The Black Stallion (1979)

While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion who is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks ... See full summary »

Director:

Carroll Ballard

Writers:

Melissa Mathison (screenplay), Jeanne Rosenberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kelly Reno	...	Alec Ramsey
Mickey Rooney	...	Henry Dailey
Teri Garr	...	Alec's Mother
Clarence Muse	...	Snoe
Hoyt Axton	...	Alec's Father
Michael Higgins	...	Neville
Ed McNamara	...	Jake
Larbi Doghmi	...	Arab (as Dogmi Larbi)
John Burton	...	Jockey #1
John Buchanan	...	Jockey #2
Kristen Vigard	...	Becky
Fausto Tozzi	...	Rescue Captain
John Karlsen	...	Archeologist (as John Karlson)
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Priest
Frank Cousins	...	African Chieftain

Storyline

While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion who is brought on board and stabled in the ship he is sailing on. When it tragically sinks both he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a desert island. He befriends it, so when finally rescued, both return to his home where they soon meet Henry Dailey, a once-successful trainer. Together they begin training the stallion to race against the fastest horses in the world.

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Plot Keywords:

black horse | horse | boy horse relationship | shipwreck | castaway | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Black Stallion, Inc. MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic Italian

Release Date:

17 October 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

El corcel negro

Filming Locations:

Liberty Theater - 1203 Commercial Street, Astoria, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,700,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$37,799,643, 31 December 1980

Company Credits

Production Co:

Omni Zoetrope

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is a scene in the water where the Black is swimming towards Alec and suddenly tips over in the waves, with his head underwater and his hooves pawing in the air. This was actually an accident captured on film, as too much force was applied to the guide bars attached to control the stunt horse's movements. There was much alarm on the set as he sank below the surface, and great relief when he managed to right himself again and raise his head above the water. The crew was especially proud of the fact that, despite all the difficult stunts throughout filming, no horse was injured in any way.

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Goofs

When sleeping outside with The Black, Alec is first against the tree, then slightly away, then further away from the tree.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Alec Ramsey: Dad... you know what I saw? It's the most fantastic thing... come look!
Mr. Ramsey: [to the other poker players] My son.
Mr. Ramsey: Hey! Look, son, I'll tell you, I'm really busy, but... I'll tell you what I do need. I need some good luck.

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Connections

Featured in Sneak Previews: Oscar Special 1980 (1980)

User Reviews

Beautiful, please see it for yourself...

First, please don't base your opinion on the last critic's remarks. You must see this movie and judge for yourself. I have been in love with this movie since I was 7 years old (1979) and I just watched it again for the first time in many years. I STILL love it!

It is one of my top ten movies of all time (Lawrence of Arabia being #1).

There isn't any bad acting. In fact, I think that Kelly Reno did a fine job as Alec...clever, introspective, and curious. Hoy Axton did a great job as his father, as well. Maybe I just connect with them because I had a similar relationship with my dad.

I challenge you to watch this film without nit-picking it to death, especially if you have an artistic soul. I thought it was lovingly directed with a lot of original camera shots (for 1979) and perfectly composed/matched music. Do you know there is an incredible length of time during this film where not one word is spoken? Nor, is it needed. Indeed, words would be sacrilege to the simple beauty of the growing friendship between boy and horse.



It's an exciting, heartwarming, beautiful, and moving tale...I can't wait to show it to my future children so I can share the magic.



*PS - make sure you turn up the bass in the beginning so you can hear the ship's heart - imagine being on that ship and hearing that all the time. It really helps set the tone and brings a conflicting sense of impending doom and comfort.