| The Black Stallion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Carroll Ballard |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | The Black Stallion 1941 novel byWalter Farley |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Caleb Deschanel |
| Edited by | Robert Dalva |
| Music by | Carmine Coppola |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2.7 million |
| Box office | $37.8 million[1] |
The Black Stallion is a 1979 Americanadventure film based on the 1941 classic children's novelof the same name byWalter Farley. The film starts in 1946, five years after the book was published. It tells the story of Alec Ramsey, a boy who is shipwrecked on a deserted island with a wildArabian stallion that he befriends. After being rescued, they are set on entering a race challenging two champion horses.
The film is adapted byMelissa Mathison, Jeanne Rosenberg, andWilliam D. Wittliff. It was directed byCarroll Ballard in his feature directional debut and starsKelly Reno in his film debut,Teri Garr,Hoyt Axton,Michael Higgins andMickey Rooney with theArabian horseCass Ole playing the eponymous Black Stallion. The film features music byCarmine Coppola, the father of Hollywood producerFrancis Ford Coppola, who is credited as executive producer.
In 2002,The Black Stallion was included in the annual selection of 25 motion pictures for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[2][3]
In 1946, Alec Ramsey is travelling by steamer off the coast ofNorth Africa, where he sees a wild blackstallion being forced onto the boat. Captivated, Alec sneaks to the horse's stall to feed him somesugar cubes, but he is caught by the horse's supposed owner, who tells him in Arabic to stay away fromShetan.
Later, his father shows Alec his winnings from a card game and gives him a pocket knife and a small statue ofBucephalus, telling the story of howAlexander the Great became Bucephalus's master. Later that night, Alec is thrown out of his bunk during a storm. The ship is engulfed in flames and is sinking. In the chaos, Alec makes his way to the black stallion and frees him. The horse then jumps into the sea. Alec is thrown overboard by the waves and grabs the ropes of the stallion's restraints just as the ship explodes, rendering him unconscious.
Alec wakes on the shore of a deserted island and starts to explore. He finds the stallion caught in his restraints. With his knife, Alec frees the stallion again. As Alec suddenly faces a cobra, The Black kills the snake, only to run off.
Alec decides to get closer to the horse and offers him some seaweed. The hungry stallion eventually finds himself unable to resist, and the bond between them is sealed. After many failed attempts, Alec rides the stallion, and they travel the beaches, united as one. One day, a fishing ship arrives, rescuing the two.
Back in America, Alec is given a hero's welcome. The Black has a temporary home in his back yard, but a garbage man startles the horse, who races off. The next day, Alec finds the stallion in the barn of Henry Dailey, a retired racehorsejockey. Alec arranges for The Black to stay at the barn.
When Alec wonders how fast the horse is, he and Henry decide to train The Black for the racetrack, while Henry teaches Alec how to be a jockey. The Black surprises Henry with his speed. Henry starts planning to get The Black into a match race between the country's current two champions. To do that, he sets up a secret demonstration at night where a prominent reporter can witness his speed. The news spreads about themystery horse and The Black is entered into the race. At first Alec's mother is totally against him racing the Black Stallion in a race, because of the dangers involved. However, after Alec tearfully explains to his mother the secrecy, does the mother relent.
Before the horses enter the starting gate, The Black gets into a fight with one of his opponents, wounding his leg. Alec does not see the injury until he is in the gate. As he begins to dismount, the bell rings and the horses take off. Alec desperately stays on his horse while trying to stop him. He falls far behind, but The Black will not stop. Alec starts urging him to run, and The Black catches his opponents to win.
Cass Ole, a champion Arabian stallion, was featured in most of the movie's scenes, with Fae Jur, another black Arabian stallion, being his main double. Fae Jur's main scene is the one where Alec is trying to gain the trust of The Black on the beach. Two other stunt doubles were used for running, fighting, and swimming scenes.
El Mokhtar, an Egyptian Arabian racehorse, was the producers' first choice to portray The Black, but they were unable to secure his services for the film from his owners, who declined any offers. He does appear inThe Black Stallion Returns, alongside Cass Ole, by which time the studio bought out the syndicate of owners to secure El Mokhtar's services.
Napoleon was portrayed by Junior, that previously appeared inNational Lampoon's Animal House as Trooper, Niedermeyer's horse.[4]
The film was positively received by critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, it holds a 91% approval rating based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[5]
Janet Maslin ofThe New York Times praised the "humor and humanity" of Rooney's performance, but otherwise dissented from the critical consensus, finding that Ballard's too-painstaking cinematography came at the expense of storytelling, resulting in a film, that, though based on "a story designed to excite the viewer's imagination and curiosity, instead stifles these feelings by emphasizing the cosmetic value of every frame."[6]
The film received two nominations for theAcademy Awards:
In addition,Alan Splet was awarded with aSpecial Achievement Award forsound editing.
Carmine Coppola was nominated forBest Original Score at theGolden Globe Awards. He later won the award in this category for his score ofApocalypse Now.
Caleb Deschanel was nominated forBest Cinematography by theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards.
The film received two awards from theLos Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Best Cinematography (Caleb Deschanel) and Best Music (Carmine Coppola).
The film also won the1979National Society of Film Critics award for Best Cinematography.
In 2002, it was selected for preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[3]
Also, the film is recognized byAmerican Film Institute:
In August 2009,Intrada Records released a three-disc special edition of the soundtrack containing the entire score from the film plus bonus material, including unused cues and alternate takes of some tracks as well as a restored re-issue of the original 1979 soundtrack album. This release was limited to 1,500 units.[8]
The film was released onRCA SelectaVision VideoDisc (CED) in 1981. The film was released on Laserdisc and VHS byMagnetic Video in 1985. It was re-issued on VHS as part of the MGM/UA Family Entertainment Collection in 1994 and the MGM Family Entertainment Collection in 1997. The film was released on DVD by MGM Home Entertainment in 2004 and re-issued in 2013. A restored print of the film was released onBlu-ray by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 2013.The Criterion Collection released a special edition of the film on DVD andBlu-ray in 2015. This release features a new4K transfer supervised byCaleb Deschanel, five short films directed byCarroll Ballard, new interviews with Deschanel, Ballard, film critic Scott Foundas and photographerMary Ellen Mark as well as an essay written by film criticMichael Sragow.[9]
The film was followed in 1983 by a sequel,The Black Stallion Returns, which also starred Kelly Reno and Teri Garr. There was also atelevision series calledThe Adventures of the Black Stallion, which aired from 1990 to 1993 and starred Mickey Rooney andRichard Ian Cox. In 2003, a 50-minute prequel calledThe Young Black Stallion was shot and released forIMAX theaters.
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