BLACK STALLION, THE

(October 1979, U.S.)

Take a moment to consider every so-called family film you ever saw and I'd be willing to bet there was at least some part of it that was either very sad or even scary. Really, think about it; Benji's little white girlfriend doggie got kicked across the room by a mean kidnapper in 1974 (my younger brother is still feeling the scars from that one!), E.T. and Elliot said a tearful goodbye in 1982, Judge Doom tried to kill people and Roger Rabbit in 1988 and Hachi and his master both died in 2009. Just before watching THE BLACK STALLION again for the first time in years, I told my little boy that he would love this movie. After revisiting the film, I realized I spoke in haste. There are moments at the beginning of the film that a child might consider very frightening. Little Alec Ramsey (played by Kelly Reno) is almost killed on a burning, sinking ship, a desperate man steals his lifejacket during the ship's chaos and then he must somehow try to survive all alone on a deserted island. This all would have kept me awake for a few nights as a child.

Then, of course, Alec meets the Arabian black stallion (aka "The Black"). Fear and desperation are replaced by striking beauty and triumphant friendship. The beauty is everywhere; the beautiful black stallion, the beautiful island, the beautiful friendship between boy and horse. Really, it's enough to give you a cavity! Carmine Coppola's musical score adds to the beauty and knows extactly when to pick up the pace at certain key moments in the film. The score is quiet and gentle through most of the island sequence until the moment when Alec finally mounts the stallion and rides him. The score picks up then in a very triumphant melody.

I don't think you could ever have a movie about a horse without the inevitable cliche horse race in it. THE BLACK STALLION has one, of course, and I'm sure you can immediately guess who wins it. Cliche or not, I can't help but produce a big smile on my face when The Black races to his exciting victory. I'm such a sentimentalist that it's almost disgusting!

By the way, whatever happened to Kelly Reno? Anyone know?

Favorite line or dialogue:

Alec Ramsey: "We're gonna show everybody that he's the fastest horse in the world."