Thunderhead: Son of Flicka

Oh, no; the reviewer who was "Too Old To See The Fantasy" was also, apparently, too old to see the balls. There were *definitely* testicles, in this film, on both the stallions (definitely stallions!).

This film will never lose its allure for the horse-crazy, though one wonders "how" they filmed certain sequences, such as the 'fight to the death' scene, in the years of trip-wires and prior to the disclaimer "no animals were hurt or abused in the making of this film". That horse-fight sequence was (mostly, if not entirely) the real thing; they put two stallions together and let them go at it. My guess is that they sedated the one horse who was "killed", for the final shot.

Still a winner, for the kid who just can't get enough of horses!

Enjoyable. Very colorful. Beautiful scenery, but lacks the success and impact of the original MY FRIEND FLICKA(1943). A young boy(Roddy McDowall)tries to train an albino colt into a race horse. Other players are:Preston Foster, Rita Johnson and a very cute Diana Hale. This 78 minute technicolor film is full family fare.

Oh this is an awesome movie! The most beautiful white stallion you have ever seen! What an wonderful movie! Thunderhead runs the hills and captures your heart. The actors are wonderful too. Oh how i would like to buy this movie on dvd or vhs! PLEASE! Thanks! GOD BLESS! : )

When I first saw this film as a child, on a B&W TV, I thought The Albino was the most beautiful horse I had ever seen.

50 years later the film still has its moments and Beautiful Scenery. But why do we get Gus's girl instead of Ken's older brother, Howard? Gus didn't have a girl. Why do we get so-so horses representing animals that have been carefully bred? And not nearly enough foals in the band of mares. And Flicka as a sidebar.

Banner was a sorrel. Not a mahogany/black.

Stallions? I didn't see any stallions. There isn't a testicle in the lot. Stallions don't rear and whinny to herd their mares. They bellow and squeal and snake their heads along the ground. The ending horse fight (wild stallion battles rarely end in death) is disturbing when I stop to consider what they had to do to get those two geldings to fight so terribly. (and even in the book, the only reason Thunderhead wins despite being only a 3 year old, is the Albino must be nearly 20! Range stallions are past their prime by 8-10)

The book is an almost spiritual read. Real people and real horses and real hardships and near-spiritual bonding with horses. There are absolutely lyrical chapters from Thunderhead's point of view, as he roams and encounters the Albino for the first time and barely survives. How he learns. How he is trained. Matures. Wins.

With a strong mother, not a hand-wringer.

And don't get me going about "Green Grass of Wyoming" - the only thing that one had in common with the book is the title and Thunderhead stealing an expensive, imported English filly.

I am not sure I'd recommend this film to children today. It disturbed me as a child, especially the fight and death of horses.

Yet, if you allow for the moral and technical standards of the time, this 1945 movie must have been striking.

Because 20th Century Fox had the foresight to take this film and do it outdoors on location in Wyoming, Thunderhead Son Of Flicka is still good viewing and highly recommended for family viewing. The fact that a sequel was made attests to the popularity of the original.

Preston Foster, Rita Johnson, and Roddy McDowall return as the McLaughlin family owners of the Goose Bar Horse Ranch. In this film the McLaughlins and Roddy McDowall in particular are dealing with the colt that was the product of the mating between McDowall's beloved Flicka of the first film and the wild albino stallion, leader of the wild herd and the chief menace of horse ranch owners like Preston Foster.

A white albino colt is captured the spitting image of his dad and he shows promise as a racehorse under Roddy's tutelage. But the call of the wild is also beckoning to him and the question of the film is whether he will follow his destiny and what that destiny is.

The whole cast ensemble give some fine performances that hold up well for today's moviegoers. Recommended for family viewing.