Director Carroll Ballard and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel craft a staggeringly beautiful adaptation of Walter Farley’s classic children’s novel The Black Stallion. A young boy forms a unique bond with an Arabian stallion when they are both shipwrecked on a deserted island. After rescue, a horse trainer (Mickey Rooney) encourages them to new heights.
Print courtesy of the Academy Film Archive
“This movie belongs among the great filmgoing experiences. It is described as an epic, and earns the description.” – Roger Ebert
“Carroll Ballard’s feature debut is rich in adventure, suspense and mythical elements and marks the prize-winning short-subjects director as a major talent.” – Variety
“The Black Stallion is a magical fable that basks in shimmering imagery, innocent wonder and the romantic longings that we thought Hollywood had left behind in the ’50s.” – Michael Bowen, Boston Globe
