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
Doghmi Larbi	...	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 | desert island | rescued by a horse | boy horse relationship | 

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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

Carroll Ballard credited Caleb Deschanel for many of the movie's signature touches, especially during the first half of the film, when dialogue is minimal and the images are everything. "Caleb has a tremendous eye, and he can invent things right on the spot," Ballard said. "Really, some of the neatest shots in the movie are things I didn't even know he was shooting." Neither director nor cinematographer had ever done any underwater work, and Deschanel improvised his equipment for those scenes. Ballard came to depend upon his associate to see him through tough times during filming. He recalled a particularly trying day when he was convinced the project "was a catastrophe. Caleb and I were walking together, trying to get back to the car, and we came across this river that just seemed to appear out of nowhere. We had to get across the river to get where we were going and Caleb said, 'Come on, get on my back and I'll carry you across.' I'll never forget it. He was kind of like that through the whole film."

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Goofs

Throughout the movie, the Black Stallion is an Arabian, but during the match race scene, the horse that Alec is riding is a dark bay Thoroughbred.

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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

Referenced in Hangin' with Hoyt on the Set of 'Gremlins' (2014)

User Reviews

A stunning visual banquet. Should be on everyone's must-see list.

For nearly the first hour, not more than a few pages of dialogue are spoken. Yet the camera is able to tell a complicated narrative as well as evoke powerful emotions with nothing but pure visuals. The scenes that establish the emotional relationship between the 10 year old protagonist and his equestrian soul-mate not only move the story along, but provide us with some of the most stunning visuals I have ever seen on film. It recalls the powerful visuals of films like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and NANOOK OF THE NORTH.

Then there is the mind-boggling riding stunts, if they are stunts that leaves one staring in wonder at what the young actor is doing right before our eyes. As far as I could tell, and it was the consensus of everyone who saw this film with me, there were no trick shots and no stunt doubles. The camera is too close and it is obvious that what we are seeing is real. Without giving much more than that away (because these sequences really need to unfold before you with no foreknowledge), it is enough to say that the first half of the film could stand alone as a complete work. Coupled with Carmine Coppola's exquisite score that matches every subtle turn of feeling with every scene, the picture is a joy to behold. A sequence with choreographed movement underwater is nothing short of an incredible ballet. How this film did not wind up on every one of those silly "top 100 films of all time" lists, I cannot fathom. How it did not win a multitude of Academy Awards is a mystery. Caleb Deschanel's cinematography is simply breathtaking.

The second half is no less a pleasure, but as the studios are wont to dictate, a story in the age of MTV and LETHAL WEAPON 16 cannot remain subtle and esoteric -- it can't be simply about the powerful bond between friends, boy and horse, man and boy....trust between creatures beyond words and definitions. So there is conflict, action and a race; the tension that makes for exciting storytelling, yet the rich emotional texture that is achieved even without these more mundane fixtures still dominate the work. And I must add, those more spiritual qualities surprisingly are not diminished by the action sequences but remain the dominant elements of the film's power-of-the-whole. And where there is dialogue, much to director Ballard's credit, it is kept sparse, it's not strained but is quite believable. Even Mikey Rooney, who could have been any director's worst nightmare, turns out a touching performance.

This is a film that marries every element perfectly -- from the music to the photography to the precision editing to an improbable performance from such a young actor. The loudest kudos must go to the young Kelly Reno who turns out a performance that rivets you from the first scene to the last with its power and simplicity.

This is not just a good film -- this is a masterpiece; it's what cinema is all about. And of course the only way to see it is in a theatre on a large theatre screen, NOT on a 19in TV set. Even DVD is more like a xerox copy compared to the definition that a 35mm print provides. If there is an art cinema near you, go to the director and plead with him/her to book this gem. Bring your kids or your nieces and nephews -- the younger generation needs to see what real film-making is all about. And powerful statements about trust and friendship and personal strength wouldn't hurt them either.