Black Stallion, The (DVD)

This movie is a masterpiece when Alec and Black are on the island. Case Ole’ was a magnificent horse, Kelly Reno was privileged to have known him!

Loved it

This was my favorite movie as a child. The original "Castaway" with beautiful cinematography. This is a movie that will continue to stand the test of time. Horse lovers, adventure seekers, drama lovers and parents looking for a wholesome family movie will adore this film. I've watched it probably 50 times in my lifetime and the end still takes my breath away.

An absolute masterpiece.

The beauty of Caroll Ballard's first feature film is that it never gets a step wrong – nothing is over-extended, nothing is too short, everything is perfectly judged and beautifully assembled. This is a film in three parts, essentially. First, the boy and the horse on the island; second, the boy and the horse training; and third, the big race. In all three parts, most of the story is told without dialogue, or rather, the dialogue you hear is not really essential to seeing the story unfold in front of you visually. In any event, most of the dialogue occurs in the middle section of the film, the training sequences, and again, it's not essential to understanding the story. The race sequence was, in 1982, the most exciting and visceral horse race ever put on film, and it still is absolutely spell-binding and thrilling. Since 1982, of course, we've been shown "Seabiscuit," with its many horse races, but the latter film owes a lot to this one, in fact, I would go so far as to say that the makers of "Seabiscuit" probably prepared by watching this one many many times over, so they could get it right. I love this film, and I have since I first saw it (when it came out), and it occurred to me then that a film which can save one of its most stunning shots – the boy and the horse on the beach, a rainbow behind them; and a real rainbow, not a CGI rainbow – for the final credit role, was a film which had beauties galore and to spare; how many film-makers can take a marvellous shot like that and essentially toss it away? Answer: only those film-makers who know their craft inside and out, and who know that picture and story are the thing, not just picture, not just story. Incidentally, the film was shot by ace cinematographer (and sometime director) Caleb Deschanel, whose work you should look up on IMDb; he's been around for a while, and he is one of the best photographers currently working.As to the blu-ray, the transfer is good, but if I had to guess, I would say that it has been transferred from a print, rather than the OCN, and while the colours and contrast mostly look good, it's also quite clear that the image has been artificially sharpened; in some of the island sequences where there is a moderate amount of backlighting, you can clearly see EE haloes around both boy and horse. This might have been done to "correct" the inherent softness that comes from using a source that's at least one generation away from the original negative. Even so, this is superior to the DVD transfer, and has pretty good sound as well. Small tip: watch this in a darkened room. Why? The early scenes, the ship sinking, and so on, take place at night, and the images for this sequence were always dark. In a lighter room, where your eyes are not dark-adjusted, you will have a hard time making out what's going on, whereas in a darkened room, it's easier to make things out.This is a film that recaptures the elation and energy of youth, when you feel that anything is possible.

we give this DVD The Black Stallion. 4 GOLD STARS ; AS A VERY GOOD STORY Thank-U 100%

I remember this movie fondly from my childhood. Even if you're not a big fan of horses, you'll love this movie. It's one of those movies that you keep hoping will show one day on channels like AMC or TMC, but it never does, and you wonder why. Because the movie is well done, well acted and has so many interesting levels. It covers a father and son's close relationship and then the tragic loss of it, Alec's bond with The Black when Alec needed a friend the most, and making Alec's father's story of Alexander's horse truly come to life, as well as giving a forgotten trainer back the passion of his past career. The story is minimalistic as is the dialog, which sets a wondrous, slightly mystical-like mood of the film, from the beginning on the ship as Alec snoops around giving The Black sugar cubes (hilarious when The Black's mouth pops out from the port hole and vacuums them up ), when Alec and The Black learn to trust each other on the desolate island they are marooned on together to the end when the two round the track to close in on the other jockeys. This movie is a true gem in the history of films based around horses and horse racing and is a perfect film for the whole family, so children can watch it and you don't have to worry, for fear of profanity and bad behavior. Terri Garr is sort of a set piece in this and doesn't have many lines to express her feelings having thought that her son was dead, but she does well with what she's given. Mickey Rooney, being in real life from around the era (1946) in which this period piece is set, does great in playing the "rough around the edges" gentle former winning trainer, and Kelly Reno does a very good job, as the central Human character here who gets a lot of face time. Hoyt Axton (the father from Gremlins) as Alec's father does a great job too and is noticeably gone too soon. Strangely, this movie seems to have disappeared into a bit of obscurity, and isn't heralded these days with the likes of Black Beauty, Seabiscuit, Flicka etc. I could only find this DVD online. I haven't seen "The Black Stallion Returns" in a while and don't remember is it is as good as this, but I plan on buying it also.

This is a visually gorgeous movie. How many movies have long periods of no dialogue but keep you entranced nevertheless. I'll watch it in another 10 years ,good lord willin and the creeks don't rise.

This is one of the most beautiful horse movies ever made. Possibly one of the most beautiful films altogether. The horse is gorgeous and the cinematography is absolutely stunning. The story is that of the horse and the young boy Alec. The sole survivors of a shipwreck, they start bonding when they find themselves on a deserted island. There is a roughly half hour long sequence of them on the island in which not a single word of dialogue is spoken. What you get is amazing images of the horse, the boy, beaches, the sea and sunsets, accompanied by a rather lovely score reminiscent of tribal music. This lengthy island sequence is the absolute highlight of the film, making it the cult film it has become. Once the boy, along with his beloved horse, is rescued and reunited with his mother, the story becomes more conventional, possibly a bit predictable, but still highly enjoyable.While the film may originally have been targeted at a young audience, children and teenagers, no matter how horse mad, may find it rather slow in places. More mature horse lovers should be able to appreciate it as the masterpiece it is. I absolutely love it and can't recommend it highly enough.The DVD I bought has decent picture and sound quality. English subtitles are available. Language and subtitle options are as advertised. A theatrical trailer is also included.

Time has perhaps taken a tiny tick off the perfection of this for me(the ending is a bit abrupt, etc.), but this is still one of the best,most beautiful, most emotional, and most entertaining 'family' filmsever made.Eschewing dialogue entirely for large blocks of time, and then onlyusing words sparingly when people do speak, this is story told inpictures, both breathtaking wide shots (often tracking shots moving sofast, but so smoothly that it seems impossible) and intimate close-upsrevealing subtle details of emotion.The sequence with boy and horse making friends while trapped on anisland is justifiably what people remember most, but there's lotsthat's great here, including what was arguably the best performance ofMickey Rooney's long career.NB: The DVD releases are frustrating. The US release isn't evenanamorphic, and the UK version, while anamorphic, has lots of dirt,grain, and less than perfect moments. And they're still gorgeous.But if ever a film screamed out for a blu-ray release, this is it.

Family friendly entertainment.It is a story about a young lad and an Arabian stallion and the relationship they form following a shipwreck that they are victims ofIt is an old fashioned feel good story and contains no scenes that are unsuitable for anyone.An enjoyable, safe family film

I have to agree with all the other 5 star reviewers. A lovely film, beautifully photographedand it seems to age with much grace. I must say a thank you to DODAX from whom I ordereda used copy. It went astray, but was replaced in short order - by a new copy!

How is this just as good as when I first watched it as a child. As a 35 year old woman it still gave me the same wonder and delight as it did when I was 5 or 6. Lovely cinematography and the relationship between horse and boy is still just as beautiful