Review of The Overlanders (1946) by Art S — 30 Jun 2016

It's Election Day here in Australia. So, to commemorate that fact, last night I watched this classic Australian film. In order to escape the potential Japanese invasion of the Northern Territory during WWII, a drover (played with confident charm by Chips Rafferty) gathers together a team to lead a mob of cattle all the way across the continent to Brisbane, Queensland.

This film is the story of their journey through the outback. Produced by Britain's Ealing Studios but filmed on location in Australia and populated with Australians speaking Australian English (although as can be expected, the actors speak with a variety of accents), it's a real treat to see a story based here in my adopted country.

The cattle face numerous obstacles and there is a bit of a love story between cowgirl and cowboy but it's mostly action, filmed documentary-style by Harry Watt, with hundreds of real cows, dozens of real horses, and a "you are there" feeling.