Sundowners (The)

Genre: frontier family drama
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Release: 1960
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures – Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Rating: NR
MBiS score: 7.3/10


Walk A Mile With Me… And Don’t Mind The Sheep Dung


THE SUNDOWNERS takes place in Australia during the 30s and begins with the three-member Carmody family roaming the countryside in a beat-up carriage. Paddy Carmody (Robert Mitchum), the head of the family, loves to go from town to town in search of work as a ranch hand; his tired wife Ida (Deborah Kerr), by contrast, would rather see him settle down and build a future for their son Sean (Michael Anderson Jr.). Stopping this time near an inviting little farm, Paddy plans on finding a job to his liking and snatches one the very next day: a six-week-long sheep drive paying one shilling a head. Oh, Ida, you’re such a lucky lady! With Peter Ustinov (Sir Rupert ‘Rupe’ Venneker), Glynis Johns (Mrs. Gert Firth), Dina Merrill (Jean Halstead), Chips Rafferty (foreman Quinlan), John Meillon (Bluey) and Wylie Watson (Herb Johnson). Screenplay by Isobel Lennart.

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the Australian word ‘sundowner’ refers to a hobo, a tramp or, more precisely, a person who makes it a habit of arriving somewhere late enough to obtain food and lodging while avoiding any real work. In Fred Zinnemann’s movie, which was inspired by a Jon Cleary novel, the Carmodys are not scroungers but honest folk who work hard and don’t take root anywhere. Once you see Paddy doggedly running after a dingo early on, you’ll agree with me that this man is not allergic to strenuous labour. He’s also a faithful husband, a sometimes irresponsible bloke and a true boozer that Robert Mitchum incarnates with vigour and an impish smile; try as I may, I can’t imagine any other thespian playing this endearing and enraging character with equal brio. As Ida, Deborah Kerr counters Mitchum’s masculine presence with her own excellence and some great comedic timing; in fact, her aura, courage and good spirits light up THE SUNDOWNERS even more brightly than big Mitch’s fine performance. The other players behind the Carmody couple also shine in amusing roles. You can count on Peter Ustinov to provide some effective comic relief as the smart-alecky Venneker while Glynis Johns, cast as a hotel manager, is utterly hilarious.

As a whole, however, THE SUNDOWNERS didn’t do it for me because its acting and other strengths – magnificent photography, bracing atmosphere, solid craftsmanship and healthy mix of comedy and drama – are oddly defeated by a standard, old-fashioned story-line that delivers mild, sanitized entertainment and little more. Most of the action can be summed up in a few plain words − work, money, open spaces, lifelong dreams − and when a late-coming twist takes the family in an entirely new and surprising direction, it doesn’t delight as much as it confounds. By then, most of the Carmodys’ magic has already been exhausted and the story, though steadfast in its logic, ends with a whimper; anyway, let’s give some credit to the family for remaining lovable throughout. On another level, I couldn’t understand where the Carmodys fit in the larger scheme of things since no social or historical context is established; perhaps the novel is more informative on this issue.

As I write this, I truly strain to find some personal payoff in the two hours plus I spent on this movie. I can only guess that, in the world of cinema, some films age gracefully while others simply age. THE SUNDOWNERS, though agreeable and quite watchable as general fare, belongs to that brand of moviemaking that tries so hard to please everyone that it loses its edge and resonance over time. By some strange coincidence, the next film we will review, COMES A HORSEMAN, also rides the wild country but is everything THE SUNDOWNERS is not. Giddy-up!


MBiS

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