more attention to this beautiful little classic- and if we could somehow convince a decent DVD distributor to get their hands on the original negative and give it the treatment it deserves: properly framed, NOT faded or damaged-looking, MAYBE even a commentary- if the likes of 'Long Weekend' and 'Careful He Might Hear You' (admittedly both Panavision films, which SB was NOT, so with more incentive to get them out for fans to see them in the correct ratio) can get careful transfers with extras added, there should be no reason why 'Storm Boy' is treated with less seriousness or respect!