The Black Stallion

The Black Stallion (1979) - 6/10

First Viewed: 4/6/08
Directed by Carroll Ballard
Cinematography by Caleb Deschanel
Starring Kelly Reno as Alec Ramsey, Mickey Rooney as Henry Dailey, and Teri Garr as Alec's Mother

The ability for anyone to overcome hardships and prove successful is a theme that is all too common in film. The Black Stallion ties in this optimistic mindset with the natural enthusiasm of a boy named Alec. What are his hardships? The ocean-liner he is on suffers an explosion, an evil Arab horse trainer threatens him with a knife, his dad saves his life at his own expense, and the ship sinks, leaving Alec stranded in the middle of the ocean.

How does Alec overcome his hardships? Mostly through luck. The film initially spends fifteen minutes hinting at - or rather hitting us over the head with - Alec's destiny of riding a beautiful black stallion that does come to his rescue when Alec nearly drowns in the ocean. Boy and beast end up on the same desolate island, watching out for each other and surviving by eating kelp. Alec and Black, as the horse is named, are eventually saved by foreign fishermen and returned home without incident.

Black has a hard time keeping still in the small confines of a suburban tract house's backyard, so when he escapes into the town's streets, he inevitably runs into former horse trainer, Henry Dailey, who encourages Alec to give Black a spin at a horse race. Alec's mother, suffering from the loss of her husband, is understandably concerned for the boy's safety, but ten minutes of melodrama and Alec pleading about his aspirations with the horse easily convince her otherwise.

The plot, as seen above, is unfortunately trite and predictable and the characters are essentially two-dimensional. Yet the film still proves to be an exhilirating experience on occassion. There are wonderfully dark moments, such as the ship sinking, that are very well-crafted on a visual and auditory level. Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, who is really the star of the film in my mind, provides many amazing shots that convey both the beauty and the danger present in a creature like Black.