Ride a Wild Pony (1975)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Don Chaffey

Writers:

Rosemary Anne Sisson (screenplay)
James Aldridge (novel)

Release Date:

2 November 1975 (Australia)

Genre:

Adventure | Family

Tagline:

Poor boy, rich girl... A wild pony means freedom to both but can belong to only one.

Plot:

Scott, a poor farm boy, is given a wild pony from a wealthy ranch owner's herd to ride to and from school...

Plot Keywords:

Pony | Sergeant | Horse Actor | Horse | Based On Novel

Cast

Michael Craig	...	James Ellison
John Meillon	...	Charles E. Quayle
Robert Bettles	...	Scotty Pirie
Eva Griffiths	...	Josie Ellison (as Eva Griffith)
Graham Rouse	...	Bluey Waters
Alfred Bell	...	Angus Pirie
John Meillon Jr.	...	Kit Quayle
Roy Haddrick	...	J.C. Strapp
Peter Gwynne	...	Sgt. Collins
Melissa Jaffer	...	Mrs. Pirie
Lorraine Bayly	...	Mrs. Ellison
Wendy Playfair
Elizabeth Alexander
Kate Clarkson	...	Jeannie Quayle
Phillip Ross

Also Known As:

Born to Run

Runtime:

USA:91 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

Robert Bettles fell off the pony on the second day of shooting and was hesitant to ride it again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bluey Waters: Hey, you, Scott Pirie! Where do you think you're going with that pony? Scotty, come back here!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Backflash (2001) (V)

Good movie that teaches that certain issues are never black and white

My parents took me to this movie when it came out in theatres. I've yet to see it on video/DVD which is a shame as I remember being fairly enthralled by it as a child. Too many movies for children present their conflicts in black and white. Children are not encouraged to consider moral conflicts because the solutions are laid out clearly for them. This is one of the first movies I can remember seeing that made me think (a little).

This movie concerns the struggle between two children regarding the ownership of a pony. One is a poor boy from a struggling family whose only material possession in the world is a wild pony that he tames. The pony gets lost and inadvertently ends up in the hands of a crippled girl from a wealthy family who has every material possession possible except the one thing she really wants. The pony brings joy into both children's dark lives and each fiercely resists giving him up. The power in the film is in its ability to never allow all sympathy to rest with either child. You end up feeling for both of them. Unfortunately, there's only one pony...and one of the children will end up the loser. How this conflict is finally resolved and its consequences make the film worth seeing.