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The Horse Whisperer (1998)

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238 comments in total

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29 out of 39 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent, 25 November 2004

Author: marie caldwell (mjc02021c) from Ma, USA

More so than "Horse Whisperer", the movie deals with life altering changes for the four characters (the mother, the father, the daughter, the horse whisperer) and the horse of course. Even the affair is positive. It helps Tom Booker get over his wife when he puts that record back in it's sleeve, and it helps Annie get off her so called "high horse attitude." It's a movie of changes for the better all around. Enjoyable, real, well done.The scenes interacting with the horse are wonderful. Sitting in that field waiting for the horse to feel comfortable enough to deal with Mr. Booker was an enormous hurdle. The best scene is after two and a half hours when Tom brings the horse down to Grace's level, so that they both rise together. That scene,is to joyfully cry for, and laugh yes.

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30 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Movie!, 10 May 2005

Author: starangel2 from United States

If I could, I would give this movie a "100!" I highly recommend this movie for everyone to see.

It was moving; emotional; and truly humbling.

The actors and actresses were excellent, and portrayed their characters better that most movies I've seen.

Although I always like "good endings," this ending is great - depending upon the person who see's it! I felt this ending to this movie was "as it should have been," although I also wanted it to "go the other way." Guess I sound pretty mysterious, but I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone.

I give great credit to the writers; producers, and directors of this movie.

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26 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :-
The Horse Whisperer is an exquisite work........a gift, 18 September 2005

Author: gavin_f from India

Last night I was blessed with an experience that is the gift of cinema - a very very beautiful film that celebrates the glory of the human soul in a way that drove me to tears of joy and gratitude at having had the privilege of being a part of it.

The Horse Whisperer is an exquisite work, with multiple levels of relevance that are marvelously integrated into a seamless story. On one level, it is a celebration of man's great capacity for and heritage of attunement to nature and the limitless beauty that he chooses to return to, having tired of the unsatisfying world that he had created in its place on his path of discovery. It is also a testimony to the process of healing, of how it is an opportunity to delve deep into the recesses of the traumatised soul, and how it can only be undertaken with a simultaneous caring for everyone involved in the circle of influence. It is also an examination of relationships, of the relationship between the parent and the child, between man and woman, between human and animal, and ultimately between body and soul. Ultimately the film is a triumph of spirit, a paean to a long forgotten wholeness and harmony that is celebrated in the film as though it just were, and had never ceased to be, without the wrangling and flailing that one has come to expect of a piece of art that attempts to recapture the glory of the soul.

One of the very many great moments of the film are where the mother tries to understand the Horse Whisperer's failed relationship with his love in the past, as a love that was 'wrong' because they were not 'right' for each other. He says 'I loved her not because it was right, I just loved her'. This clear differentiation between love on the one hand and the rightness of the relationship on the other elevates both to a respectability that is incomprehensible when love is understood only as a manifestation of the rightness of a relationship. This kind of 'simple wisdom', so to speak, is the fabric of the entire film, it is the tongue in which the story is told. In fact much of the film eschews dialogue completely in favour of the vast visuals of American ranch-land, always with humans embedded as part of the landscape in a harmony that seems so obvious as to be almost unremarkable. Among the most poignant of these are the moments between Tom, the Horse Whisperer and Pilgrim, the horse, moments where they communicate wordlessly, often soundlessly, slowly going through the stages of distrust, caution, diffidence, examination, trust and sharing that are necessary on the path of friendship, here shown between man and animal.

The story of the Horse Whisperer is simple enough and I shall neither describe it, nor analyse the components of the film. Doing this would reduce its stature to that of a product.

The Horse Whisperer is a gift, accept it.

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19 out of 25 people found the following comment useful :-
Very well done!, 20 June 2005

Author: jleighmurph (jleighmurph@yahoo.com) from United States

Redford and the entire cast is excellent. The music and scenery is excellent. Saw this movie for the first time three years ago. I rented it due to the "horse" plot and it ended up being a very important movie in my life. I was involved in some very personal problems with my family at the time. What was important to me was that even with the terrible situation Grace was in, there was a way to heal. The most important line in the movie was when Tom Booker makes the comment: "Knowing it is the easy part, saying it out loud is what's difficult" Oh how true this is. A lot of good thoughts in this one. It has my highest recommendation.

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Some of the most beautiful cinematography you will find, 12 January 2006

Author: wbhome from United States

It is one of Robert Redford's best - the quiet rancher - meets the pushy high powered NYC editor who is determined to help her daughter after a traumatic riding accident.

As others have mentioned the experience not only changes the horse but most of the "supporting" characters.

The cinematography was powerful - while I am not a student of the discipline I could see that the angles chosen for the subject, the landscape scenes of the beautiful Montana ranges and sunsets - one could watch and understand the movie without the dialog.

I believe Ansel Adams - if he were alive - would love some of these scenes.

I vote this as a "must see" for everyone. It not only has a powerful plot but beautiful cinematography...

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14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
A Bit Melodramatic, But Beautiful To See, 6 October 2006

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Here's a beautifully filmed "horse opera" about a New York teenage girl (Scarlett Johannsson, who is now a well-known actress but wasn't when this was made) and her horse, both of whom are badly injured in a mishap and are healed by a Montana horse expert, played by Robert Redford.

Redford also directed this film and being such an outdoors-man, you know this is going to show nature in a beautiful way....and it does. The Montana scenery is just awesome.

After a dramatic opening scene in which we see the horse and daughter hurt, the mother (Kristin Scott-Thonas) takes the girl and the horse out West to see if the horse can be salvaged. Unfortunately, the mother - who is married - falls for the horseman "Tom Booker" (Redford) and an adulterous relationship almost comes to fruition. That romance is the soap opera part of the film but it's nice to see everyone, including Redford's character, healed of emotional as well as physical wounds.

Some of the teen's bad attitudes are not fun to watch, but otherwise the people in here are very nice. Ranchers Redford and Chris Cooper and Cooper's sons are all nice people, especially of one Cooper's little kids. This film is a bit too much of a melodrama at times which makes it a long in spots, but it's a long movie to begin with (169 minutes). It's so beautifully filmed, however, that for that alone the movie is worth seeing.

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12 out of 16 people found the following comment useful :-
Typically brilliant Reford film., 19 August 2005

Author: InvisibleSwordsman from United States

As with every film directed by Robert Redford, "The Horse Whisperer" is beautifully acted, masterfully directed piece of cinematic poetry. Redford even manages to do what no other actor/director ever has or probably ever will - direct himself in a love story without becoming self-indulgent.

Along with the uniformly excellent cast, Redford's direction and Richard LaGravenese's script, special mention must be made of Robert Richardson's cinematography - some of the most breathtaking Hollywood has ever seen.

Redford is truly one of the giants of American cinema.

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9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
A superb drama of fantastic technical quality., 2 February 2006

Author: S.C. Skafte from Nova Scotia, Canada

I'll admit that I didn't expect much from "The Horse Whisperer". Even though I had seen (and greatly enjoyed) Redford's earlier directorial attempts (Ordinary People, A River Runs Through It, Quiz Show), this just seemed to be a very ordinary and cheesy 90s drama. While it does have moments that are a bit over-done, it is quite touching and inspiring. I particularly enjoyed the character played by Scarlett Johansson, which was quite unusual and well-thought-out for the character of a teenage girl. Robert Redford is not only brilliant as the title character, he gives the full force of his directorial talents to this picture, and it shows. Coupled with the truly flawless cinematography of Robert Richardson, this is one of the most fantastic-looking films I have ever seen.

I must recommend this film, not only as a visual experience, but an excellent family drama.

8.3 out of 10

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
good movie, book is even better, 8 March 2001

Author: awlauter from Missouri

I read the book before seeing the movie and was thus, not expecting it to be as good ( I thought the book was extremely well-written) HOwever, I did enjoy the movie. Redford is a terrifc actor and director and I thought the cinematography was great. I found it interesting that the end in the movie does not parallel the book, but I guess they wanted a Hollywood ending. Anyway, good overall movie, and as another viewer eloquently stated, this movie is a refreshing break from all the special effects one sees in many other films.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
No modern director seems to know more about horses and people, 8 July 2006

Author: DVD-TCMjunkie from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

There is one unavoidable, minor spoiler herein, but once you read this "review," you may think it belongs more in the trivia section. This is not the one to read to learn about the plot.

An inveterate Robert Redford fan, Mother adopted this as one of her favorite movies when we watched it together years ago on one of her visits. Since she keeps mentioning it from time to time, I slapped on the DVD today to let her watch it again while I intended to take care of other business. The darn thing is so mesmerizing, however, I couldn't stop watching.

The first time I saw this, I might have given it an 8, or maybe even a 9. It was simply a very good movie. Once seen, its story becomes known, however, and a second viewing allows one to focus more acutely on the details. Few directors are so adept at getting his actors to portray the subtleties of human emotions, sans dialog, as Robert Redford (cf. "Ordinary People," etc.). The interplay and facial expressions are so good and appropriate, it makes you want to cry. No fake emotions here.

Before beginning the DVD, I showed Mother Kate Bosworth's photo on the cover of the current (July, 2006) issue of W magazine, the one with her fashion spread and interview inside, saying, "Remember the girl who dies at the beginning of the movie? This is what she's grown up into. She just opened as Lois Lane a couple weeks ago in 'Superman Returns'." After the movie started, I immediately recognized the girl at the heart of the story and exclaimed, "That's Scarlett Johansson!...Both girls are big stars now." Having forgotten these "unknown" child actors had appeared in this movie, I immediately wondered about the relative casting, how the decision was made on which actress got which part, until research revealed that this was Bosworth's first film, while Johansson was a four-year "veteran" at the time.

Having already extolled Redford's skills as a director, let me go on just a bit about his acting herein. Superb, simply superb. No more or less, however, than that of his co-star, Kristen Scott Thomas, and the rest of the cast. A fine job all around.

At 169 minutes, this is a relatively long movie, but there are no fillers, and no scene is wasted. Redford's scenes with the horse, and the people surrounding the horse (i.e., the child and the mother) are simply amazing. One can but wonder about his life journey from a wild child speeding down the streets of New York City in the middle of the night to catch the green lights, to his "retreat to the wilds" of Utah which allowed him to portray a taciturn Montanan with a talent for taming horses.

The way I've prattled on here, you'd think I was trying to use up some cell phone minutes. Although this may be my worst-written, rambling review to date on IMDb, that doesn't diminish the value of this movie. Highly recommended.

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