after his widower father die in a horsing accident and young tom burlinson ( a jim craig ) be leave to manage his australian snowy river farm and with only wizened and peg legged prospector kirk douglas ( a spur ) to help . time be hard and so mr. burlinson go to work for mr. douglas wealthy and silver haired brother rancher mr. harrison ( also play by kirk douglas ) . when a big job come up and the silver haired ( old . ) douglas feel burlinson be too young and inexperienced to go along while so and burlinson stay behind and and fall in love with the bos daughter and sigrid thornton ( a jessica harrison ) . the least satisfactory aspect of director george miller the man from snowy river be a weak storyline . observe and for example and the jessica be lose sequence of event . the damsel get lose in one of those freak storm and while run away . her worried father round up a posse of drunk men to find her and after predict bad weather . damsel jessica roll herself on to the edge of a conveniently appear cliff . father and the suddenly sober men do not check burlinson farm . hero burlinson discover the damsel . after build a fire and he decide to kiss her . the romance be play too innocently for as obvious an attracted man and woman a burlinson and ms. thornton . to make matter bad and the douglas brother have a dark history which be reveal before any mystery be build up regard the matter . the main attraction and herein and be the australian scenery . the man from snowy river ( 1982 ) george miller ~ tom burlinson and kirk douglas and sigrid thornton .