Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

bkoganbing 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.

gavin6942 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.

Blueghost One of the great geniuses of the cinema, Carroll Ballard, bring us a story about a boy and a horse. Big deal, you say. There's lots of stories and movies about horses, and the people who love them. But here we have an intimate tale of two living beings bonding with one another. Both are innocent, and come to terms with one another on a deep soulful level.Any human who's ever cared for another living creature and has experienced the joy of unconditional love from that creature, will be moved and relive those days. The incredible shot setups from Ballard energize the film with tenderness and a level of intimacy that is very difficult to catch on visual medium. But here we are given glimpses and gazes of a friendship between two very different souls by Ballard. His cinematography, in my opinion, is unsurpassed by any contemporary. Ballard shows us the development of the relationship between boy and horse, and makes us feel as if we are witnessing something special, which we are. Each shot is almost voyeuristic, as if we're seeing something that most people don't ever get to see, and should feel privileged upon witnessing it.The second half of the film is a bit more prosaic, but we're still witnessing the tale of adventure and friendship, as the two face challenges of the real world, and how they ultimately overcome obstacles presented by that very same world.I wish I had more to say, but the film speaks for itself. It is predominantly a "children's film", so to speak, but incredibly high caliber of film making that Carroll Ballard brings to every project he lays hands to, elevates the genre from a wink-and-a-nod G-Rated kids' film, to a movie that's truly meant for all "General Audiences" of all ages.It is superbly crafted and executed by one of the all time great cinematographers of our time.Do not miss this one with your young ones.

classicsoncall When I was about eight years old in the third grade of parochial school, our teacher walked the entire class down to the local library about a block away. It was my first time at the library, and the first time I ever took out a book. This was going to be an important decision and I took my time. The one that finally caught my eye was 'The Black Stallion' by Walter Farley. I loved that book so much I wound up taking out additional ones in the series - 'The Black Stallion's Blood Bay Colt' and 'The Island Stallion's Fury' are a couple I remember. The sequels didn't hold up for me like the original, which made enough of an impression that I still remember it some fifty years later.So it took fifty years more to see the movie; actually only a little over thirty since the film came out in 1979. If the picture doesn't exactly follow the novel, I can't say, but what I DO remember having read is beautifully translated to the screen under Francis Ford Coppola's direction. I watched the picture with my daughter and granddaughter, who sat transfixed to the screen. Not an easy feat for a two year old, but she made it through the entire story.The entire first half of the movie is presented with virtually no dialog. Once shipwrecked on the island, the film focuses on the bonding relationship between Alec (Kelly Reno) and the Black, wonderfully photographed amid ocean waves and stark desert shores. The breakthrough moment occurs when the Black accepts Alec as his rider and friend, and one can't help but feel inspired by the relationship forged between both.Interestingly, Mickey Rooney, who portrays trainer Henry Dailey, appeared in a similar role some thirty five years earlier in 1944's "National Velvet". Both pictures follow similar themes with their young heroes, who love horses and yearn for a chance to prove their abilities in a race of consequence. Although the outcomes are somewhat different, both stories provide the kind of pleasure and excitement that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Just ask a two year old.