Australian Cinema > types > westerns.
See also: my 'presentation' on the western; Bill Routt's bushranger films page.

Westerns

Inclusive list of Australasian 'western' films - or films arguably related to the western genre

Adam's Woman (Phillip Leacock, 1970) aka Return of the Boomerang, prod. Louis F. Edelman, ed. Anthony Buckley, music Bob Young, 116 min.; Beau Bridges, Jane Merrow, John Mills, Andrew Keir, Peter Collingwood, Harold Hopkins, James Booth, Clarissa Kaye, Peter O'Shaughnessy, Katy Wild, Helen Morse, Tracy Reed; historical 'convict western'

Banjo Patterson's The Man from Snowy River (Tim Burstall, Denny Lawrence, Dan Burstall, 1994) mini-series

Buddies (Arch Nicholson, 1983) prod. wr. John Dingwall, dp David Eggby, design Phillip Warner, ed. Martin Down; Colin Friels, Harold Hopkins, Kris McQuade, Bruce Spence, Norman Kaye, Simon Chilvers, Lisa Peers, Dennis Miller; two miners searching for sapphires in Qld; AFI Best Screenplay; Eastman colour, 35mm Panavision, 97 min.

Bullseye (Carl Schultz, 1989) dp Dean Semler; Paul Goddard, Kathryn Walker, John Wood, Paul Chubb, Bruce Spence, Lynette Curran, John Meillon, Kerry Walker; cattle thieves in Qld head for SA; light entertainment based on actual event of 1860s; working title: Birdsville

Bushranger's Ransom, A, Or A Ride For Life (E. J. Cole, 1911) Ben Hall story

Captain Starlight, or A Gentleman Of The Road (Alfred Rolfe, 1911) Alfred Rolfe, Lily Dampier, Raymond Longford, Stanley Walpole, Augustus Neville

Captain Thunderbolt (Cecil Holmes, 1953) Grant Taylor, Charles Tingwell; bush western

Cool Change (George Miller, 1986) 35 mm, 93 min. producer: Dennis Wright for Delatite Productions, wr. Patrick Edgeworth, dp John Haddy, composer Bruce Rowlands, designer Leslie Binns, ed. Phil Reid; Lisa Armytage, John Blake, Wilbur Wilde, Alec Wilson; virtual sequel to The Man from Snowy River

Dan Morgan: Notorious Australian Outlaw (Spencer's Pictures, 1911) "Aborigines associated with a bushranger" Malone 1987: 3; Pike & Cooper: 29

Decadent and the Depraved, The (Axel August, Jordon Prince-Wright, 2018) wr. Axel August; Michael Muntz, Ben Mortley, Steve Turner; western; WA

Glenrowan Affair, The (Rupert Kathner, 1951) aka A Message to Kelly; Aust Action Pictures; Bob Chitty (Ned Kelly); 70 min. Chitty was 1940s Carlton captain

Goldstone (Ivan Sen, 2016) prod. David Jowsey, Bunya Productions, Aaron Pedersen, Jacki Weaver, Alex Russell, David Gulpilil, David Wenham, Tom E. Lewis; spinoff from Mystery Road; shot Middleton, Qld

Good for Nothing (Mike Wallis, 2011) Cohen Holloway, Inge Rademeyer, Jon Pheloung; western; NZ

Head Count (Jacob & Ben Burghart, 2023) wr. Jacob & Ben Burghart, Josh Doke; Aaron Jakubenko, Ryan Kwanten, Melanie Zanett; 'neo-western thriller'

Kangaroo (Lewis Milestone, 1952) Twentieth Century-Fox, prod. Robert Bassler, wrs Harry Kleiner, dp Charles G Clarke; 85 mins.; Maureen O'Hara, Peter Lawford, Finlay Currie, Richard Boone, Chips Rafferty, Letty Craydon, Charles Tingwell, Ronald Whelan, John Fegan, Guy Doleman, Reginald Collins, Frank Ransome, Clyde Combo (Aboriginal stockman), Henry Murdoch (blacktracker); western, set in the Australian outback at the turn of the century

Kangaroo Kid, The (Lesley Selander, 1950) Allied Australian films (the McCreadie brothers); Jock O'Mahoney (Tex Kinnane), Veda Ann Borg, Guy Doleman, Alec Kellaway; "oats opera", B-western

Kelly Gang, The (Harry Southwell, 1920)v

Life And Adventures Of John Vane, The Notorious Australian Bushranger, The (S. A. [Stephen Australia] Fitzgerald, 1910)

Lucky Country (Kriv Stenders, 2009) aka Home; Aden Young, Toby Wallace, Hanna Mangan Lawrence

Mad Dog Morgan (Philippe Mora, 1976) prod. Jeremy Thomas for Motion Picture Productions, wr. Philippe Mora, book Margaret Carnegie, Morgan, dp Mike Molloy, design Robin Hildich, music Patrick Flynn, ed. John Scott; Dennis Hopper, Jack Thompson, David Gulpilil, Frank Thring, Michael Pate, Wallas Eaton, Bill Hunter, John Hargreaves, Martin Harris, Robin Ramsay, Graeme Blundell, Gregory Apps, Norman Kaye, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Christopher Pate, Grant Page, Bruce Spence; Sydney, colour wide-screen 102 min.

Man From Kangaroo, The (Wilfred Lucas, 1920)

Man From Snowy River, The (Beaumont Smith, 1920) Cyril Mackay, Stella Southern, Tal Ordell; 61 min.

Man from Snowy River, The (George Miller, 1982) Kirk Douglas, Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton

Man from Snowy River II, The (Geoff Burrowes, 1988) aka Return to Snowy River, The Untamed; Brian Dennehy, Tom Burlinson, Sigrid Thornton

Mystery Road (Ivan Sen, 2013) aka Moree Girls (working title) wr. dp ed. Ivan Sen, prod. David Jowsey; Aaron Pedersen, Hugo Weaving, Jack Thompson, Ryan Kwanten, Tony Barry, Tasma Walton, Damian Walshe-Howling, Siobhan Binge, David Field, Robert Mammone, Trisha Whitton; shot in Winton, Qld; Australian release 17 October 2013; DVD release 12 February 2014

Ned (Abe Forsythe, 2003) Abe Forsythe as Ned, Jason Donovan; spoof, grossout comedy

Ned Kelly (Tony Richardson, 1970) wr. Tony Richardson, Ian Jones; Mick Jagger; not an Australian production, but shot here

Ned Kelly (Gregor Jordan, 2003) Heath Ledger, Orlando Bloom, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes, Naomi Watts; 105 min.; William D. Routt, 'Red Ned', Metro, 136: 10-17

Overlanders, The (Harry Watt, 1946) Ealing Studios; Chips Rafferty, Daphne Campbell, Clyde Combo (Jacky); has an Aboriginal person as a major character; 91 min.

Phantom Stockman, The (Lee Robinson, 1953) Chips Rafferty, Charles Tingwell, Rod Taylor; produced by Southern International (Lee Robinson & Chips Rafferty)

Phantom Gold (Rupert Kathner, 1937) Harry Lasseter's reef

Phantom Stockman, The (Lee Robinson, 1953) Chips Rafferty, Charles Tingwell, Rod Taylor; produced by Southern International (Lee Robinson & Chips Rafferty)

Proposition, The (John Hillcoat, 2005) wr. Nick Cave, music Nick Cave; shooting Winton Qld October 2004; Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Emily Watson, John Hurt, David Wenham, Tom Budge, David Gulpilil, Leah Purcell, Tom E. Lewis; epic period Western; Australian-British co-production, three brothers charged with brutal crime 1880s; 104 min.

Quigley (Simon Wincer, 1991) aka Quigley Down Under (US) Tom Selleck, Laura San Giacomo, Alan Rickman, Chris Haywood, Ron Haddrick, Tony Bonner; western; Quigley is hired to eliminate vermin, but they turn out to be indigenous people on the WA cattle station

Rangle River (Clarence Badger, 1936) aka Men With Whips; wr. Charles Chauvel, Elsa Chauvel, story Zane Grey

Raw Deal (Russell Hagg, 1977) producers: Russell Hagg and Patrick Edgeworth, wr. Patrick Edgeworth, dp Vincent Monton, music Ronald Edgeworth, design Jon Dowding, ed. Tony Patterson; Gerard Kennedy, Gus Mercurio, Rod Mullinar; Gerard Kennedy, Bethany Lee, Gus Mercurio, Rod Mullinar, Christopher Pate, Anne Pendelbury, Norman Yemm; "Kangaroo western"; Melbourne and Sydney, colour, 94 min.

Reckless Kelly (Yahoo Serious, 1993) aka Ned Kelly; Yahoo Serious, Melora Hardin, Alexei Sayle, Hugo Weaving, Bob Maza

Red Hill (Patrick Hughes, 2010) western; Ryan Kwanten, Steve Bisley, Tom E. Lewis

Robbery under Arms (Charles McMahon, 1907) MacMahon's Exquisite Pictures, screenplay, scenario, script Charles MacMahon, from the novel by Rolf Boldrewood, dp Byers Coates, William Duff, 5000 ft. Jim Gerald (Warrigal), George Merriman (warder), Lance Vane (Inspector of Police), William Duff (trooper), Arthur Guest (curate), Rhoda Dendron

Robbery Under Arms (Kenneth Brampton, 1920)

Robbery under Arms (Jack Lee, 1957) Peter Finch, Ronald Lewis, David McCallum, Maureen Swanson, Jill Ireland; from the novel by Rolf Boldrewood; Capt. Starlight has a black offsider; 96 min.

Robbery under Arms (Donald Crombie & Ken Hannam, 1985)

Rover, The (David Michôd, 2013) Robert Pattinson, Guy Pearce, Scoot McNairy; western

Shadow of Lightning Ridge, The (Wilfred Lucas, 1920)

Shadow of the Boomerang (Dick Ross, 1960) World Wide Pictures (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association); "Christian western"; Jimmy Little's first role

Shame (Steve Jodrell, 1988) Barron Films; Deborra-Lee Furness; WA; location Toodyay; 94 min.

Story of the Kelly Gang, The (Charles Tait, 1906)

Sweet Country (Warwick Thornton, 2017) prod. David Jowsey, Greer Simpkin, wr. Steven McGregor, David Tranter, dp Dylan River, Warwick Thornton; Bryan Brown, Matt Day, Tremayne and Trevon Doolan, Anni Finsterer, Natassia Gorey-Furber, John Gibson, Ewen Leslie, Lachlan J. Modrzynski, Hamilton Morris, Sam Neill, Sotiris Tzelios, Thomas M. Wright; western

Tale Of The Australian Bush, A (Gaston Mervale, 1911) aka Ben Hall, The Notorious Bushranger; Production Company: Australian Life Biograph Company. Screenplay, Scenario, Script: P W Marony. 2500 ft. Cast: A J Patrick (Ben Hall), Godfrey Cass (Melville), Harry Beaumont (Gilbert), James Martin (Keightley), Gilbert Emery (Chief of Police), Harrie Ireland (Mrs Keightley), Isma Owen (Robbie Hall), Louise Carbasse [Louise Lovely] (Mrs Hall)

Tracker, The (Rolf de Heer, 2002) wr. Rolf de Heer, dp Ian Jones; David Gulpilil, Gary Sweet, Damon Gameau, Grant Page; national release 8 August. David Gulpilil won Best Actor AFI Awards 7 November 2002; songs performed by Archie Roach; 98 min.

Trial of Ned Kelly, The (John Gauci, 1977) TV movie, wr. Roger Simpson (John Waters as Ned)

When the Kellys Rode (Harry Southwell, 1934)

When The Kellys Were Out (Harry Southwell, 1923) aka The True Story of the Kelly Gang


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