Not many movies could affect me in such way (hint: weeping and blobbering) such as The Black Stallion. It has been 20 years since I watched this beautiful piece of film and I regard it as one of my personal favorite movie of all time. This film, holds a great deal more for me than most any pictures. I wish that people would also regard this as a great and beautiful movie.
While traveling with his father (Hoyt Axton) on a cruise ship, Alec Ramsey (Kelly Reno) becomes fascinated by a black Arabian stallion that is brought aboard and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When the ship tragically sinks and Alec lost his father, both he and the horse survives only to be stranded on a deserted island. Alec befriends the horse, so when they finally rescued, both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney), once a successful horse trainer. Together they begin training The Black to race against the fastest horses in the world.
The Black Stallion is possibly the most overlooked, and underrated movie of recent times. I can't help but get emotional over this one. The movie unfolds like a song; boy with his dad...boy on desert island with beautiful black horse...boy and horse back in hometown...boy and horse try racing... 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. The movie lets the images tell the story, no need for narration or long drawn out dialogue. The scene where Alec and Black are racing, made my heart thumping along...and I cried during the flashback. I did mention the minor error, which always bothers me whenever I watched this movie. This movie is set in the 40s, but there are several scenes where I could see people walking around with modern clothes like jeans and modern hairdos. But I'm willing to forget that minor error because I really like this movie. Memorable scenes are when Alec begs his mother to race, and the race itself. Personally, a tear-jerker.
The actors in this movie have done a wonderful job, especially Terri Garr as Alec's mother and Mickey Rourke as Henry Dailey. But the most natural and heart wrenching performance is from Kelly Reno as Alec. He gave a brave and beliaveble performance in this movie, I cannot believe that he didn't get nominated for Oscar. But for consolation, Mickey Rourke was nominated for Oscar for this movie. 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. 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. Even though there is not much dialogue at all, it really doesn't need it. 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.
reygreena March 9, 2006 12:43 AM PST on the contrary, there are so many movies that can make me cry even they are as "funky" as the bollywood ones apalagi yang bener-bener serious kaya ini :) huehehe...
Due to my hectic schedule, I will not be able to review all new movies every week. I apologize. I will however review some older movies from DVDs from time to time. Thank you for understanding.
Salute, -HoneyBee-
Welcome to my humble weblog, a place to quench your addiction of movies. Enjoy your stay. Sometimes it's okay to be addicted to movies. PS: Beware of my brash review and language. I have a crazy obsessive compulsive behavior of watching movies. I called it being passionate. LOL. Grab some popcorn, and have a nice day! By the way, you can click the boxes at each reviews to watch the movie trailers. Enjoy!
Not many movies could affect me in such way (hint: weeping and blobbering) such as The Black Stallion. It has been 20 years since I watched this beautiful piece of film and I regard it as one of my personal favorite movie of all time. This film, holds a great deal more for me than most any pictures. I wish that people would also regard this as a great and beautiful movie.
