Black Beauty

Most of the reviewers giving this movie a low rating do so because they don't think it followed the original book. I didn't read the book, but watched the movie. It was fine, with action, adventure, some violence, humor and sadness. Even a touch of romance. So anyone reading this who has not read the book or seen the movie yet, it's good entertainment, but probably not for real young children. For those who have read the book, don't judge the movie on your misguided thinking that movies have to mimic the book. They can be different and both be good.

This is an excellent little horsey film with Mark Lester, the angel-faced victim of Bill Sykes (Oliver!), now playing the farm boy on what looks like Exmoor or somewhere similar (perhaps Scotland). His nemesis this time is the terrible, sadistic Sam Greene (Patrick Mower) whose mission is to wreak havoc on everyone on his newly-inherited estate following the death of his altruistic father.

Really, it's a bit of a naturalist film, with the actual birth of Black Beauty himself shown and lots of delightful shots of rural, country life in England amidst classical English landscape. There really is some fine cinematography with sweeping panoramic landscapes, etc. The Pro-Hunting enthusiasts in England would now love this film and there are tons of shots of bands of red tunic huntsmen all over the place, with packs of dogs and stuff in hot pursuit.

However, the editing is clumsy and contrived and the director seems to want to create some sort of pseudo-art film, with lots of slow motion shots of hunting accompanied by a cheesy, amateurish soundtrack.

A serviceable adaptation of the Anna Sewell novel, although it loses something in the translation; the horse becomes more of a supporting than central character here. Unusually, this was produced by Harry Alan Towers for Tigon, and it's far less sleazy than most of his work (although familiar faces like Maria Rohm turn up). Mark Lester is still riding high from OLIVER!, the actors are invested in their roles, the scenery beautiful and the story involved and fast-moving.

This internationally-produced version of the oft-filmed Anna Sewell classic about the adventures and misadventures of a horse that is seperated from its original owners is the best of several films based on the timeless tale. Mark Lester stars as the young boy who longs to be reunited with his beloved horse. The film rarely strays from its source, and I believe this is superior to the 1994 remake.

Back when there were no computers, long hours when there was often "nothing on" television worth watching (still true, by the way) made you search the library to look for some interesting books to read. My mother had Anna Sewell's "Black Beauty" on the shelf, but it didn't appeal to someone more interested in Tolkien and Twain. Horses were fun to ride, but could you do that in a book? Teenage boredom finally forced open the pages of "Black Beauty", and the horse was out of the barn. The story was immediately captivating because Ms. Sewell creates a wonderful animal character, and tells the story from the horse's point-of-view.

And, you believed it.

Now, you don't. In this adaptation, the all-important personality of the horse "Black Beauty" is almost non-existent, and the story is altered extensively - it really only vaguely resembles the original novel. Paramount filmmakers might have tried a "narration" to evoke some of the original's "first person" narrative, but they didn't. The animal's personality could still come through (as it does with "Lassie" and other animals), but it doesn't. So, we are left with a human protagonist, cute Mark Lester (as Joe Evans), who doesn't seem all that engaged in the role, and doesn't horse around for long. Chris Menges' photography is quite nice, though.

***** Black Beauty (4/71) James Hill ~ Mark Lester, Patrick Mower, Uschi Glas, Peter Lee Lawrence