The Black Stallion (1979) User Reviews

Wish There Was A Better Transfer Of This Nice Film

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 21 February 2007]

Not only is this a nice story, but it's beautifully photographed. That's why I was so disappointed with the DVD. The picture wasn't sharp, and even had an orange tint to it. I wound up trading it for something else. Perhaps if a better DVD transfer comes along, I'll re- purchase this.

I love horse racing and a good adventure story, so this appeals to me since it offers both. The climactic race at the end is not very credible, but overall it's a fine film and certainly safe viewing fare for the whole family.

It was good to see Mickey Rooney again. Kelly Reno, who played the kid, was fine, too - no young Mickey Rooney in his heyday, but still passable as an actor and likable. Teri Garr and Hoyt Axton had small roles as Reno's parents.

Absolutely stunning film, a wonderful animal story

[medic249a2 · 8/10 · 27 April 2011]

Francis Ford Coppola was a busy man in 1979; his Vietnam War epic 'Apocalypse Now' had been released earlier that year, and he was soon at work on another project - a marvelous story about a boy and an Arabian stallion marooned on a remote island after a shipwreck. That project, of course, was 'The Black Stallion' - often considered Coppola's 'forgotten child' of 1979.

Some of Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now' crew also worked on 'The Black Stallion'; namely producers Fred Roos & Tom Sternberg and Coppola's father Carmine, who wrote the beautiful, moving score that surrounds the film. For direction, Coppola handed over the director's chair to Carroll Ballard, whose very capable hand made this film absolutely stunning.

The story is well known, from Walter Farley's classic novel - a young boy, who escapes a shipwreck off North Africa with a horse he had helped rescue, bonds forever with the animal after they are washed up on an island. After being rescued the two return to the United States, where Alec keeps the beautiful horse in his backyard. When an innocent garbage man triggers a fear in the horse's mind, the animal escapes to a farm owned by a former jockey & horse trainer, Henry Dailey. When young Alec follows the horse to the barn, he asks Dailey if there's ever a way to learn to ride him. Dailey is skeptical at first; the horse is considered wild, and no papers exist. He does, however, start teaching Alec the ways of riding, and they are soon making runs with the horse - now known as 'The Black' - on a racetrack. The day comes when Dailey shows the horse to a reporter, who promotes the animal as a 'Mystery Horse' to challenge the country's fastest Thoroughbreds in a race. Alec will ride The Black in the challenge match - to a triumphant finish...

The photography is absolutely spectacular; most of the island shots (done in Sardinia) are made with no dialogue, which some have called 'meaningful silence', with only Carmine Coppola's soundtrack in the background - piano chords as the horse kills the cobra and a spectacular trumpet fanfare as Alec looks up at The Black standing on a cliff. Great care was taken to make the city shots (done in Toronto) realistic; the racetrack shots especially reflect this. The costumes and vehicles are authentic for the period - this was especially true on race day when The Black goes up against the 2 thoroughbreds.

Unfortunately, this great work was largely ignored by AMPAS at that year's Academy Awards; this is absolutely shameful as this photography rivals that of Coppola's 'Apocalypse Now' from the same year.

All around, this is one of the finest family movies ever made. I saw it when I was around 8 in the theater and did not see it again until I was about 39, when I showed it to my little girl (who loves horses). I give it an 8/10.

Great acting by Kelly Reno

[artist-galaxy · 8/10 · 5 February 2007]

I just saw the film (I know, I know,- it's an old,old film) and I was transfixed by the acting performance by the kid, Kelly Reno. It is strange how life turns her fate in a one-moments incident that changes life forever. This is something many of us have come to understand. Still, I wonder what Kelly would have accomplished in the film industry, had he not suffered from his accident. His portrayal of Alec Ramsey was so believable, that I was certain he made many more films. All we can do, is hope that our lives turn out to be happy and fulfilling. I have learned to live for the moment and I hope he has, too.

A masterpiece

[jerkyshaw · 10/10 · 4 June 2007]

It is hard for many people to accept that a little family film about a boy's relationship to a horse could be one of the greatest films ever made. But you must remember that not so long after The Black Stallion was released another film was made that was about a boy's relationship with a creature from another planet. That film is widely considered a masterpiece and its director has gone to become the most successful director in film history. I think it is worth noting that both films were written by the same person. Melissa Mathison, who wrote both E.T. and The Black Stallion, has penned two great films about a boys love friendship with a non human creature. And after several viewings of both I'm beginning to think that Stallion may be the better of the two. I doubt that I have ever seen a more atmospheric and emotional movie that holds up so well after repeat viewings. And I must say the sparse dialog is probably my favorite thing about it. Little is said but much is felt and isn't the feeling what is most important? This film has a beautiful look to it, which may have something to do with the director, Carol Ballard's, experience as a cinematographer. The wonderful images and rich detail draw you into the film and say more than words ever could. Great performances by everyone in the cast also boost this movie to the next level. Is The Black Stallion better than E.T.? I cannot say but it certainly feels that way. If you want to see a movie that is pure feeling than you should see this one.

Beautiful, please see it for yourself...

[victoria333 · 10/10 · 8 January 2004]

First, please don't base your opinion on the last critic's remarks. You must see this movie and judge for yourself. I have been in love with this movie since I was 7 years old (1979) and I just watched it again for the first time in many years. I STILL love it!

It is one of my top ten movies of all time (Lawrence of Arabia being #1).

There isn't any bad acting. In fact, I think that Kelly Reno did a fine job as Alec...clever, introspective, and curious. Hoy Axton did a great job as his father, as well. Maybe I just connect with them because I had a similar relationship with my dad.

I challenge you to watch this film without nit-picking it to death, especially if you have an artistic soul. I thought it was lovingly directed with a lot of original camera shots (for 1979) and perfectly composed/matched music. Do you know there is an incredible length of time during this film where not one word is spoken? Nor, is it needed. Indeed, words would be sacrilege to the simple beauty of the growing friendship between boy and horse.



It's an exciting, heartwarming, beautiful, and moving tale...I can't wait to show it to my future children so I can share the magic.



*PS - make sure you turn up the bass in the beginning so you can hear the ship's heart - imagine being on that ship and hearing that all the time. It really helps set the tone and brings a conflicting sense of impending doom and comfort.

Beautiful beyond words

[steve-432 · 25 October 1999]

This movie is a feast for the eyes with an ending that has you on the edge of your seat. It is really two movies in one. The first movie is all about a boy and a horse shipwreaked on an island and how they learn to survive by helping each other. The second movie is about how Alex saves the horse and gives it a purpose in the world with the help of Mickey Rooney. The photography and story are very strong and help make this movie a visual delight with a minimum of dialog. Isn't that what movies are all about?

Heart-warming children's classic

[gcd70 · 7/10 · 25 March 2008]

Perennial children's classic will warm the hearts of the whole family. Any story about the bonding of man and beast is usually inspiring, even more is this simple tale of a young shipwrecked lad who owes his life to a wild black stallion who saved him from drowning. The boy frees the magnificent horse from tangled wreckage, thus repaying the debt, and then the two slowly learn to trust one another as they from a unique friendship.

Ballard directs with simplicity and warmth, and is especially effective in the early scenes which quickly capture our attention and our imaginations. Kelly Reno impresses as young Alec, the boy who makes a friend for life in "The Black". Behind him is a strong support cast including Teri Garr and Oscar nominated Mickey Rooney, but of course it is the powerful majestic beast that steals the limelight.

All technical credits are top notch with Robert Dalva's editing being nominated for an Academy Award. Carmine Coppolla's music is just perfect and Cleb Deschanel wields the camera with awesome effect. What a shame the picturesque scenery on the island wast not prolonged.

Success of "Stallion" is owed to the combination of the above talents and the beautifully weighted screenplay form Melissa Mathison ("E.T."), Jeanne Rosenberg and William D. Wittliff (from Walter Farley's novel).

Sunday, July 14, 1996 - Video

A stunning visual banquet. Should be on everyone's must-see list.

[CinemaDude · 10/10 · 27 December 2000]

For nearly the first hour, not more than a few pages of dialogue are spoken. Yet the camera is able to tell a complicated narrative as well as evoke powerful emotions with nothing but pure visuals. The scenes that establish the emotional relationship between the 10 year old protagonist and his equestrian soul-mate not only move the story along, but provide us with some of the most stunning visuals I have ever seen on film. It recalls the powerful visuals of films like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and NANOOK OF THE NORTH.

Then there is the mind-boggling riding stunts, if they are stunts that leaves one staring in wonder at what the young actor is doing right before our eyes. As far as I could tell, and it was the consensus of everyone who saw this film with me, there were no trick shots and no stunt doubles. The camera is too close and it is obvious that what we are seeing is real. Without giving much more than that away (because these sequences really need to unfold before you with no foreknowledge), it is enough to say that the first half of the film could stand alone as a complete work. Coupled with Carmine Coppola's exquisite score that matches every subtle turn of feeling with every scene, the picture is a joy to behold. A sequence with choreographed movement underwater is nothing short of an incredible ballet. How this film did not wind up on every one of those silly "top 100 films of all time" lists, I cannot fathom. How it did not win a multitude of Academy Awards is a mystery. Caleb Deschanel's cinematography is simply breathtaking.

The second half is no less a pleasure, but as the studios are wont to dictate, a story in the age of MTV and LETHAL WEAPON 16 cannot remain subtle and esoteric -- it can't be simply about the powerful bond between friends, boy and horse, man and boy....trust between creatures beyond words and definitions. So there is conflict, action and a race; the tension that makes for exciting storytelling, yet the rich emotional texture that is achieved even without these more mundane fixtures still dominate the work. And I must add, those more spiritual qualities surprisingly are not diminished by the action sequences but remain the dominant elements of the film's power-of-the-whole. And where there is dialogue, much to director Ballard's credit, it is kept sparse, it's not strained but is quite believable. Even Mikey Rooney, who could have been any director's worst nightmare, turns out a touching performance.

This is a film that marries every element perfectly -- from the music to the photography to the precision editing to an improbable performance from such a young actor. The loudest kudos must go to the young Kelly Reno who turns out a performance that rivets you from the first scene to the last with its power and simplicity.

This is not just a good film -- this is a masterpiece; it's what cinema is all about. And of course the only way to see it is in a theatre on a large theatre screen, NOT on a 19in TV set. Even DVD is more like a xerox copy compared to the definition that a 35mm print provides. If there is an art cinema near you, go to the director and plead with him/her to book this gem. Bring your kids or your nieces and nephews -- the younger generation needs to see what real film-making is all about. And powerful statements about trust and friendship and personal strength wouldn't hurt them either.

3 Guesses To The Identity Of "The Mystery Horse"

[strong-122-478885 · 6/10 · 8 February 2017]

Though the camera-work in "The Black Stallion" was often-times quite impressive. Indeed.... For the most part - I found myself frequently "riding the fence" when it came to my overall appreciation for this 1979 adventure picture about an ordinary boy and a magnificent horse.

I mean - When you really think about it - How can one really be taken in by this film's cinematic splendour when it becomes quite apparent that the only likable character in this picture was, of course, the horse? (which, by the way, wasn't black, at all - but, instead, a very deep, dark brown)

Set in the year 1946 - Yes. This film's attention to detail was certainly noteworthy, at times (with many of the latter scenes shot in Toronto) - But, unfortunately, its 2-hour running time turned into a major endurance test for me, where just about every scene seemed to be unnecessarily prolonged beyond the point of rational comprehensibility.

Much more than a children's movie...

[consubandon · 10/10 · 2 December 2004]

This film is offered as children's fare. That does not matter to me. It succeeds as an professionally presented film for adults.

I am in no position to bellyache about how little it resembles Walter Farley's children's book. I have read some of the book. The book does not interest me.

Neither does its set-up for whatever sequels interest me. They were, by most accounts, mediocre.

This film, "The Black Stallion", holds a great deal more for me than most other pictures.

The film is one of the most powerfully beautiful sets of moving images I have ever seen on screen conjoined with sumptuous music and gently mesmerizing performances. Its editing awards, cinematography awards, and the awards for its music all were well deserved.

From the wreckage of the "Drake" through the lengthy bonding of boy and horse on the island, through to their rescue, not a word is spoken. It is one of the longest, most intensely cast verbal negative spaces in film. Civilization is dispensed with, language is removed, layers of meaning are stripped; there is no intellectual comfort on which to fall back. Into that emptiness fall the sound of waves and wind and rain as though natural extensions of Carmine Coppola's exquisite score. The film's soundtrack is wonderfully uncomplicated and moving. The island sequences are visited by small groups of instruments in turn -- a harp here, primitive percussion there, minimal woodwinds; no brass intrudes for a long time -- in musical experiments of loneliness yielding to companionship that echo the tentative meetings of the boy and the horse.

Such negative spaces abound in "The Black Stallion", carved from the soundtrack (the roar and crush of sound in the midst of the final race sequence blur out into a blissful, quiet emptiness touched lightly by flute and brass), washed clean of visuals (for the bulk of one critical scene, horse and boy, the centers of attention, disappear, literally, and focus is on the tiniest details of ticking watch hands and empty sheets of translucent night rain), and opened at great lengths in the dialogue: Alec's mother responds to her son's plea with a tortured delay and Teri Garr, in remarkable performance, draws out her strangely active non-speech for many long seconds before her two-word reply closes this particular negative space with the thunderclap of a rushing locomotive and the thrust of a guitar as the soundtrack slams back in.

The final burst of joy from the island sequence's soundtrack is so magnificent, so full and compelling, it is odd to listen, carefully, to its hesitant introduction as the horse finally permits the boy to mount: small flicks at the harp joined by a reed or two before the tympani knock insistently to tell us something miraculous has happened.

And we need that wake up call: We have to come up for air. Our vantage point for Alec's first ride begins *under water*. We see only six legs and, then, much boiling and thrashing in a scene that is as intimate and anticipatory as only the best love scenes ever filmed. And this *is* a love scene, in every sense. The charging aerial streamings and broad panning shots that follow the boy and the horse and the forces of nature, the sand and ocean through which they tear, convey as deep a physicality as in any love scene.

This film, with its powerful sensory immersion, offers much about love and tenderness and touch and connectedness to an audience inclined to forget that most motive force in life comes through the union of dissimilar entities and the experience of sex is, at its fullest, not just about bodies conjoined: it's also about longing and belonging and trust and completion though union with one's chosen and preferred. "The Black Stallion", G rating and all, is one of the most powerfully sexy films ever made. It offers every amended glory possible in any sexual relationship that proceeds past involvement of 'the plumbing'.

In both illustration and disclosure of why this film means so much to me, I might as well mention I was 38 the last time I watched this movie, my first viewing of it in many years. The young lady with me had never heard of it. When, at its end, she turned to hot, liquid sunshine in my arms, weeping in amazement, not fully understanding why she'd been so moved, we began a romance that has refused easy definition ever since -- but I cannot imagine a stronger bond. The magic of this film perfectly mirrored the best possible feelings within us. A kid's movie? Sure, if you say so.

This is a wonderful film. It will not push or drag you. But watch -- and listen -- closely and let it take you where it can and it will amaze you.

beautiful but slow

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 9 September 2014]

It's 1946. Alec Ramsey (Kelly Reno) is traveling on a ship with his father. There is a wild Arabian stallion on board. The ship sinks and the boy becomes stranded on a desert island with the horse. He is eventually rescued and returned to his mother (Teri Garr) with the horse. When the horse runs away, trainer Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney) catches him. Together, they train him to race on the big tracks.

It takes a little too long to get going with a very slow start. The ship sinking is exciting and the island is beautiful. I think the island is actually a great place for the boy to speak. It would give him real personality. The music and the lack of dialog makes the movie beautiful to look at but it could have been more. With great writing, the boy could have delivered a compelling performance like 'Cast Away'. However he's never given the chance and the movie moves along slowly but beautifully. Considering the drama in the story, the movie really lacks tension. When they're off the island, the movie takes its time. It wants to be atmospheric and mythical. The second half never gets any of that. It feels tired and formulaic. The first half is a beauty but the second half is lacking.

Amazing movie

[goldenhawk40 · 10/10 · 29 April 2002]

I was so afraid to see this movie. The Black Stallion books defined my life until I was about 14 years old, if not longer (they have always continued in my memory). I read every single book that Mr. Farley wrote, most of them many times over, and I knew every character intimately - how they looked, how they talked, everything about them. And The Black - I know exactly how The Black looked and acted. So - when this movie was announced, 23 years ago, I refused to see it. I could not risk having all of my childhood memories shattered in the course of a 2 hour movie. But recently, in a discussion of favorite movies, a friend mentioned this movie as her favorite. Immediately, I was interested. So, nervously, I rented the movie, and settled in to watch it. My heart started pounding as the opening credits rolled - I was almost breathless waiting for it to start. All I can say is, now that I have seen it, I hate myself for waiting so long. Every detail of the book is captured perfectly, as if Mr. Copolla, Ms. Mathason, et al managed to film all of the images in my head and pour them onto the screen. The cinematography is astonishing, the score is beyond compare as to how well it fits with what is happening on screen. These are the technical details of the film - what is impossible to describe is just how closely this work captures the original book. There is no whiz-bang gadgetry, or special effects, although some young ones may find the shipwreck sequence to be frightening. It is a beautiful story, told masterfully.

Beautifully photographed and directed, but...

[vjohnson-4 · 6/10 · 5 April 2003]

Beautifully photographed and directed. Young Kelly Reno is a natural as the boy who befriends the "title character". Terri Garr is adequate as the mother...Mickey Rooney is excellent as the ex-jockey. Well worth seeing, but would be a better film if more tightly edited which would result in a film about 20 minutes shorter than what was released.

Beautiful cinematography can't save this film

[KobusAdAstra · 5/10 · 12 May 2014]

Beautiful cinematography can't save this film. The rather simplistic story unfolds as a young boy washes up on an island off the North African coast, after the ship on which he and his father were passengers sunk and the boy was thrown into the waves. Miracles abound. To name just one, when the boy wakes up on the beach after his ordeal he finds, right next to him in the shallow water, his pocket knife, blade already open. Highly unlikely, to put it mildly. By spoon-feeding the viewers with easy answers the film underestimates the intelligence of the movie loving public.

The characters are poorly develop, even that of the protagonist, young Alec Ramsey, played without distinction by Kelly Reno. Other actors are equally mediocre. The award for best 'actor' goes to the black stallion.

A large part of the first half of the film is taken up by vividly colored and picturesque sunsets, with the boy trying to befriend the horse, but after a while it just gets boring. The second half of the film builds up to the horse race, and for a change some real dialogue takes place. The ending is unfortunately rather predictable.

Undiscerning young kids may perhaps unconditionally enjoy the film, but many thinking youngsters will find it a bore, not to mention adults.

Beautiful

[AliquaSalix · 9/10 · 26 December 2004]

I watched this movie tonight for the first time in 15 years and was surprised to realize it could bring tears to my eyes after such a long time - grown up, adult tears. The TV copy was bad with a noisy soundtrack and cloudy images but the beauty of its cinematography seems to be stronger than time, amazingly new and powerful. The island scenes are pure poetry... so delicate is Carroll Ballard's way of catching the rising love between boy and horse - love shining out from innocence. Music is sublime, touching like the most poignant and fragile themes from Erik Satie's.

Many interpretations can be given to "The Black Stallion". To me -who saw it again after losing a friend in tragic circumstances- it is a beautiful and hopeful tale about death. Alec meets the Black -figure of death, wild and unpredictable- the night of his father's passing away and the world falls apart -the boat sinks into flames and cold water. The Black saves Alec, waking up then on a pale morning, alone on a lonely island made of black stone, translucent waters and white, dry sand. Then begins mutual taming between wild animal and young boy. How long will they observe each other, how long does it take for the Black to run gently besides Alec and for Alec to stand by the Black's tall silhouette? It feels like a few hours in this timeless land, but it could be a lifetime.

Then fear is gone, so are individuals - are they not one, running in suspended waters between sky and dust? Desire exists no longer... what do they want, but each other? If the horse is Death then Death is a friend, Death is peace and love and the abolition of time. And dreams are real just like the Black is real against Alec's hands, while in Alec's hands is clutched the unmoving and lifeless figure of a black horse given by his father on the night of his death.

Suddenly comes back the world of men, and horse and boy return to Life, witch is limits and rules and time. Yet when death has been tamed and accepted, frontiers don't matter anymore, and Alec makes peacefully his way into the world, growing along with the beautiful friendship connecting him to his horse. Together, horse and boy, they will prove that boundaries can be broken between man and animal, between dreams and reality.

Moving.

A beautiful film about solitude, interdependence, survival, and achievement.

[Invariable Self · 9/10 · 2 September 2000]

The first thing that strikes you when you see "The Black Stallion" is its cinematography. However the vivid colours are only the doorway into the film. It is important to remember that the title is not "The Stallion" but "The Black Stallion". It is the title's first announcement of bold colour and the connotations of power in "Stallion" that introduce a richness of dichotomies. There is the black horse and the white boy (would the film really have been the same with the ubiquitous white horse?). There is the contrast between the horse's power and the boy's frailty. The scenes on the island and the scenes in the city. Indeed, the film's running time is almost split down the middle between this last contrast. There is also the contrast between the boy and the old man he befriends, and many others. But most importantly, there is the contrast between solitude and companionship. There are a lot of lonely characters in this film. Everyone from the horse to the boy, to the trainer to the boy's mother seem to be trying to struggle through life on their own. It is this quest to deal with loneliness that is the film's most profound achievement. It is not so much a condemnation of solitude as an analysis between its benefits compared to the benefits of companionship. Whether or not "The Black Stallion" answers these questions is something the viewer will have to decide for themselves. I believe the film asks more questions than it answers. Although some may find the film's ending a bit too predictable and sacharine tasting, the overall effect of the film's beauty and its questions concerning solitude and survival, erase any minor faults the movie may contain. Part "Androcles and the Lion" and part "National Velvet", "The Black Stallion" is more than a childrens' movie. It brings together the "blackness" (as in the black void of space) of loneliness with the stallion's individual power to show how all of us are alone in a fundamental way but that we also have an ability within us to not only survive but draw great things from it. We can fulfill through our particular skills and abilities the necessary requirement of helping each other without losing the strength we receive from our individual independence and uniqueness.

This classic movie holds up, even 20 years later

[Lori S · 15 September 1999]

I re-viewed the movie, on video, after not having seen it for many years. The cinematography is fantastic, and I believe it won an Oscar - and deservedly so. The lovely score fills in a script of few words. Even Mickey Rooney, who's had his ups and downs in his acting career, gives a wonderful performance as the former jockey who trains Alec. Treat your kids to a showing of this great film, then give them the book to read...

Pretty Pictures

[kenjha · 6/10 · 5 September 2008]

The classic story of a boy and his horse is beautifully filmed, featuring nice scenes of the boy and the horse frolicking on a deserted island. In the first half of this film, there's hardly any dialog. Yes, film is a visual medium, but looking at pretty pictures can become boring after a while. There's no character development and once the action moves to civilization, it becomes the standard "National Velvet" type of clichéd story, complete with Rooney doing a variation of his role in the earlier film. Ballard's tendency for lingering shots makes this extremely slow-moving. The horse gives a good performance, although, curiously, it is dark brown, not black.

Mesmerizing

[jereco · 10/10 · 10 August 2003]

It is RARE that an adult film maker can truly make a film through a child's eyes. Carroll Ballard does it exquisitely in "The Black Stallion." I read the book as a child and loved it. As an adult, my view point has shifted and the book no longer holds much interest for me. The film amazingly re-captured the awe I felt as a child - no small feat, considering what a jaded old thing I've become... Repeat viewings retain the magic. Bravo.

The Mystery Horse

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 7 February 2018]

The Black Stallion is one of those boy and a horse stories that Hollywood used to make a lot of. Fittingly it's set in the more innocent times of 1946. In many ways it's a souped up version of the old television series Fury. Also the story of a Black Stallion and the boy who loved him.

Young Kelly Reno and his father Hoyt Axton are on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea when it goes down with all hands save for Reno and a black horse. Both make it to an island and it's on that island which takes up about a quarter of the film running time where the two bond. Little dialog if any, but some beautiful music showing the kid spearing for fish to survive and the horse running magnificently on the beach.

When they make it back to the States young Reno and The Black Stallion have the good fortune to run into Mickey Rooney former jockey and horse trainer and that itself is a tale I won't tell. Rooney tells him though the horse has speed he has no pedigree, no papers from the Thoroughbred Racing Association. Still Rooney as always is resourceful and the two do find a way to make The Black Stallion a cash cow.

The Black Stallion afforded Mickey Rooney a last chance at some Oscar recognition with a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. No longer the fresh kid of his salad days Rooney is now a bald wizened old man who is touching as the former racetrack denizen who reaches for glory one more time. He, Reno and the horse have some wonderful scenes together.

The Black Stallion, a wonderful family film that still holds up well after almost 40 years.

a long and delightful movie for the entire family

[haynous · 10/10 · 3 October 2005]

The best way to describe this film is that the producers and director took the time to do it right. They avoid too many side plots which detract from the main story: a boy and his horse. The only exception is the redemptive power of Black in the life of Henry, played by Roony.

Many of the most exquisite portions of the film are those with no dialog at all. The camera work and cinematography are fantastic. The audience is absolutely pulled into the events as the movie flows along.

A word of caution - watch the movie with patience. They don't rush through the telling of this story. In fact, it often seems that silence, time and emptiness have been cast. The mixture is magical.

Kelly Reno - who seems to have never played another significant role in his career - is superb. It is our loss that he was never cast for more roles.

Roony, too, is wonderful. He is so natural he seems to be playing himself. A class act all the way.

Noted For Its Cinematography

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 22 June 2015]

While traveling with his father (Hoyt Axton), young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion who is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a desert island.

This film is noted for its beautiful cinematography. Indeed, some of the scenes have no words at all and rely on the horse and the island to tell the tale. And whether it is a good tale or not, it is a good-looking one.

Unfortunately, I watched it on the DVD from MGM, which only hints at the bright and brilliant colors. My assumption is the new Criterion disc will take the negative and give it the quality it deserves. If so, I would be more than happy to give the picture an extra star.

Pure and Powerful Magic

[gsmishka · 9/10 · 25 August 2006]

Some people may view this movie as a simple 'horse and boy' adventure film for children but I think it is much more than that. This film can easily be appreciated by adults and sensitive children on a more subtle and metaphorical level (and if anyone misses this point, one of the supporting characters helpfully spells it out about three-quarters of the way through the film!) One reviewer here compares 'The Black' with Death. I have to disagree with this interesting but flawed analysis which is due in part perhaps to the colour of the horse. To me, 'The Black' is not Death but Fate. Capricious, unknowable, unexpected and impossible to control, 'The Black' is all of these things - as is Life. He may be many things to many people, but he is not an indiscriminate destroyer. To Alec, the horse becomes protector and guardian although 'The Black' is capable of great destruction should he wish it. Alec suffers a huge loss, but it is the chance gift of this mysterious horse that points the way back to Life for him rather than to a descent into despair and Death.

The magical horse crosses Alec's path and the boy's life is changed forever. The life he has known (one imagines a familiar childhood of imposed order) is literally swept away and the boy finds himself in an isolated, uncompromising, yet very beautiful wilderness. Seeing the wonderful and unusual treatment this movie was given by Carroll Ballard and his team and the captivating first hour (which is an almost silent ballet), we can also see 'The Black' (and those wonderful Sardinian locations masquerading as a small island) as Nature personified.

At first the horse appears and disappears without explanation. He both requires Alec's help and saves the boy's life (something of a metaphor for the interdependence between man and nature right there of itself). Is the horse a friend or a threat? Alec could choose to destroy 'The Black' to survive for a while, but decides on a different path - a decision that transforms both his own life and ripples out to transform the lives of many others around him. Yet Alec never tames the horse - 'The Black' allows a trust to develop between himself and the boy. The horse allows himself to be touched, to be ridden and to be trusted. One wonders if only a child could have made that leap of faith. There is almost a sense that the two of them, horse and boy, left together for what we suppose to be several weeks, become a kind of single entity, dependent upon each other for both companionship and survival in a timeless world of primal beauty.

I cannot think of anything I have ever seen either in real life or in the imagined world of cinema that has been so effective at presenting an idealised and poetic vision of the interaction of Man with Nature as the first hour of this film.

Alec's return to our so-called 'civilisation' is sudden and almost painful. We a torn away from a world of magical sunsets, turquoise seas and white sand beaches and are cast down into the mundane and the ordinary. The boy's spirit is once more constrained by a world of routine and by the will of others, but his path is not to be consigned to that forgotten domesticity. Fate has touched him, and the boy's destiny lies elsewhere. Alec is keeping an elemental Nature Spirit in his suburban backyard and it cannot and will not be contained. The boy's destiny awaits him and Fate will take Alec far from these confined surroundings and on to greatness whether he wills it or not.

I first saw this movie when I was nine years old and it worked its way immediately and irrevocably into my psyche as you can probably tell. It continues to be a very powerful work of art - as magical to me now as it was to that nine-year-old boy who spent a magical two hours in that movie theatre all those years ago.

Greg

National Velvet with better special effects

[HotToastyRag · 6/10 · 16 November 2019]

If you don't already know the story, you'll be surprised by the variety of different sections in the film The Black Stallion. At first it takes place on an ocean liner, and a little boy, Kelly Reno, admires a horse while his father partakes in a high stakes poker game. There's a shipwreck and the boat sinks, but miraculously, Kelly and the large black stallion wind up washed ashore on a desert island. The next section is Cast Away-esque, with the boy trying to survive on the island and adjusting to his solitary life by making friends with the wild animal. When the boy gets rescued, the horse actually swims after him, refusing to be parted from him.

Even though that story would have been entertaining enough to make up the entire movie, that's only half of it. Once back at home with his mother, Teri Garr, Kelly gets it into his head that his horse is fast and could win a race if he was entered. He seeks out an old horse trainer, melts his gruff exterior, and talks him into training the black stallion and teaching him how to be a jockey. Who plays the crusty old trainer? After playing a jockey in both Thoroughbreds Don't Cry and Stablemates, as well as a former jockey and trainer in National Velvet, Mickey Rooney gets the "and" in the credits in The Black Stallion as the horse's knowledgeable trainer. Mickey adds class and realism to the film, and the best scenes are when he's imparting his wisdom to Kelly about how to ride and what to expect at the race. When he joins the other jockeys and trainers in the locker room for the weighing in, the audience can't help but remember he's done it before in his other movies. Even the names are similar: in Thoroughbreds Don't Cry, the horse was named The Pookah, in National Velvet was named The Pie, and in The Black Stallion, he was The Black. Your imagination won't have to be stretched a bit to see Mickey in this movie.

If you're a horse or horse racing lover, you'll want to rent this one. I was sticking with it for Mickey Rooney, and I found the first half of the film to be a bit boring because he hadn't arrived yet. Kelly is really sweet and has a cute relationship with his horse, but keep in mind that this movie was made in 1979. Movies in the 1970s took their time with things. Yes, it's similar to National Velvet, but with better special effects, but it isn't as fast paced as if it were made today.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie will not be your friend. During the shipwreck scene, the camera tilts, and during many of the horse's scenes, the camera moves rapidly and in unexpected directions to keep him in the frame, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Not what it should have been

[waybourne · 4/10 · 21 January 2001]

When I first watched this movie as a ten-year old, I liked it. I went to the library and got the book.

The book is only about 40 times better than the movie. I know this is often the case with books made into movies, but usually you like the one you see first.

The story was completely changed. Some strange spiritual little horse statue was added, a greedy relative, and many of the characters were changed. The best aspects of the book were left out, and I won't watch the movie anymore. I still love the book even though it's been almost ten years since I first read it.