The man from Snowy River is Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson), who was raised in the mountains of Australia on his father's station (ranch). When Jim's father is killed during a stampede of brumbies, Jim must prove to himself and the men of the mountains that he is man enough to run the station. He goes to the lowlands and takes a job working for Mr Harrison (Kirk Douglas), whose brother Spur (also played by Kirk Douglas) is a good friend of Jim's. The brothers have been estranged for 20 years, but their feud is renewed when Jim falls in love with Harrison's daughter Jessica (Sigrid Thornton) and is accused of setting free a prized colt, Old Regret's last foal.

"The Man from Snowy River" is a poem by Australian bush poet Andrew "Banjo" Paterson [1864-1941]. It was first published in the April 26th, 1890 edition of The Bulletin, an Australian news magazine. The poem was adapted for the movie by John Dixon and Fred Cul Cullen. A sequel, Return to Snowy River (1988) (aka Return to Snowy River), was released in 1988. There was also a 1920 silent version of The Man from Snowy River (1920) as well as Snowy River: The McGregor Saga (1994), a TV series that ran from 1993-1996.

Brumby is an Australian term for a wild, free-roaming horse, especially one descended from runaway stock. The origin of the term is uncertain. The term is similar to the western U.S. mustang or the North Carolina banker.

It was set in 1888, evidenced on Henry Craig's gravestone.

Yes. The Snowy River is located in southeastern Australia. It starts on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko in the Australia Alps in New South Wales and flows through what is now the Snowy River National Park in Victoria before emptying into the Bass Strait at Marlo, near Orbost. In the 1880s (the setting of this movie), the Snowy River was wide with many rapids, but its flow has been drastically reduced (by 99%) due to construction of several dams and hydro-electric power stations in the 1950s and '60s.

Ludwig von Beethoven's Bagatelle No. 25 in A minor for solo piano, commonly known as "Für Elise".

Harrison offers a reward of £100 to any rider who will join the search for his colt. When Jim shows up, Harrison refuses to let him ride with them until Clancy (Jack Thompson) intervenes in his behalf. The mob is spotted grazing under a tree. Harrison orders them to "go at them from the jump...no fancy riding," and the chase begins, but the riders are forced to give up when the brumbies run down a steep hill...everyone except Jim, who follows right behind them on his mountain-bred horse. The riders return to Harrison's station and are astonished when they see Jim drive in the entire mob by himself. Clancy looks on with a smile. Harrison offers Jim the £100, but Jim refuses it. "That's not why I rode," he says. "There's a dozen good brood mares in that mob...I'll be back for them," then adds (while looking at Jessica, "and for whatever else is mine." Harrison says that Jessica is not for him, but Jim says that Jessica can make up her own mind. "You've got a long way to go yet, lad," scolds Harrison. Spur leans over and says to his brother, "He's a man." Clancy adds, "The man from Snowy River." Jim heads out of the corral on horseback, and Jessica follows on foot. Jim tips his hat to her, and they smile at each other. In the final scene, Jim heads back up to mountain to his father's station, knowing that he has earned the right to live there.

When the riders go after the brumby mob, Harrison tells them, "No use for fancy riding now...go at them from the jump." These are both lines from the original poem. What he means is that everyone should start together and ride together toward the mob. That way, the horses won't scatter because of so many independent riders.

Yes. "The Man from Snowy River" is in the public domain and may be downloaded from Project Gutenberg.