IMDb > The Black Stallion (1979)
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The Black Stallion (1979) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   4,065 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Melissa Mathison (screenplay) &
Jeanne Rosenberg (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Black Stallion on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 October 1979 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
While traveling with his father, young Alec becomes fascinated by a mysterious Arabian stallion that... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 4 nominations more
User Comments:
A beautiful film about solitude, interdependence, survival, and achievement. more (57 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Kelly Reno ... Alec Ramsey

Mickey Rooney ... Henry Dailey

Teri Garr ... Alec's Mother
Clarence Muse ... Snoe

Hoyt Axton ... Alec's Father
Michael Higgins ... Neville
Ed McNamara ... Jake
Doghmi Larbi ... Arab (as Dogmi Larbi)
John Burton ... Jockey #1
John Buchanan ... Jockey #2
Kristen Vigard ... Becky
Fausto Tozzi ... Rescue Captain
John Karlsen ... Archeologist (as John Karlson)
Leopoldo Trieste ... Priest
Frank Cousins ... African Chieftain
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Additional Details

Runtime:
118 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
There is a scene in which Alec opens the door of Henry Dailey's office and looks around at all the old memorabilia Henry acquired as a winning jockey. One of the photos is a shot of a younger Mickey Rooney atop the horse that looks to be the one featured in National Velvet (1944). more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The horse statue on Alec's nightstand was one made by Breyer Animal Creations in the late 1970's shortly before the movie came out. The movie takes place in the 1940's. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Alec Ramsey: Dad... you know what I saw? It's the most fantastic thing... come look!
Mr. Ramsey: [to the other poker players] My son.
Mr. Ramsey: Hey! Look, son, I'll tell you, I'm really busy, but... I'll tell you what I do need. I need some good luck.
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Movie Connections:

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
6 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
A beautiful film about solitude, interdependence, survival, and achievement., 2 September 2000
9/10
Author: Invariable Self from Canada

The first thing that strikes you when you see "The Black Stallion" is its cinematography. However the vivid colours are only the doorway into the film. It is important to remember that the title is not "The Stallion" but "The Black Stallion". It is the title's first announcement of bold colour and the connotations of power in "Stallion" that introduce a richness of dichotomies. There is the black horse and the white boy (would the film really have been the same with the ubiquitous white horse?). There is the contrast between the horse's power and the boy's frailty. The scenes on the island and the scenes in the city. Indeed, the film's running time is almost split down the middle between this last contrast. There is also the contrast between the boy and the old man he befriends, and many others. But most importantly, there is the contrast between solitude and companionship. There are a lot of lonely characters in this film. Everyone from the horse to the boy, to the trainer to the boy's mother seem to be trying to struggle through life on their own. It is this quest to deal with loneliness that is the film's most profound achievement. It is not so much a condemnation of solitude as an analysis between its benefits compared to the benefits of companionship. Whether or not "The Black Stallion" answers these questions is something the viewer will have to decide for themselves. I believe the film asks more questions than it answers. Although some may find the film's ending a bit too predictable and sacharine tasting, the overall effect of the film's beauty and its questions concerning solitude and survival, erase any minor faults the movie may contain. Part "Androcles and the Lion" and part "National Velvet", "The Black Stallion" is more than a childrens' movie. It brings together the "blackness" (as in the black void of space) of loneliness with the stallion's individual power to show how all of us are alone in a fundamental way but that we also have an ability within us to not only survive but draw great things from it. We can fulfill through our particular skills and abilities the necessary requirement of helping each other without losing the strength we receive from our individual independence and uniqueness.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What year is the movie supposed to be set in? Baabaaredsheep
the most beautiful film about a horse sophiai
other horse movies Gothic_Grammer
How could this not get an Oscar for cinematography? dcornibe
Complete soundtrack available NOW fawvincent
the sinking of the ship jthomas5
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