Movies about horses are fairly common,
but it takes a very special movie to impress true horse people. So we ask you,
what is the best horse movie ever made?
We know
some of you equine enthusiasts are not going to agree with our Top 5, but feel
free to argue about that in the comment section. Some of these films bring back
wonderful childhood memories, and we would like to know which horse film is the
best-loved within the GoHorseShow.com community.
These movies are listed in no particular order. Please vote for your favorite at the end of the
article.
[NPI
Float=”left”]/Media/2/jpg/2010/4/4fb51e2f-9efa-d11d-53d0ac16a3378892.jpg[/NPI]The
Black Stallion—Directed
by Carroll Ballard, Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola. With Kelly
Reno,
Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr. The 1979 American film is based on
the 1941 classic
children’s novel by Walter Farley. While traveling in North Africa with
his
father on a steamer, a young boy, Alec Ramsey, becomes enthralled by a
mysterious
Arabian stallion that is brought on board. When the ship tragically
sinks both
he and the horse survive only to be stranded on a deserted island. The
most
poignant scenes are when Alec and The Black are stranded on the island.
It
doesn’t take a horse lover to appreciate the beauty of the horse or the
relationship the two form. When finally rescued, both return to Alec’s
home
where they soon meet Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney), a once successful
race horse
trainer. Together they begin training The Black to compete against the
fastest
horses in the world. Beautifully shot and edited, The Black Stallion
was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by
the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or
aesthetically significant”.
[NPI
Float=”left”]/Media/2/jpg/2010/4/4fb55c85-aa8f-1b84-7ac8d6f288ba032b.jpg[/NPI]National
Velvet—Directed by Clarence Brown. With Mickey Rooney, Donald
Crisp,
Elizabeth Taylor. This 1944 film is based
on the novel by Enid Bagnold, and is the
story of a twelve-year girl, Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor), who lives
in
England. She saves a horse from the slaughterhouse and trains it for the
Grand
National Steeplechase.
She is helped by her father’s hired hand, a young transient, Mi Taylor.
The
fictional horse
which Velvet Brown trained and rode in the National is called “The
Pie.” When she discovers that the jockey hired to ride The Pie
doesn’t believe he can win,
she disguises herself as a male jockey and rides the horse. Does she
win?
You’ll just have to see for yourself.
[NPI
Float=”left”]/Media/2/jpg/2010/4/4fb731c5-eafb-9d68-657f66a93b223785.jpg[/NPI]Seabiscuit—Directed
by
Gary Ross. With David McCullough, Jeff Bridges, Paul Vincent O’ Connor.
This film is a true story based on the
best-selling book, Seabiscuit: An
American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The story conveys the life
and racing
career of Seabiscuit, a small and
disregarded thoroughbred race horse whose unlikely accomplishments made
him a
symbol of hope in the United States near the end of the Great
Depression. It is
also the story of three fallen men-Johnny “Red” Pollard, a young man
whose spirit had been broken; Charles Howard, a millionaire who lost
everything; and Tom Smith, a cowboy whose life as he knew it was
vanishing
right before his eyes. These three men came together to develop one of
the
greatest longshots in racing history.
[NPI
Float=”left”]/Media/2/jpg/2010/4/4fb58889-0d81-8b80-f0dd6bbe6dfb1b8f.jpg[/NPI]The
Horse Whisperer—Directed
by Robert Redford. With Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill,
and
Scarlett Johansson. This 1988 film is based on
the novel of the same name by Nicholas Evans. Grace, played by Scarlett
Johansson, and her best friend Judith go for a ride with their horses,
but her
friend’s horse slips on some ice and falls into Grace’s horse, Pilgrim. A
truck
hits them, and Judith and her horse are killed. Grace and her horse
Pilgrim are
seriously injured, both physically and mentally. To bring Pilgrim back
from his
now devastating condition, Grace’s mother Annie takes them to Montana in
search
for Tom Booker. Booker, played by Redford,
is a horse whisperer with an incredible capacity to understand horses.
He is
hired to help restore the trust between the injured teenager and her
horse.
The
Man From Snowy River—Directed by George Miller. With Tom Burlinson, Terence
Donovan, Kirk Douglas.This film is part love story, part
action movie. The cinematography and scenery are spectacular in this film. Set
in Australia, Tom Burlinson is Jim Craig, a young man who has to go to town to
earn some money to save his family farm after his father dies. Kirk Douglas
plays two parts as twin brothers who haven’t talked for years, one of whom was
Jim’s father’s best friend and the other of whom is the father of Jessica, the
girl he falls in love with and wants to marry. A 20 year old feud re-emerges,
catching Jim and Jessica in the middle of it as Jim is accused of letting a
prize stallion loose. From there, the film moves to sensational action scenes
portraying men on horseback trying to capture wild horses.
Vote for your favorite now!
