L'homme qui murmurait à l'oreille de chevaux

I must have seen this movie at least five times, and somehow I never tire of seeing it even though it's not really my kind of movie.

I won't go into plot, and things like that, I'll just say it's exquisitely shot, beautifully acted by all with young Scarlett Johannson being a standout. But of course, Robert Redford deserves special mention for this is not only one of his best directed films, but also he gave himself one of his better roles. He's very good here. There's a close-up on him at the end of this film that has to be seen to be believed. Everything his character is feeling at that moment is revealed perfectly on his face. It's one of those moments that happen every once in a while. One of those moments that make you glad there is a thing called film.

Robert Redford has no trouble with playing an aging cowboy named Tom. He pulls off the quiet, but sturdy cowboy image with perfection. Kristin Scott Thomas portrays Annie Maclean, a woman whose daughter's horse has been injured in an accident. The same accident caused her daughter, Grace, portrayed by Scarlett Johansson, to lose one of her legs. She goes to Tom to get help for the "out of control" horse. Sam Neill plays her husband, and appears to be an afterthought. For animals lovers, this movie has a disturbing beginning. The movie is about relationships, daughter to mother; child to horse; husband to wife; man to horse. The scenery in this movie is breath taking, and Redford took full use of it while directing the movie.

Yes, I agree the film is slow and, perhaps, overlong. Yes, there appears little in common between the methods presented in the film and documented 'horse whispering'.

However this film needed to show the passage of time, which is, after all, the greatest healer. I found the film to be moving.

I was interested in a comment that there was no 'motivation' for the disfunctionality in the family unit. As one who has witnessed many divorces I feel that I can safely say that in real life these forces can be subtle enough to elude the participants; let alone an audience.

I was greatly relieved that the trite ending I envisaged didn't occur.

Overall if you want a gently paced but powerfully emotive film then it is to be recommended; a liking of horses helps greatly!!

This is a unique, moving story about a girl whose tragic horse-riding accident and subsequent trauma led her family to Montana in search of the man known as the Horse Whisperer. Little did they know that their lives were about to change forever during these few, memorable days spent on the farm. This is a truly beautiful story, a story for sensitive souls, a story for those who care about animals as much as people. The characters are finely drawn and it is a pleasure to watch them unfold as the film progresses. The dialogues are often memorable and wonderfully devoid of the clichés that most Hollywood productions are sprinkled with.

This is a film for people who understand that the 'little' moments in life are the best; a film where pictures truly speak more than a thousand words.

It is a story of love and courage, the courage to fight for you want, or accept things the way they are; the courage to risk losing everything, the courage to accept that loss. There is a wonderful message in this film for all of us - for all those who care enough to see it, that is.

The Horse Whisperer is a film of contrasts: the driven career wife and mother whose husband and daughter don't quite meet her standard; the traditional ranch wife and mother who subordinates herself, with grace, to her family while wistfully wishing for just a bit more; the gifted horse trainer and cattle rancher who chose the rustic life over his city roots, at peace with his re-discovered values despite a painful divorce from the woman he loved; the loving husband who can never live up to his wife's expectations, though he spends his life trying to please her; the wounded teenage daughter who, unlike her father, rebels against her mother's attempts to mold her in her own image. The catalyst that brings all these contrasts together is a beautiful horse that is horribly injured, both physically and mentally, in an accident that also maims his young rider. Both are so traumatized that they have lost their will to battle their fear and despair. The mother finds a trainer known for his success in gentling troubled horses and drives horse and daughter from New York to Montana to meet him. His quiet strength, patience and ability to sense what is wrong has a profound effect, not only on the horse, but on the young daughter and her mother as well. The movie is long, but the healing process requires time. The pace of the film is appropriate to the unfolding of the story, the lush and majestic scenery and the serenity that seems to emanate from the vastness of the open spaces. The romance that develops between the mother and the trainer is poignant and compelling. The scene between them at the dance is worth the price of admission. Ultimately, the mother must make a choice between resuming her former life returning to (the city, her career and her family) and the seductive stability and tranquility she has come to cherish at the ranch with the man she truly loves and who loves her.