Running Free (1999)

The tale of the extraordinary life and times of Lucky, a horse that was born in captivity but achieves his dream of running free with the help of a stableboy.

Director:

Sergey Bodrov

Writers:

Jean-Jacques Annaud (story), Jeanne Rosenberg (story),

Stars:

Chase Moore, Maria Geelbooi, Arie Verveen

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Chase Moore	...	Young Richard
Maria Geelbooi	...	Nyka
Arie Verveen	...	Adult Richard
Jan Decleir	...	Boss Man
Graham Clarke	...	Mine Supervisor
Patrick Lyster	...	Officer
Morne Visser	...	Groom
Dan Robbertse	...	Colonel (as Daniel J. Robbertse)
Nicholas Trueb	...	Hans, Boss' Son
Robin Smith	...	Blacksmith
Iluce Kgao	...	Nyka's Friend
Lukas Haas	...	Narrator (voice)
Fat Albert	...	Caesar (the horse)
Kateefa	...	Grey Mare / Lucky's Dam

Storyline

In 1914, a German supply ship is en route to Africa with a cargo of work horses when one of the mares gives birth to a foal. The colt is soon separated from his mother when the ship docks in a mining community, and he has a hard time getting along, but an orphaned boy who works at a stable takes a liking to the little horse and looks after him. When war breaks out, the stable is abandoned and the pony escapes into a nearby desert, where an Oryx antelope and a native girl become his companions and teach him how to survive on his own.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | foal | free | companion | desert | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | History | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

2 June 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amigos inseparables

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$55,451 (USA) (2 June 2000)

Gross:

$101,431 (USA) (9 June 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Moonlighting Films, Reperage

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

A horse and his boy...

A rather nice boy and his horse picture. Or is it a horse and his boy? There are some great animal shots. (It must have been hell getting the horses to "act.") The film is shot in Namibia, the setting for the story, and there are some superb scenes. My only problem with the film was the rather absurd off camera narration by the horse. And even if they had to use this tired device, they could have chosen a better voice than the wimpy one they did. But all in all, it made for a pleasant enough evening and I imagine for a horse lover (which I am not) it would be sublime.