The Black Stallion

Rating:
Summary: The Best Horse Ever
Review: 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. I also love Alec Ramsey.

Rating:
Summary: One word will do: magnificent
Review: What a beautiful motion picture this is. Not only it is gorgeously photographed, it is quite simply breathtaking in many respects. Though many people will feel the film is too slowly paced, it's never plodding, just leisurely. The opening boat sequence is directed and photographed so perfectly that it boggles the mind. Those who think that James Cameron's special effects during the sinking of "Titanic" are anything special need to see the boat sink in this piece. There's no comparison.

There is a 45 minute sequence on the island with Kelly Reno and the stallion. This is only portion of the film which does lag just a trifle. There's no dialogue and the tender love that grows between boy and horse is very deliberately filmed. It does seem improbable that the boy could survive alone on the island with only a pocket knife, but you have to just accept the dubious and revel in the lush photography and understated elegance.

Ther performances are uniformly superb. Kelly Reno is excellent as the boy, but the film ultimately belongs to Mickey Rooney, a naturally charasmatic and gifted actor who never appears to be acting. He steals the film because he's always brilliant and his character is enigmatic and made interesting because Rooney is playing him. Terri Garr, as the boy's mother, is not especially memorable or interesting. Imagine Meryl Streep in this role instead.

The climactic race scene at the conclusion always leaves me in tears. This is a cinematic jewel, a truly beautiful and outstanding movie. People of all ages should love this film, it bridges the generation gap perfectly.

Rating:
Summary: A horse lover
Review: 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. I grew up reading the Black Stallion series and I can't believe the people whose reviews complain about the movie not following the book. Who cares! This is one of the most beautifully filmed movies I've ever seen. It's a masterpiece. How can you complain about that? The story is timeless and this movie is a classic. I'd love to see it 10 more times on the big screen. Someone in Hollywood should get smart and make more movies like this.

Rating:
Summary: A Timeless "Horse" movie - for all ages
Review: Growing up, I was a genuine horse-freak, and considered myself a connoisseur of all-things-horse, especially movies. The Black Stallion has always been one of my favorites.

Of course, it doesn't hurt any movie to be executive-produced by Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather I,II,III). But what really shines through in this film is the stunning cinematography and camera work, and the acting by Cass Ole ("The Black"), Kelly Reno (Alec) and of course, Mickey Rooney, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

This film really captures the mood and feeling of the first "Black Stallion" book. There is virtually no dialogue for a good portion of the film, and it is not missed. The on-screen relationship between Alec and The Black is one that could not be expressed in words under any circumstances.

When I first received this DVD, I put it in to watch it with my father on Christmas night a few years ago. During the island scenes between Alec and The Black, I stifled tears; the scenes - the photography is that stunning.

I was enthralled by this movie as a 13-year-old girl with a passion for horses, and I feel the same way as a 36-year-old.

Buy this DVD for your children, or buy this DVD for you, but buy this DVD. It will quickly become a favorite!

Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Film!!
Review: Filmed in 1979, this movie persists and survives the test of time. It is the classic story of a boy's love for his horse, a magnificent Arabian stallion. They are cast adrift together following a shipwreck, and the boy (played by Kelly Reno) and the wild stallion share a chapter of survival on a desolate island. This is one of the best parts of the film.

After their resuce, Alec and the stallion join forces with an ex-trainer who is irascible (Mickey Rooney), and soon they all find thesmelves in a match race with the greatest thoroughbred of the day. This is more than a child's story, and it's a stunning and exciting movie experience. I'd give it a ten if I could.!!!

Rating:
Summary: Good movie, but with some gaps. . .
Review: I liked this film, but I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't read the book first. The Black, played by Cass-Ole, was magnificent, and the island scenes were spectacular. The race scene at the end was good, too. However, I don't like the fact that Alec's father died, when in the books, he's alive throught the entire series. Alec was also a little bit older in the original story, which would have made some parts of this film a little more effective.
In the scene were Alec and the Black are rescued from the island, there's some things in this segment that that don't make sense unless you read the book. For example, when the Black is being hauled up in the sling, it's kind of bizarre that a wild stallion submits willingly to being lifted up out of the water by a band around his stomach - he literally just dangles there, to the point where it doesn't seem either real or believeable. In the book, he puts up quite a fight. And the boat doesn't look very big -- how do they make room for the Black if the boat wasn't intended for carrying livestock? Also, how does Alec manage to get through customs with the Black when he has no way to prove ownership? The scenes simply cut from the Black being hoisted up on the ship to Alec's homecoming.
Notice, too, that Alec's mother immediately lets Alec keep the Black in their backyard, without any discussion of how they're going to be able to care for him. A horse is not like a dog or cat -- they're expensive animals to care for, and a decision to keep one shouldn't be taken lightly.
I would call this an OK film, but not one that I'm terribly excited to see again. It was Cass-Ole who really made the film halfway enjoyable. It was a good story, but I felt that it could have been better.

Rating:
Summary: Sheer Beauty!!!
Review: The Black Stallion is one of the few movies that children, and adults alike, will be watching for years to come. It's sheer beauty and thrilling plot are timeless! Alec Ramsey is on a ship with his father when he sees a beautiful black stallion is on board as well. Tragity strikes, and the ship is sinking. Alec frees the horse from his stall so he can save him. In return the stallion drags Alec to a desert island where they form a strong bond. A group of fisherman happen upon them and Alec finally gets to go home to his mother, and he gets to keep The Black in his back yard. One morning The Black escapes and finds his way into the hands of a retired jocky named Henry, who helps to train The Black and Alec to race. I will not give away the ending for the few people who may not have seen this masterpiece, but if you haven't seen it you really should. It's not just for children or horse lovers, The Black Stallion is a classic and worth watching!

Rating:
Summary: Proof that you do not need alot of dialogue to tell a story!
Review: I first saw this movie in the theatre when I was in the 8th grade and have just viewed at again with my 7 year old daughter. I loved it then and I love it even more now.

The direction of this film is wonderful. The story is told more by what is not said than what is said. Dialogue is used only when needed.

Kelly Reno as Alec and Mickey Rooney as Henry are superb. The Black is the most magnifecent horse I have ever seen.

The island scenes are breathtaking. I especially like when The Black and Alec are in the water and it appears that they are dancing.

Your heart will beat with excitement when you witness "The race of the century" at the end of the film. You will feel like you are riding with Alec and The Black.

A wonderful film for all.

Rating:
Summary: A boy and his horse
Review: Like "Fly Away Home," this movie isn't for audiences impatient with a slow pace: except for the shipwreck and the climactic race scene, most of it moves along in an almost leisirely fashion. And as has been mentioned, it makes the character of Alec Ramsey much younger than he was in the original book. Homeward bound on an ocean liner with his father from an unspecified journey in 1946, he is entranced by a fighting black stallion being carried aboard the ship by a group of Arabs. When the liner is wrecked, he helps the horse escape its stall, then grabs hold of its trailing ties to save himself in the churning waters. He awakens on a rocky island, where he soon finds that his only company is the horse. After "the Black" kills a cobra menacing him, the two become friends and playmates: soon Alec is riding bareback down the beach by day, pillowing his head on the horse's side by night. Rescued by Portuguese fishermen and returned to the US, they fall in with former race trainer Henry Dailey, who confirms the Black's true speed, arranges for a racing columnist to see him in action, and prepares them to take part in a three-way match race with the country's two greatest racers.

Reno's biography gives his age as 13 at the time of release, but he looks closer to 10. The child of ranchers, he had been riding most of his life, and almost certainly did all his own horseback sequences (definitely the bareback ones on the island, which were probably the hardest). (IMDB lists the chief trainer as Bud Reno, possibly his father or older brother.) There's an almost mystical quality to the island sequences, and several memorable scenes, including Alec's father playing poker with a motley group of passengers (who put down stakes as strangely assorted as themselves), the Black's infuriated response to the incursion of a garbage collector on the Ramsey back yard where he's been temporarily lodged, his frantic gallop through the streets of the commercial district, and, of course, the racing scenes--from Belmont during a pouring nighttime rain, when the Black is invisible and your only hint of his presence is the distant rhythm of his hooves, to Santa Anita during the match race. The music might have been more majestic (I can't help wondering what Goldsmith would have done with it), and the pace isn't for everyone. But as a movie about "solitude, interdependence, survival, and achievement," as an IMDB.com reviewer expresses it, it's definitely a classic.

Rating:
Summary: The best fictional horse ever!
Review: Ever since I first saw the Black Stallion movie, I've been facinated by horses. I'd say that's the reason why I started working with horses in the first place! The movie is simply beautiful. Ok, it's not exactly the same as the book but it doesn't matter! The horse (Cass Ole) is gorgeous, the island is increadible and the acting is terrific. Who could ask for more? This is the horse movie of horse movies!