Gallant Bess

An wonderful 'feel good' family movie that gives equines the proper recognition they deserve being that America came to be what it is because of equines. The actual Bess magnificently portrays the incredible soul that is the heart of a mare! I would go so far as to say that this is an inter-species love story of unparalleled quality. What's equally wonderful is that this movie is now available for purchase on Amazon.com and it's worth EVERY PENNY of it's purchase price. Gather the family, get your popcorn and snacks, sit down and prepare for some genuinely 'wholesome' family entertainment! Oh and MANY thanks to Chris Parker for his recounting of the 'true story' of a beautiful angel of light! If only I could have been blessed to meet Bess in real life. Every day I give thanks for the blessing of a life that is centered around equines...

~"To see her is to love her, And love her forever, For Nature made her what she is." - Robert Burns~

This is one of my all time favorites. I have vivid memories of how Bess went from tank to tank with the water buckets. Then the horrible storm scene. I have tried for years to find this movie, Gypsy Colt, Black Gold, and others. All of us who enjoy this movie need to write TNT & have it released. How can they keep a wonderful movie like this from so many who want it? Especially the family, I am really surprised at that! I really want my child to enjoy it just as I had. Since I do not have cable or Dish, it is very difficult to have access to the classics. If someone was able to catch it on late night TV, and got it recorded, please e-mail me!

I wish that I could remember the title of the book, but I remember checking it out severals times as a kid and reading it cover to cover. The book had actual photos of Bess delivering water to the seabees and her jumping straight off the ground while under attack by Japanese. It showed her retired in a lush pasture in KY. I enjoyed the movie as much as the book!!

It is the best horse story out there.

I saw this movie as a young horse crazy girl. It was a tear jerker and heart warmer. A beautiful story of friendship and the loyalty of a magnificent animal and the hardships of war. I get teary eyed just thinking about the story. I hope that someday it will be available on video or DVD. I would love for my son to be able to see it. If you are lucky enough to see it, it is well worth the tissues.

My mother drove me to school, one morning when I was nine. On the way, she mystified me by announcing she'd pick me up early. She wouldn't say why, just smiled and said it'd be a surprise. In my family, you did't skip school for anything less than snow, illness, or death. so this was odd.

I wondered about the surprise thing all morning. At noon, Mom picked me up and drove me home. My favorite lunch was waiting on the table. I thought that was the surprise, but no, she said, something else was yet to come....

After lunch, she planted the two of us in front of the TV and told me, "There's a special movie on, this afternoon. I want you to see it."

It was "Gallant Bess."

I was a horse-crazy little girl with my own horse standing in a corral out back, but I remember being extraordinarily touched by "Gallant Bess." The adults in my life were still talking about WWII as if it'd just happened, so that seemed very close to me, too. I felt for that farm boy who lost his mare, Bess, to the WWII cause, and found her again, in what I was told was based on a true story. By the end, I was so caught up in empathizing with that young man and the horse, the ending seemed scary and amazing and is still clear in my mind's eye.

I suppose, compared to the high-tech, computer-enhanced images of today's films, "Gallant Bess" may seem mild. Those were simpler times. Maybe the acting's not outstanding, but there's a goodly amount of action and suspense.

This film impressed my mother so much that she took me out of school to see it. Once I'd seen it, I understood why. If you like a moving animal story, or if you've got a horse-crazy little kid in your house, y'all should see it, too.