Review of Black Stallion, The

Introduction

Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, this film is based on the book of the same name by Walter Farley.

This is the story of a horse and his boy.

Alec Ramsey is on a ship with his professional gambler father. Whilst wandering the decks he sees a black stallion being roughly manhandled by his Arab trainers and forced back into his stable. Determined to make friends he steals some sugar lumps giving them to the horse.

That night his father gives him a model horse won in a poker game. The horse he believes is Bucephalus, the legendary horse that only Alexander the Great could ride.

Later that night the ship catches fire and starts to sink. Separated from his father Alec falls overboard and is saved by the black stallion.

Carried to a desert island by `The Black` he tames the horse and is able to ride him. When Alec is rescued he will not leave the stallion behind.

Video

Made in 1979 the film has suffered relatively little print damage and the anamorphic transfer is reasonable.

Locations in Canada and Sardinia are well used, particularly Sardinia that doubles as a deserted island where Alec learns to eat seaweed and bonds with the horse. Beautiful sunsets and deserted beaches will have you reaching for the travel brochures.

The climactic horse race is the most exciting I`ve seen with real tension and drama and a profound sense of being right in there with the horses.

Audio

The film is presented in Dolby digital. There is not a huge amount of dialogue and non at all on the desert island. However the gorgeous haunting soundtrack by Carmine Coppola sets up many moods for different scenes.

Features

No extras apart from a trailer. As an Imax sequel is due out in September (in the States) it would seem logical to trail that and the first sequel.

Conclusion

Definitely one for the horse lovers in the family this film is beautifully shot. The plot is fairly straightforward to follow and the only disturbing scene for younger children is the storm sequence where the ship sinks. All the humans with the exception of Kelly Reno, who plays the young boy Alec, take second place to the fantastic Arabian horse of the title.

Overly long and indulgent of location in places the film`s final sequences are excellent examples of precision filmmaking. A Saturday afternoon treat.