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Lifer
Dec 22, 2017
1,658
10,273
Phoenix, AZ
View attachment 266370
Another great Australian movie with its fair share of pipe smoking. It’s the Man From Snowy River and is the story of a great Australian stockman. His amazing ride is the back ground to this story and AB “Banjo” Paterson wrote a poem about it which was printed in the Bulletin 21st December 1889. Here is the poem for context

The Man from Snowy River

There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around
That the colt from Old Regret had got away,
And had joined the wild bush horses — he was worth a thousand pound,
So all the cracks had gathered to the fray.
All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far
Had mustered at the homestead overnight,
For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are,
And the stock-horse snuffs the battle with delight.

There was Harrison, who made his pile when Pardon won the cup,
The old man with his hair as white as snow;
But few could ride beside him when his blood was fairly up —
He would go wherever horse and man could go.
And Clancy of the Overflow came down to lend a hand,
No better horseman ever held the reins;
For never horse could throw him while the saddle-girths would stand,
He learnt to ride while droving on the plains.

And one was there, a stripling on a small and weedy beast,
He was something like a racehorse undersized,
With a touch of Timor pony — three parts thoroughbred at least —
And such as are by mountain horsemen prized.
He was hard and tough and wiry — just the sort that won’t say die —
There was courage in his quick impatient tread;
And he bore the badge of gameness in his bright and fiery eye,
And the proud and lofty carriage of his head.

But still so slight and weedy, one would doubt his power to stay,
And the old man said, “That horse will never do
For a long and tiring gallop — lad, you’d better stop away,
Those hills are far too rough for such as you.”
So he waited sad and wistful — only Clancy stood his friend —
“I think we ought to let him come,” he said;
“I warrant he’ll be with us when he’s wanted at the end,
For both his horse and he are mountain bred.”

“He hails from Snowy River, up by Kosciusko’s side,
Where the hills are twice as steep and twice as rough,
Where a horse’s hoofs strike firelight from the flint stones every stride,
The man that holds his own is good enough.
And the Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen.”

So he went — they found the horses by the big mimosa clump —
They raced away towards the mountain’s brow,
And the old man gave his orders, “Boys, go at them from the jump,
No use to try for fancy riding now.
And, Clancy, you must wheel them, try and wheel them to the right.
Ride boldly, lad, and never fear the spills,
For never yet was rider that could keep the mob in sight,
If once they gain the shelter of those hills.”

So Clancy rode to wheel them — he was racing on the wing
Where the best and boldest riders take their place,
And he raced his stock-horse past them, and he made the ranges ring
With the stockwhip, as he met them face to face.
Then they halted for a moment, while he swung the dreaded lash,
But they saw their well-loved mountain full in view,
And they charged beneath the stockwhip with a sharp and sudden dash,
And off into the mountain scrub they flew.

Then fast the horsemen followed, where the gorges deep and black
Resounded to the thunder of their tread,
And the stockwhips woke the echoes, and they fiercely answered back
From cliffs and crags that beetled overhead.
And upward, ever upward, the wild horses held their way,
Where mountain ash and kurrajong grew wide;
And the old man muttered fiercely, “We may bid the mob good day,
No man can hold them down the other side.”

When they reached the mountain’s summit, even Clancy took a pull,
It well might make the boldest hold their breath,
The wild hop scrub grew thickly, and the hidden ground was full
Of wombat holes, and any slip was death.
But the man from Snowy River let the pony have his head,
And he swung his stockwhip round and gave a cheer,
And he raced him down the mountain like a torrent down its bed,
While the others stood and watched in very fear.

He sent the flint stones flying, but the pony kept his feet,
He cleared the fallen timber in his stride,
And the man from Snowy River never shifted in his seat —
It was grand to see that mountain horseman ride.
Through the stringy barks and saplings, on the rough and broken ground,
Down the hillside at a racing pace he went;
And he never drew the bridle till he landed safe and sound,
At the bottom of that terrible descent.

He was right among the horses as they climbed the further hill,
And the watchers on the mountain standing mute,
Saw him ply the stockwhip fiercely, he was right among them still,
As he raced across the clearing in pursuit.
Then they lost him for a moment, where two mountain gullies met
In the ranges, but a final glimpse reveals
On a dim and distant hillside the wild horses racing yet,
With the man from Snowy River at their heels.

And he ran them single-handed till their sides were white with foam.
He followed like a bloodhound on their track,
Till they halted cowed and beaten, then he turned their heads for home,
And alone and unassisted brought them back.
But his hardy mountain pony he could scarcely raise a trot,
He was blood from hip to shoulder from the spur;
But his pluck was still undaunted, and his courage fiery hot,
For never yet was mountain horse a cur.

And down by Kosciusko, where the pine-clad ridges raise
Their torn and rugged battlements on high,
Where the air is clear as crystal, and the white stars fairly blaze
At midnight in the cold and frosty sky,
And where around the Overflow the reedbeds sweep and sway
To the breezes, and the rolling plains are wide,
The man from Snowy River is a household word to-day,
And the stockmen tell the story of his ride.
One of my favorite movies! I am not sure why it strikes such a chord with me, but I just love this movie!
 

Butter Side Down

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jun 2, 2023
226
2,200
Chicago
Too many replies to read them all so apologies if this has already been on here.

Just watched a great western from 1948 called Station West. It's the closest thing to a noir western I've ever seen. Complete with not one but two femme fatales.

Dick Powell plays the lead and smokes a pipe off and on throughout (classic straight billiard).

Among the many reasons I'd recommend it is the tough guy patter, which is among the best of the best if you're into that kind of thing (I am).

It's on criterion right now, but it seems like the kind of thing that would roll through TCM pretty often.
 
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scloyd

Lifer
May 23, 2018
5,953
12,087
"Front Page Story", 1954, starring Jack Hawkins as a newspaper editor, has several scenes in the news-room, where everybody appears to be smoking a pipe.
I've been watching a lot of 50's & 60's movies lately. Things seemed so much simpler.
I've been watching a lot of movies from the 40's & 50's too. There so many on YouTube.

The Mugger (1958)
13 West Street (1962)
Life at Stake (1954)
People Will Talk (1951)

They're not great movie, but certainly watchable.
 

HawkeyeLinus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2020
5,604
41,079
Iowa
I've been watching a lot of movies from the 40's & 50's too. There so many on YouTube.

The Mugger (1958)
13 West Street (1962)
Life at Stake (1954)
People Will Talk (1951)

They're not great movie, but certainly watchable.
People Will Talk is okay but always just a little odd to watch. It does lead you to the good musical piece he conducts towards the end.
 
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HawkeyeLinus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2020
5,604
41,079
Iowa
Watched “The Holdovers” last night. Giamatti has a pretty good sized pipe in hand frequently from beginning to end. Thought it was going to be a 1970 version of The Breakfast Club when it started, glad it wasn’t. Good film, still trying to work out my impressions.
 
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Buffalo

Can't Leave
Oct 8, 2022
301
915
Central Nebraska
Most recent one is asteroid city,want th o see holdover and Oppenheimer
Watched Asteroid City a couple of weeks ago on Peacock. Still trying to wrap my head around the thing. Maybe I'll watch it again this weekend if time and responsibilities allow.

As for more pipe smoking in movies, not sure if The Ballad of Buster Scruggs has been mentioned or not. Liam Neeson smokes what looks like a Peterson in the chapter he is in with Harry Melling (Dudley from the Harry Potter franchise).

1701996703473.jpeg
 

AroEnglish

Lifer
Jan 7, 2020
3,782
11,571
Midwest
Watched Asteroid City a couple of weeks ago on Peacock. Still trying to wrap my head around the thing. Maybe I'll watch it again this weekend if time and responsibilities allow.

As for more pipe smoking in movies, not sure if The Ballad of Buster Scruggs has been mentioned or not. Liam Neeson smokes what looks like a Peterson in the chapter he is in with Harry Melling (Dudley from the Harry Potter franchise).

View attachment 268048
Oh man that was a brutal chapter.
 

Buffalo

Can't Leave
Oct 8, 2022
301
915
Central Nebraska
Oh man that was a brutal chapter.
That chapter is the reason my wife refuses to watch it with me again! Although, from a modern perspective, it does make you take pause and realize that in the modern scheme of things, no matter how talented you are, no matter how much time you have put into your craft,you can easily be replaced by the powers that be for something simpler and cheaper without the public noticing.
 

AroEnglish

Lifer
Jan 7, 2020
3,782
11,571
Midwest
That chapter is the reason my wife refuses to watch it with me again! Although, from a modern perspective, it does make you take pause and realize that in the modern scheme of things, no matter how talented you are, no matter how much time you have put into your craft,you can easily be replaced by the powers that be for something simpler and cheaper without the public noticing.
Yeah for sure. Definitely want to see this again whole movie again. I realize I can remember everything except the last chapter apparently titled "The Mortal Remains."
 
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Searock Fan

Lifer
Oct 22, 2021
1,915
5,326
U.S.A.
I tried watching ASTEROID CITY, but blew it off after about 20 minutes. Your comments make me wonder if I gave up too soon. Might give it another go. puffy
 
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Buffalo

Can't Leave
Oct 8, 2022
301
915
Central Nebraska
I tried watching ASTEROIC CITY, but blew it off after about 20 minutes. Your comments make me wonder if I gave up too soon. Might give it another go. puffy
I watched it again last night. The second time through, it made more sense to me. Basically the whole movie breaks the fourth wall. Its still an exercise in understanding, but overall its a good movie.
 

carmell269

Lurker
Dec 28, 2014
28
71
Central Iowa
I just watched this movie earlier today, and it is utterly excellent. Elegaic and mirthful in its sentiments, but never sentimental, it is a film that harkens back to an era of film-making before CGI and "meta" narratives dominated. I highly recommend everyone to go see it if they can.

As to the pipe, it looked like a large straight billiard to me. Not sure if it was a Peterson, though. It may have been. The stain on the pipe looked more like a classic walnut/dark brown color than blonde. Either way, it fits the character and time period of the film.
My sentiments exactly ! What a superb movie. Paul Giamatti is an absolute gem and looked quite natural smoking a pipe.