Bush Christmas
By Brian Costello,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
'40s Australian adventure has casual racism, outdated feel.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
Where to Watch
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Black and white 1947 family film
Report this review
What's the Story?
After getting out of school for the Christmas holiday, five children -- ranch kids Helen (Helen Grieve), John, and Snow Thompson, a bookish English boy named Michael who is staying with the Thompsons, and an Aborigine boy named Neza whose father works on the ranch -- living in a small Australian outback town venture off where they shouldn't and come across a pair of horse thieves who are covering over the white spots on a horse with paint. The children don't put two and two together until the next morning when two of the horses on the ranch have been stolen. When Mr. Thompson finds out and then learns that the children ventured where they shouldn't have, he threatens to cancel Christmas altogether, and it's up to the children to sneak away from the ranch, pursue the horse thieves -- even as they realize they're lost in the bush -- and outwit them until the authorities can manage to track them down.
Is It Any Good?
BUSH CHRISTMAS has not aged well, and it's not only because of the casual racism on display toward the Aborigines. Although the pace of the adventure was surely exciting for its time (1947), by today's standards the movie drags in quite a few places. Also, this is less of a "Christmas movie" and more of an adventure of sorts -- a walkabout, if you will -- that really only shows and talks about Christmas at the beginning and at the end.
Still, it's not totally unredeemable decades later. There are some engagingly suspenseful moments of adventure and peril and some moments of slapstick that call to mind Home Alone. Also, remarkable for its time, the girl of the group -- Helen -- is portrayed as a strong leader, as skilled with horseback riding and as brave as the boys once they realize they're lost in the bush while pursuing the horse thieves.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how this is a movie from 1947. In what ways does this movie seem dated? How does it reflect the times in which it was created?
How is Helen, the only girl in the movie, portrayed? How might this portrayal be unusual for a film from the '40s?
What are some of the good and not-so-good ways that Neza, the young Aborigine boy, is portrayed in the movie?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 2, 1947
- On DVD or streaming: November 8, 2005
- Cast: Chips Rafferty, Helen Grieve, John Fernside
- Director: Ralph Smart
- Studio: MGM/UA
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Holidays
- Run time: 80 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 26, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Best Holiday TV Specials
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate