Miracle of the White Stallions (1963)

In WWII Austria, Col. Alois Podhajsky must protect his beloved Lipizzaner stallions and make sure that they are surrendered into the right hands. But Patton's something of a horse fancier ... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

AJ Carothers, Alois Podhajsky (book)

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Lilli Palmer, Curd Jürgens

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Taylor	...	Col. Podhajsky
Lilli Palmer	...	Vedena Podhajsky
Curd Jürgens	...	Gen. Tellheim (as Curt Jurgens)
Eddie Albert	...	Rider Otto
James Franciscus	...	Maj. Hoffman
John Larch	...	General George S. Patton, Jr.
Brigitte Horney	...	Countess Arco-Valley
Philip Abbott	...	Col. Reed
Charles Regnier	...	Gen. Stryker
Erik Schumann	...	Capt. Ranhoff
Douglas Fowley	...	Lt. General Walton H. Walker
Philo Hauser	...	Dispatcher
Max Haufler	...	Engineer
Michael Janisch	...	Refugee Leader
Fritz Wepper	...	Rider Hans

Storyline

In WWII Austria, Col. Alois Podhajsky must protect his beloved Lipizzaner stallions and make sure that they are surrendered into the right hands. But Patton's something of a horse fancier and can help...if he sees the stallions perform.

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Plot Keywords:

austria | horse | animal in title | world war two | german army | 

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Taglines:

The day a war stood still!

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Genres:

Family | Drama | War | Adventure

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1963 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Flucht der weißen Hengste

Filming Locations:

Atelier Rosenhügel, Vienna, Austria

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The red uniform that is used at the end of the movie is not original. The Spanish Riding school never used a red uniform. Disney found the original brown uniform too simple for a gala opening and introduced these uniforms.

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Connections

Edited into Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color: Flight of the White Stallions: Part 1 (1965)

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Soundtracks

"Military March #1"
(uncredited)
Written by Franz Schubert

User Reviews

7/10 ****/5 ~ Underrated, intelligent, mature Walt Disney adventure.

This exceptional live-action Walt Disney adventure-drama might have benefited from a warmer actor in the lead role, but Robot Taylor (pun intended) nevertheless brings strength and conviction to the part of an angry but caring man. The supporting cast is uniformly excellent, especially Lilli Palmer and Curt Jurgens who supply a depth of emotion to a dry and unsentimental story.

The film works the family-oriented animal interest of the Lippizan horses into the framework of a dramatic and often suspenseful wartime adventure. One needn't be a horse-lover to be caught up in the story and end up caring about the animals which in this film are symbols of art, grace and beauty surviving a war-torn world. The audience is teased with glimpses of the stallions at play and in training and learns to appreciate their value so that the full-blown horse-show finale comes as a welcome joy.

The well-produced movie was filmed on location in Austria and is handsomely photographed. There is a gripping battle scene and adults will be impressed with the maturity of the entire project.