THE BLACK STALLION

 "THE BLACK STALLION" (1979)

MY THOUGHTS:

I'm not sure why, but I hadn't seen this movie prior to watching it this weekend, and I'm glad that I finally did. It is such a timeless film, in many ways, as well as a very beautiful one in others. I thought that the young boy who "stars" in it was very good. I also thoroughly enjoyed seeing Mickey Rooney, so well play the part he did, many years after "National Velvet." Something seemed "right" about that. I also like (very much) that this is a movie which kids can watch and get all caught up in the adventure of. It is an all-around good movie!

SYNOPSIS:

"Alec encounters a magnificent black Arabian horse while traveling aboard a steamship around the coast of North Africa with his father. When a disaster destroys the ship, Alec frees the horse and escapes with it to a nearby island, where they form a close bond. When Alec is rescued, he insists the horse be rescued too, and both return to America. There, Alec and former jockey Henry work to train the horse, which Alec names "The Black," for a race."

STARRING:

Kelly Remo, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr, Hoyt Axton and Clarence Muse.

SCREENPLAY:

Walter Farley, as adapted from the novel by the same name.

DIRECTOR:

Carroll Ballard

AWARDS & OTHER HONORS:

It was nominated for three (3) Academy Awards and wo one (1) for: "Special Achievement in Sound Editing."

It was nominated for ten (10) additional awards, from various entities, and won six (6) of them.

In 2002 it was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry at The Library of Congress.