During filming, school went on for the young actors. In 1940, when he came to Australia, he directed short films for the R.A.A.F. The Zoo couldn’t help, but an advertisement brought in a quick response.
It was then frequently revived for Christmas and holiday sessions.It had a secure audience in the UK via the Rank/Odeon/Gaumont/CFF Saturday morning club, and received a favourable response in its New York release.
When someone steals their father’s prized horses, Dad’s so upset that he decides to cancel the holiday altogether. A fourteen year old John Meillon turned up in the radio version for the ABC.The film inspired a 1983 re-make under the same title, listed at Ozmovies As far as the child actors go, Helen Grieve went no further than her appearances in this and The Aboriginal stockman, "Jack", wasn’t given a credit, nor was the policeman who turns up at the end to warn the children (and the audience) that stealing harms the community.Director Smart ran a tight ship and made the film to schedule, losing only four days to weather, something of a feat for a film involving children, animals and many exteriors. The nominal star is the popular Chips Rafferty, playing a misleading likeable horse rustler. This turns the film into almost an Oz western at Christmas time.There are some who prefer the 1983 re-make, which is more technically proficient in some ways, but which has a blandness that doesn’t match the naive charm of the original.Director Ralph Smart came up with the story and screenplay for the film. School hours were adapted to suit the times of filming.Camp fires, sing-songs, and the thrills of watering and grooming the horses helped to pass the leisure time. Unfortunately the paper then looked forward to a number of turkeys, including Always Another Dawn , Strong is the Seed , and Eureka Stockade. The film was shown in the private committee room of Westminster Hall. The Thompson family (Pat Penny as dad Henry, Thelma Grigg as the mother) are preparing for Christmas, as their children (Helen Grieve as Helen Thompson, Nicky Yardley as young 'Snow' Thompson, and Morris Unicomb as John Thompson) head home from school for their annual break.The children have as companions an Aboriginal friend, Neza (Neza Saunders), son of a stockman, Jack, who works for Henry, and Michael (Michael Yardley), who came over from Britain to escape the war by staying with the Thompsons, and is soon to return to his native land.But not before having an adventure, which begins when the bush-dwelling children unwisely boast about their father's valuable mare to three strangers, led by Long Bill (Chips Rafferty), with John Fernside as Jim and Stan Tolhurst as Blue - not realising that the men are horse thieves.The next day the mare and her foal are stolen. Was this review helpful to you?
Bush Christmas (also known as Prince and the Great Race) is a 1983 Australian Christmas drama film and a remake of a 1947 film of the same name, which was based on a novel by Ralph Smart and Mary Cathcart Borer.The film marked actress Nicole Kidman's first feature film role. "The Sunday Telegraph's own film critic, Josephine O'Neill places "Bush Christmas" 12th in her list of the best films seen in Sydney during 1947.Unfortunately the paper then looked forward to a number of turkeys, including Selected for exhibition at the Brussels Film Festival, and awarded a prize as the 'film of the year 1946-47'.The film appeared on one US critic's 'top ten best films' for 1948 list, and was warmly commended by the Chief Censor of Australia, Mr. J. O. Alexander. Rent Bush Christmas (1947) starring Chips Rafferty and John Fernside on DVD and Blu-ray. The film was also adapted for radio with a young When Smart returned to Australia in January 1947 he announced plans to £150,000 worh of children's films in Australia, including a feature set on a Northern Territory outback station, a serial, and a series of documentary filmss. In the Australian countryside, five children are best friends, including a set of siblings, an English war evacuee, and aboriginal Neza. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin.