The Sundowners (1960)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Fred Zinnemann

Writers:

Isobel Lennart (screenplay)
Jon Cleary (novel)

Release Date:

11 August 1961 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure

Tagline:

Across Six Thousand Miles of Excitement...Across a Whole World of Adventure Comes the Rousing, Story of Real People Called "The Sundowners"!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Birth | Contest | Horse | Gambling | Farm

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
Mervyn Johns	...	Jack Patchogue, mayor of Cawndilla
Molly Urquhart	...	Mrs. Bateman
Ewen Solon	...	Halstead
Max Osbiston	...	Farm couple
Mercia Barden	...	Farm couple
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ray Barrett	...	(uncredited)
Jack Cunningham	...	Paddy's Drinking Companion No2 (uncredited)
John Fegan	...	(uncredited)
Lloyd Lamble	...	Mr. Bateman (uncredited)
Bryan Pringle	...	PC Thomas (uncredited)
Colin Tapley	...	Palmer (uncredited)
Alister Williamson	...	Shearer (uncredited)

Directed by
Fred Zinnemann

Writing credits
Isobel Lennart		(screenplay)
Jon Cleary		(novel)

Produced by
Gerry Blattner	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin

Cinematography by
Jack Hildyard

Film Editing by
Jack Harris

Casting by
Robert Lennard
Gloria Payten

Art Direction by
Michael Stringer

Costume Design by
Elizabeth Haffenden

Makeup Department
Gordon Bond	....	hair stylist
George Frost	....	makeup artist

Production Management
John Palmer	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Bolton	....	assistant director
Lex Halliday	....	second unit director
Roy Stevens	....	assistant director

Art Department
Frants Folmer	....	set dresser
Terence Morgan	....	set dresser

Sound Department
David Hildyard	....	sound mixer
Keith Batten	....	sound assistant (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerry Fisher	....	camera operator (as Gerald Fisher)
Skeets Kelly	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)
Nicolas Roeg	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Joan Bridge	....	wardrobe color consultant

Music Department
Dimitri Tiomkin	....	conductor
Stanley Black	....	music supervisor (uncredited)
Tommy Reilly	....	musician: harmonica (uncredited)

Other crew
Elaine Schreyeck	....	continuity
Ron Whelan	....	location manager: Australia
Walter Thompson	....	production associate (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros.

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1961) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Hollywood Classics (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

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

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | Canada:G (video rating) | 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)

Soundtrack:

The Enterpriser

Shame on the Academy

For such a gifted actor as Robert Mitchum to go unrecognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a shame and makes one glad that George C. Scott did what he did in refusing to receive the Oscar for his amazing work in "Patton." I don't want to mention Marlon Brando because I'm still not certain what he was up to. He seemed to want attention more than to make a statement when he flaunted the Academy. Added to this shame is the same Academy virtually ignoring Mitchum's co-star in this movie Deborah Kerr, also deserving of more formal recognition for her contributions to the Hollywood dream machine. Anyone who has any doubt about the outstanding acting abilities of these two stars needs only watch "The Sundowners" to see where I'm coming from. The rest of the cast in "The Sundowners" add to the overall effectiveness of the movie, especially the brilliance of Peter Ustinov.

There is really not much of a story. The film is more of a character study of a vagabond with a wife and a son who is trying to make a living as a sheep drover in the outback of Australia. He encounters a rather mysterious man Rupert Venneker (Ustinov) who becomes his hired hand to help with the sheep. Paddy Carmody (Mitchum) is very happy with this hand to mouth existence, living in a tent or sleeping out amongst the stars, keeping a little change in a jar, but his wife and son prefer a more settled existence, dreaming of owning their own ranch. Director Fred Zinnemann captures the essence of vagabond life down under filming on location in Australia, showing the exotic wild life in all its beauty and spender. Technicolor and wide-screen heighten the viewers enjoyment of this tale of dreams fulfilled and unfulfilled in a land that is still somewhat mysterious to the average American.

Of special note is the Australian music used by Zinnemann. In the first pub scene Mitchum bellows out in a drunken Aussie accent one of John Ford's favorites, "Wild Colonial Boy," but then sings a ballad that is seldom heard on the big screen, "Morton Bay," about the infamous penal colony from which modern Australia sprang. The versatile Robert Mitchum was also a singer and songwriter. He helped write the music of his production of "Thunder Road" and even had somewhat of a hit recording of the title song in 1958. Rupert Venneker (Ustinov) makes fun of Paddy's voice in "The Sundowners," but actually it wasn't bad.

This is a rather long film, over two hours, but a highly enjoyable one. I first saw it on the big screen when I was a senior in high school. It was one of those flicks that stays with a person. I've had the pleasure of seeing it a few more times since. It is still as fresh and as good as when first released.