Bush Christmas
1983 Australian film
Bush Christmas (also known as Prince and the Great Race) is a 1983 Australian Christmas drama film and a remake of the 1947 film of the same name. The film marked actress Nicole Kidman's first feature film role. It was filmed on location on the Lamington Plateau, Queensland. It is also notable for music by the Bushwackers.
01Plot
In rural Queensland, the Thompson family, struggling to keep its farm from foreclosure, hopes their horse, Prince, will win the New Year's Cup so that they can use the winnings to pay off the debt. However, two struggling lowlifes, Bill and Sly (John Ewart and John Howard), find out about the horse and steal it, escaping into the nearby mountain range.
With the father off droving cattle and the thieves having sabotaged all forms of transportation and communication before escaping, the Thompson children Helen (Nicole Kidman) and John (Mark Spain), and their English cousin Michael (James Wingrove), saddle up their own horses and go after the crooks on their own, with Manalpuy, a local Aboriginal who works on the farm, assisting them.
02Production
At one stage Howard Rubie was announced as director and he was involved in casting. However, for a time it seemed the film might not go ahead so Rubie accepted a chance to direct The Settlement instead.
The movie was shot in Beaudesert and Rathdowney, Queensland. Funding came in part from the Australian Film Commission, the Film and TV Institute (WA), and Queensland Film Corporation.
03Release
Box office
Bush Christmas grossed $122,035 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $322,172 in 2009 dollars.
Home media
Bush Christmas was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in December 2012. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the theatrical trailer, press kit stills and the script.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Bush Christmas”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Bush Christmas DVD cover (lo res).jpg by Umbrella Entertainment, Fair use
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