The Sundowners

The endless horizon is the title of a movie of the American film director Fred Zinnemann from the year 1960. It is based on the first novel published in 1952 The Sundowners by Jon Cleary. The drama, which was produced by the film studio Warner Bros., portrays the life of privation an Australian sheep family of drivers.

Action

Paddy Carmody hitchhiking annually as restless sheep drivers and clippers across Australia from place to place. Him to accompany his wife Ida suffer tested and his son Sean, and often it is at home only from a narrow wagon.

Ida would have been only too happy to own home, a small farm. Your restless Paddy, however, scoffs at the notion, it pushes it into the distance, he seeks freedom.

Once again, he has taken a job. 1,200 sheep have to drive over 750 miles to the west. As a companion, a man joins them with names Venneker, also casual workers and especially on guard against heiratswütigen women.

On the cattle drive they take a break, inter alia, at the Batemans, a hospitable farmer family. Here you have the opportunity to later take over a farm. But Paddy can not move to a down payment. On the road again, they escape with their flock just under a forest fire.

Finally, after weeks of Cattle Drive, the goal is reached, the sheep are passed. On a sheep farm is now taking the whole family to work: Ida as a cook, Paddy and Sean as shearers. Also Venneker remains impressed by Mrs. Firth, an attractive widow.

But Paddy has, as they say, " can not sit still ." He will soon be going back, even though his wife and son would prefer to still earn some money for a new home. To distract him, Venneker arrange a sheep shearing contest. Paddy, a picture of a man with a daily record of 248 sheep, competes against a weak -looking little man, vorschickt the competition. Everybody believes in an easy game, but the little one has it all, Paddy loses.

Shortly thereafter, he has the game more luck, he wins 200 pounds and a race horse, which they call " Sundowner ". It is a breed animal, and Sean knows how to get everything out of him. Paddy can already imagine how they hoof it from racecourse to racecourse and Sundowner churning out wins prize money. Ida has other plans for the money and puts it in a coffee can for the time being.

Then the shearing season is over, the Carmody's return to the starting point of their cattle drive. There, finally, can be persuaded to accept the purchase of a farm attack in paddy. But he plays just like to, and on the same day he lost all the money back.

Sundowner must now compensate for the loss, he is signed up for the next race. Sean is the first, but the jury sees it differently, he is disqualified. Paddy will now come with the sale of the horse to money, but the victim does not want to accept Ida. Despite their great disappointment, she continues to adhere to her husband.

And so you see the Carmody's back with their wagon in the distance draw, Venneker is, and Sundowner trots behind.

Awards

The film won the Academy Awards in 1961, among others at five nominations, but could not prevail against the competition itself.

  • Best Picture
  • Screenplay: Isobel Lennart
  • Actress: Deborah Kerr
  • Supporting Actress: Glynis Johns
  • Directed by: Fred Zinnemann

Background

Reviews

"Sheep driver Saga star cast; Mitchum as a tragicomic hero of a sheep's bet. "

" An upscale home movie, pleasant thanks to its documentary footage of his hearty performer, an unsentimental story and the family-friendly style. "

DVD Release

  • The endless horizon. Warner Home Video 2006
1960 in film Film score Dimitri Tiomkin Ronald Fraser (actor) Fictional film Sheep shearer 33rd Academy Awards People on Sunday That Mothers Might Live Eyes in the Night The Seventh Cross (film) The Search A Hatful of Rain The Nun's Story (film) The Day of the Jackal (film) Julia (1977 film)
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