Hammers Over the Anvil

Filmed - Oct 1991 (no end date noted)

Photos - (*Nudity*)

Russell plays the character of East Driscoll, a horse trainer and a loner. Alan, a child who is crippled with polio, longs to have the life of East. When a beautiful married woman moves to town, passions flair, and lives change.

 Hammers Over the Anvil is loosly based on a book of short stories by a famous Australian author named Alan Marshall.  He is well known for his wonderful descriptions and this book based on his hometown is no exception.  He wrote of a man who was a master horseman, a larrikin (kind of a wild, lack of respect for authority type), a drinker, a charmer, and a loner.  Although Alan Marshall wrote the story in 1975 when Russell was just a child he could have written the story for him to play.  In an exerpt from the book he wrote, "Ah!  Those eyes, that cheeky grin that promised quick kisses in the grip of powerful arms".  When I read this line I had to laugh cause if anyone fits that description it is Russell Crowe.  He took the role of East Driscoll right into Alan Marshall's book and beyond.

This is probably one of Crowe's most under-rated movies and parts.  It has recently been released to NTSC for video in America and hopefully will be more accessible.

The writer of this movie stated that "Russell brought depths to the role we had not even imagined".

Some caution should be used in watching this film with children in the house, there are a couple of scenes involving nudity.  One is right at the beginning of the movie