The Colt

The title is deceiving, this movie is much more than a tale about horses. Not being one for sappy animal movies, I was a bit skeptical at first. However, I was curious to see Merriman's performance after watching him years ago on the television series THE PRETENDER so I tuned in. With the Civil War as a backdrop, the story of the colt and men engaged in regiments was very moving. I laughed, cried, and even sat on the edge of my seat at times. It made me analyze history and human behavior. This story explored emotion and compassion that are often neglected in the history books. Suddenly, the Civil War becomes more complex and unnerving- leaving the viewer an opportunity to see humans at their best and worst. Merriman was superb and connected you to his plight as a young Union soldier far from home, trying hard to protect the innocent colt. If you enjoy historical drama, action, and social commentary you will enjoy this film.

THE COLT presented in a straightforward manner the tragedies of war from the individual soldier's point of view, on both sides. Important message for children to understand is that there are "good guys", decent human beings, on both sides. (This reminded me of some of Tolstoi's scenes in WAR and PEACE where one sees other individual soldiers struggling with the horrors of war).

The interplay between this wonderful little animal and the soldiers was another effective way to teach children about caring for something more vulnerable and innocent than ourselves.

I found the cinematography very beautiful at times and would enjoy sharing this film with many other friends and family, preferably with commercials left to the end or presented at the beginning.

I was leery of the title, as it sounded somewhat sentimental, yet our local librarian recommended my selection. Good call. This movie, unlike some Civil War movies, offers a real look at the humanity behind the soldier. What is mesmerizing is how the birth of a colt to an army mare changed the persona of the unit. The colt has all sorts of symbolism: new life among death; hope; redemption; promise. I hope to find a copy of the short story the film is based on and compare it to this film. One of the best scenes is when Jim, the main character, is sharing a meal with a farm family and as he describes his home state, he breaks down in tears from homesickness and despair. A touching and revealing film. A different look at the Civil War. While the ending is a horrible surprise, it is fitting for the irony portrayed throughout the film.

This is what I usually want to see when I see any story about war. The men who fight in wars are human beings. They harbor their own dreams, apart from the dreams which the war they fight in tries to instill into them.

It reminds me of the last scene in "All Quiet on the Western Front." Man's

This is not another movie about the Civil War. It does not gloss over the ugly parts and it does not make the tender parts too pretty.

What it does reveal is that men will always be weak and strong, and brave and scared and that to fight in a war is one of, is not the, most difficult thing a man can do in his life.

If we can be grateful, in the face of these calamities, it can only be vainglorious in contrast to the very sacrifices which we can only imagine were made on our behalf and will be made on our behalf for much more time to come.

While The Colt may only be a story, it had to be made. Mainly because as long as men fight wars, they must never forget that there is honor in many other things that war does not reveal about men.

I recommend it very highly.

My wife loves horses and thought she remembered seeing this movie on TV many years ago. We couldn't find it for free to watch anywhere online but happened across the DVD version in a store and were excited to watch. The disc was clearly labeled as a Hallmark production but the rating said 'Not Rated'. We are old-school and do not watch anything that isn't family friendly, so I usually look movies up online before watching. The IMDB rating is TV-PG, which is about as mild as you can get, and there was no warning of anything objectionable.

We were shocked to start watching the DVD and heard three clear GD's within the first 10 minutes. This is not, in our home anyway, family-friendly language. We turned it off and did not watch the rest, so can't comment on how many more instances of profanity there might be. No doubt this was all edited out of the TV version.

I realize this kind of language is okay with many people these days but also know there are many others like us who still consider profanity to be R-rated material and would have appreciated a warning.