The Black Stallion (film)
| The Black Stallion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Carroll Ballard |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | The Black Stallion 1941 novel by Walter Farley |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Caleb Deschanel |
| Edited by | Robert Dalva |
| Music by | Carmine Coppola |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.7 million |
| Box office | $37.8 million[1] |
The Black Stallion is a 1979 American adventure film based on the 1941 classic children's novel of the same name by Walter Farley. The film starts in 1946, five years after the book was published. It tells the story of Alec Ramsey, a boy who is shipwrecked on a deserted island with a wild Arabian stallion that he befriends. After being rescued, they are set on entering a race challenging two champion horses.
The film is adapted by Melissa Mathison, Jeanne Rosenberg, and William D. Wittliff. It was directed by Carroll Ballard and stars Kelly Reno in his film debut, Teri Garr, Hoyt Axton, Michael Higgins and Mickey Rooney with the Arabian horse Cass Ole playing the eponymous Black Stallion. The film features music by Carmine Coppola, the father of Hollywood producer Francis Ford Coppola, who is credited as executive producer.
In 2002, The Black Stallion was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[2][3]
Plot
In 1946, Alec Ramsey is travelling by steamer off the coast of North Africa, where he sees a wild black stallion being forced onto the boat. Captivated, Alec sneaks to the horse's stall to feed him some sugar cubes, but he is caught by the horse's supposed owner, who tells him in Arabic to stay away from Shetan.
Later, his father shows Alec his winnings from a card game and gives him a pocket knife and a small statue of Bucephalus, telling the story of how Alexander the Great became Bucephalus's master. Later that night, Alec is thrown out of his bunk during a storm. The ship is engulfed in flames and is sinking. In the chaos, Alec makes his way to the black stallion and frees him. The horse then jumps into the sea. Alec is thrown overboard by the waves and grabs the ropes of the stallion's restraints just as the ship explodes, rendering him unconscious.
Alec wakes on the shore of a deserted island and starts to explore. He finds the stallion caught in his restraints. With his knife, Alec frees the stallion again. As Alec suddenly faces a cobra, The Black kills the snake, only to run off.
Alec decides to get closer to the horse and offers him some seaweed. The hungry stallion finds himself unable to resist, and the two become inseparable. After many failed attempts, Alec rides the stallion, and they travel the beaches, united as one. One day, a fishing ship arrives, rescuing the two.
Back in America, Alec is given a hero's welcome. The Black has a temporary home in his back yard, but a garbage man startles the horse, who races off. The next day, Alec finds the stallion in the barn of Henry Dailey, a retired racehorse jockey. Alec arranges for The Black to stay at the barn.
When Alec wonders how fast the horse is, he and Henry decide to train The Black for the racetrack, while Henry teaches Alec how to be a jockey. The Black surprises Henry with his speed. Henry starts planning to get The Black into a match race between the country's current two champions. To do that, he sets up a secret demonstration at night where a prominent reporter can witness his speed. The news spreads about the mystery horse and The Black is entered into the race.
Before the horses enter the starting gate, The Black gets into a fight with one of his opponents, wounding his leg. Alec does not see the injury until he is in the gate. As he begins to dismount, the bell rings and the horses take off. Alec desperately stays on his horse while trying to stop him. He falls far behind, but The Black will not stop. Alec starts urging him to run, and The Black catches his opponents to win.
Cast
- Kelly Reno as Alec Ramsay
- Mickey Rooney as Henry Dailey
- Teri Garr as Mrs. Ramsay, Alec's Mother
- Hoyt Axton as Mr. Ramsay, Alec's Father
- Clarence Muse as Snoe
- Michael Higgins as Jim Neville
- Ed McNamara as Jake
- Larbi Doghmi as Arab
- John Burton as Jockey #1
- John Buchanan as Jockey #2
- Kristen Vigard as Becky
- Fausto Tozzi as Rescue Captain
- John Karlsen as Archeologist
- Leopoldo Trieste as Priest
- Frank Cousins as African Chieftain
- Don Hudson as Zaurog
- Marne Maitland as Drake Captain
- Tom Dahlgren as The Veterinarian
Horses
Cass Ole, a champion Arabian stallion, was featured in most of the movie's scenes, with Fae Jur, another black Arabian stallion, being his main double. Fae Jur's main scene is the one where Alec is trying to gain the trust of The Black on the beach. Two other stunt doubles were used for running, fighting, and swimming scenes.
El Mokhtar, an Egyptian Arabian racehorse, was the producers' first choice to portray The Black, but they were unable to secure his services for the film from his owners, who declined any offers. He does appear in The Black Stallion Returns, alongside Cass Ole, by which time the studio bought out the syndicate of owners to secure El Mokhtar's services.
Napoleon was portrayed by Junior, that previously appeared in
Reception
The film was positively received by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 90% approval rating based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10.[5]
Awards and honors
Academy Awards
The film received two nominations for the Academy Awards:
- Mickey Rooney was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
- Robert Dalva was nominated for Best Film Editing.
In addition,
Golden Globe Awards
Carmine Coppola was nominated for Best Original Score at the Golden Globe Awards. He later won the award in this category for his score of Apocalypse Now.
British Academy Awards
Caleb Deschanel was nominated for Best Cinematography by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards.
LA Film Critics Awards
The film received two awards from the
Others
The film also won the
award for Best Cinematography.In 2002, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[3]
Also, the film is recognized by American Film Institute:
- 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – #64[6]
Music
In August 2009, Intrada Records released a three-disc special edition of the soundtrack containing the entire score from the film plus bonus material, including unused cues and alternate takes of some tracks as well as a restored re-issue of the original 1979 soundtrack album. This release was limited to 1,500 units.[7]
Home media
The film was released on
Legacy
The film was followed in 1983 by a sequel,
See also
References
- ^ "The Black Stallion, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
- ^ a b Cannady, Sheryl (2002-12-17). "Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2017-02-04.
- ^ "Junior". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2011-02-02.
- ^ "The Black Stallion". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers" (PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
- ^ "The Black Stallion Soundtrack (1979)". Soundtrack.net. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "The Black Stallion". The Criterion Collection. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- Further reading
- The Black Stallion essay by Keith Phipps at National Film Registry. [1]
- The Black Stallion essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 ISBN 0826429777, pages 758-759 [2]
- The Black Stallion: Nirvana on Horseback an essay by Criterion Collection
External links
- Official website
- The Black Stallion at IMDb
- The Black Stallion at AllMovie
- The Black Stallion at the TCM Movie Database
- The Black Stallion at the American Film Institute Catalog
- The Black Stallion at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Black Stallion at Box Office Mojo
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