Hammers over the Anvil

REVIEW
Sappy tale of a horse breaker who gets involved with an older married woman. Caught in the middle is a polio stricken boy named Alan whose dreams of riding are overshadowed by his idolizing of East Driscoll (Crowe). In addition, Alan's obvious attraction to the older Grace further complicate his quest for contentment in a life that he already finds to be quite frustrating. A rather impressive performance by Crowe in a very early role makes this film worth seeing, not to mention the more particular fans of Gladiator's opportunity to see him riding a horse naked. There is an especially depressing scene where young Alan repeatedly falls to the ground while attempting to climb onto the stirrups while holding onto a fence to keep balance.