Black Stallion

 

 

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You don't want to miss out on this wonderful family film about a boy and his dog. The fact that Caleb Deschanel was not - huh? - a horse? Oh, yes, of course! A horse. A wonderful family film about a boy and his horse. -------- The fact that Caleb Deschanel was not even nominated for an Oscar for his extraordinary cinematography in THE BLACK STALLION goes to prove what a dog and pony show the Academy Award presentations really are. (Dang! How'd that dog sneak back in here again?) Deschanel's poetic work in this film belongs in an elite class which also includes KOYAANISQATSI and ONE FROM THE HEART. -------- Kelly Reno's work also belongs in an elite class of highly developed performances by child actors which also includes Bobs Watson in ON BORROWED TIME and Haley Joel Osment in THE SIXTH SENSE. -------- But what I really want to focus on with this review is something that only my fellow reviewer Candace Scott seemed to fully appreciate and note in her July 3, 2003 assessment: I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to do a little (VERY little) professional acting in the late l970s and early '80s. It was a craft I seriously studied for many years, and having learned a bit about it, I'm here to say that MICKEY ROONEY's naturalistic performance in this movie is one of the finest ever filmed! I watch THE BLACK STALLION every couple of years and end up slack-jawed every time! -------- In acting there is something known as "False Notes", and these occur when a performer falls out of character and/or plays to the camera or audience. Even the greatest of thespians are guilty of committing False Notes in every performance. MICKEY's performance as horse trainer Henry Dailey may be the only PERFECT performance I have ever seen. Does it seem like he just isn't doing much? Does it seem like he's hardly even acting? EXACTLY!!! The viewer simply can't catch him "acting", and that's the whole point! His actions, his reactions, his speech patterns are so organic to the character he's playing that it simply floors me!!! He may have played a False Note for a brief moment in the scene where he reassures Alec who sits on the car bumper in the rain-soaked night. Maybe. MAYBE! It's arguable. I've seen many an extraordinary performance in my (nearly) 45 years, but this one is really something special. (You actors out there know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you?) There are many excellent reasons to see this film, but Mickey is the best of them. At least for me. -------- I suppose I should mention the movie's one notable flaw even though it is of such little consequence: The editing in the horse race always disturbs me a little. As they cut from the closeup on the thundering hooves to the long establishing shot and then back again, it leaves the false impression that The Black's position changes in the field of horses. But c'mon, are we gonna let a little detail like that spoil such an overall artistic success for us? No way! The bottom line is: THE BLACK STALLION is a real winner; you can bet on it!

It is with great pleasure I can tell you that I have sat through nearly every horse movie ever made and that "The Black Stallion" is still the best one I have ever seen. Not just the best horse movie, but overall the best movie to use horses in a significant role. Every aspect of the film is superlative; the casting, the acting, the adaptation to screenplay, the music, the sounds, the editing, the characterization and most especially, the cinematography.

But the real genius of the film lies in director Carroll Ballard's exquisite ability to render his main character, namely the black stallion himself, on the screen. As a horse person myself, I am sensitive to how any films portrays its equine actors. Errors in horse characterization, handling, ability and expression are immediately apparent. This film does not have any. Every time the horse is onscreen, his performance is flawless. His reactions and expressions in any given scene are perfect. Credit, of course, goes to Corky Randall, who so beautifully trained his animals and also to the superb decision to cast Kelly Reno and Mickey Rooney, natural horsemen themselves, into the main human roles.

In what other movie does the chosen actor have the ability to ride his equine counterpart at full speed without bridle or saddle? In what other movie is the horse actor a stallion well trained enough to permit a child to be astride them without any means of control? In the real world of horses, a stallion of such training and temperment and a rider of such ability is astouding. To see it in a movie is so wonderful and so validating to genuine horse-men and -women; a film that captures true horsemanship as no other has done since.

One need only look to "The Horse Whisperer," a film which decided to use an experienced stunt horse as the main horse actor - a plain chestnut Quarter horse gelding - instead of going to the trouble of finding a suitable black bay Morgan gelding to play the role. Or to the most recent of the "Black Beauty" films, who also had a black gelding playing the title role - but another Quarter horse instead of the Thoroughbreed breed the role was based on. Or even to the well done "Seabiscuit" whose main human actor was not a horseman at all and whose onscreen mount was therefore a very calm, plain animal who came across on screen as dull and characterless.

Tremendous credit goes out to the filmmakers for making the effort to secure animals who would fit the role so well - actual black arabian stallions. Most would not have had the courage, preferring to work with geldings who are so much more predictable in temperment, or with any breed of horse with the necessary color and training to make the role. Seeing as how rare the black color is in the arabian breed, it would have been tempting. Indeed, in their worldwide search, trainer Corky Randall did choose a black arabian, Cass-Ole, but had to dye the stallion's 4 white socks and the star on his forehead for the movie; in the close shots, you can see the white star under the makeup if you look closely enough. Fae-Jur, the main double for the film, was rumored to not even be a true black, but a dark grey who had to be dyed extensively to play the role.

One of the prime examples of the film's genius is the scene in which Alec and "The Black" first become friends. The film shows Fae-Jur, who played that portion of the scene, retreating each time the boy walks toward him, then advancing each time he walks away. By degrees of advance and retreat is Alec finally able to get close to the horse. Such behavior mimics a horse's natural response perfectly; indeed, the modern horse gentling technique popularized by Monty Roberts is built on just such a principle. Here it is replayed on screen, 17 years beforehand. But that is not the full wonder of it; it is how Fae-Jur acts his part that is so astounding. The horse does not simply walk forward and backwards - he jigs, he circles, he rears, he tosses his head. In short, he is a gorgeously trained animal obeying his off-screen commands but displaying the high spirits and impatience typical of a healthy horse being put through a difficult series of steps; obedient but with powerful character. On film, this highly charged personality mimics perfectly the anxiety and anger of a wild stallion trying to cope with coming close to a being he regards with suspicion.

The film gets my highest recommendation for both adults and children. Some may be frustrated by the artistic slant of the story - it rolls past like a dream, especially the island sequences. Children who have read the book may be disappointed by any changes they perceive in the story. But the film is quite simply a masterpiece of storytelling - of children, of animals, or otherwise.

The story and the cinematography were excellent. The transfer to DVD was very disappointing. It looked out of focus from time to time, the dark scenes were muddy, and there were film "remnants" in the transfer (scratches, film marks). And the sound, while Dolby, was 2.0 which was rather disappointing, too.
This isn't too recommend against it, just beware, it isn't the great audio/visual feast that it could be.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Adults - you don't need kids to love this
Time has perhaps taken a tiny tick off the perfection of this for me
(the ending is a bit abrupt, etc. Read more

Published 8 months ago by K. Gordon

1.0 out of 5 stars the girl
i will like a boook on the girl. i will buy it for $5.00

Published on April 30 2004 by elizabeth

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful horse, a beautiful story, and a beautiful film
"The Black Stallion" is one of those films that you will stop and watch when you are flipping through channels. Read more

Published on Feb 8 2004 by Lawrance M. Bernabo

5.0 out of 5 stars What horse lovers dream of..
I've been a horse lover for my entire life and as a kid I watched just about every horse movie ever made. Read more

Published on Jan 15 2004 by lionheart4

5.0 out of 5 stars If this is not the most beautifully filmed movie of all time
... then it is at least in the top ten.

This is one of those movies I put in to watch when I just want to feel good. Read more

Published on Jan 10 2004 by Wayne Scott

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely gorgeous!
This is by far one of the greatest horse movies ever made! It starts off when a boy named Alec (played by Kelly Reno) sees a gorgeous black stallion boarding the ship he is... Read more

Published on Dec 8 2003 by Kala

4.0 out of 5 stars Best animal cinematography ever done
The relative obscurity of this film has been a boon to a generation of film makers, who have shamelessly ripped off the stunning shooting of Caleb Deschanel ("The Natural") and... Read more

Published on Oct 28 2003 by Sydney

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Horse Ever
The Black Stallion is a wonderful horse that I have always loved. He is the most beautifulest and strongest in the world. I love him because he is beautiful. Read more

Published on Aug 5 2003

5.0 out of 5 stars One word will do: magnificent
What a beautiful motion picture this is. Not only it is gorgeously photographed, it is quite simply breathtaking in many respects. Read more

Published on July 3 2003 by Candace Scott

5.0 out of 5 stars A horse lover
I haven't seen the DVD of The Black Stallion, that's why I'm buying it now. But I did go to see the movie at least 10 times when it first came out. Read more

Published on Jun 29 2003

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