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Based on the stories of the same title by Alan Marshall, this is the story of a young boy who suffered many hardships in life, but none so savage as contracting polio and being unable to walk without crutches. Despite his affliction, he dreams of being a great horseman like the town’s hero, East Driscoll (Russell Crowe). Handsome and skilful, East is the most popular man in town, but as the boy discovers one summer, heroes can fall, and when East begins a passionate affair with an older woman, he comes face to face with a hard and cruel society with strict social taboos and even harsher penalties. It was a summer that would ultimately shape the rest of his life. NB: THIS PROGRAM IS RATED M. PARENTS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT IT IS SUITABLE FOR ADOLESCENTS ONLY.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
306365
Language
English
Audience classification
MA
Subject categories
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Social norms
Feature films → Feature films - Australia
Literature → Australian literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)