The Black Stallion Returns (1983)

Director:

Robert Dalva

Writers:

Walter Farley (novel)
Jerome Kass (writer)

Release Date:

25 March 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family

Plot:

A teenager loses his horse in Morocco and gets him back after various daredevil adventures.

Plot Keywords:

Horse Actor | Asia | Desert | Horse | Kidnapping

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Kelly Reno	...	Alec Ramsay
Vincent Spano	...	Raj
Allen Garfield	...	Kurr (as Allen Goorwitz)
Woody Strode	...	Meslar
Ferdy Mayne	...	Abu Ben Ishak (as Ferdinand Mayne)
Jodi Thelen	...	Tabari
Teri Garr	...	Alec's Mother
Doghmi Larbi	...	Tiny Man
Angelo Infanti	...	Raj's Father
Luigi Mezzanotte	...	Scarface
Franco Citti	...	Foreign Legion Officer
Robert Behling	...	Customs Officer (as Robert A. Behling)
Joe Murphy	...	Hampton Bays Fireman
Chris Larrance	...	Neighbor
Loris Bazzocchi	...	Berber on Dock

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Berber | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #26957) | Australia:G | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Sweden:11 | UK:U | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Zoetrope Studios

Trivia:

Two horses played the black stallion in this movie: Cass Ole, who played the horse in the first movie; and El Mokhtar, a famous Egyptian Arab racer who was used in the racing scenes. Sadly, El Mokhtar died of colic during the making of the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the scene in the race where Alec and Raj are being chased by the truck, the windshield is there in the close-ups and point-of-view from inside the truck, but gone in the wide shots.

Movie Connections:

Follows The Black Stallion (1979)

The Desert

"The Black Stallion Returns" is shot in 1.85:1, and I saw it in 1.33:1 because of the TV-network cut it down as usual. "The Black Stallion Returns" is a cinema-movie, you should see this on the big screen but after all, this should be done in 2.35:1 instead. This doesn't mean that the movie is bad because of the wrong format, but it would be more powerful in a wider one, as long as the cinematographer would handle it together with the director (I think they would). One of the reasons why it is shot in 1.85:1 might be that the first film was in that format too.

The story is faster and the film is shorter than it could be. After a standard opening, all gets better. And soon Alec, the main character reaches the desert, which is the reason why I wanted to see this movie. This isn't "Lawrence of Arabia" by David Lean, I know that, but the desert scenes are beautiful. And it is because of this scenes I like this movie. Everything started with photos from this film that I saw as a kid. The impression was that the desert was beautiful, or could be shown as beautiful. I should have seen "Lawrence of Arabia" already when I was younger, maybe I would have liked it even more than. For me, "The Black Stallion Returns" could have more and also slower desert scenes than it has, without getting a bit boring.

"The Black Stallion Returns" is actually shot in Morocco, North Africa. The cinematography is not poor, far from. But some of the characters could be better done. The choice of Woody Strode as Meslar was perfect, but he isn't used as good as I hoped. Alan Garfield doesn't amuse as Kurr, a villain, I had hoped that Kurr would be cooler and more menacing. Kelly Reno is a bit weak but at least okay as Alec, but Vincent Spano is cool as the Arabian prince.

The music by Georges Delerue is a bit unequal but at times very good.

The best parts of this movie are without doubts the desert scenes, including the horse race in the end (even if I think it should have been even better).

If you hate horses (why should you?) you can't like this, but otherwise it isn't that hard to enjoy this movie, even if it gets very emotional and describe the relationship between Alec and Black as close as a relation can be, which is booth fascinating and perhaps irritating. Here the direction shows what it really wants to show: emotions, admiration, love, friendship and almost worship from Alec to the Black. In that chase, the director (Robert Dalva) has succeeded.

"The Black Stallion Returns" is first of all a movie for a younger audience than me. That is why I see so many ways how it could have been even better, a more "hard core" movie with a harder, more action-filled tune and an even stronger adventure-feeling in style with perhaps my favorite from this time; "Conan the Barbarian". This would be a movie that was perhaps fitting a wider audience, or at least another.

I saw "The Black Stallion Returns" before I saw 'The Black Stallion', I think that is the best way to enjoy this sequel (it is somehow rather independent from the first one).

(Goofs:) Couldn't Kurr's Uruk men have killed the stallion instead of letting it survive or did they want it to survive? This is not clearly explained.

Rating: 6 of 10.