Crin blanc : le cheval sauvage

White Mane (1953)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Classic French film about a young boy (Alain Emery) who becomes fixated with an untamable white stallion. Even though the adults can't tame the horse, the young boy will stop at nothing to get the horse to notice him and eventually the boy breaks the horse. This is from the same director who made The Red Balloon and I must admit that I enjoyed this one a little bit more. Outside of one sequence, which I'll talk about later, this film is pretty flawless and at times downright beautiful. The cinematography is top-notch and really makes some great atmosphere especially the scenes in the pond. The pond sequence happens near the beginning of the film and it shows the boy putting a noose around the horse, trying to capture it, but then the horse takes off running and drags the boy through the water as well as the land. I'm not exactly sure how this was filmed but it was quite beautiful. Another great sequence happens at the end when the boy is finally able to get on the horse and a wild chase follows. The only rather disturbing scene is when the horse gets into a fight with another horse and this goes on for a good amount of time and it gets quite violent. The two horses are violently kicking one another and biting each other and these bites lead to some blood flowing and this scene is rather hard to watch.

I first saw this exquisite film in 1968 at an Opus Dei film night ! when my parents were palming me off to these mad institutionalized weirdos as some sort of babysitting service for teens. Fortunately the imagery of this glorious film lasted longer the their brutal effects... mainly because this truly great film is about the ineffectiveness of brutality on a smart strong sensitive teen. Such is the impact of this breathtaking perfect children's film that I actually have been yearning, quietly searching for CRIN BLANC for over 40 years ......and I have been lucky enough to re discover it again. On DVD in spectacular Black and White. I shall simply put my reaction to it as this: What I felt in my head and heart is what I hope I experience one day as I die. In fact as I die I simply want to drift off into 40 blissful minutes of the vision and emotion this film evokes. It is perfect. The sight of escaping on a white stallion into the sea after being pursued by idiots who want to trap me and the loving beast of life is what this film imparts on the viewer. For those who see this film as 'nothing' or a 'good way to kill 40 minutes'... well, have another hamburger and grab a coke and go to a multiplex and see a Nicholas Cage CGI fest. But leave CRIN BLANC to the poets of the world who know what it is to die intact with the love of freedom and beauty. My life is actually now complete now that I have rediscovered CRIN BLANC. There is nothing else in moviedom more rewarding, exquisite and emotionally fulfilling than experiencing this film. If you have an ounce of poetry in you or yearning for everything this planet is and stands for... well it is captured in CRIN BLANC. If you see it and know what I am imparting to you well then you get it. CRIN BLANC is what it is like to die satisfied.CRIN BLANC is our life in a children's parable.

This comment will be a little personal: I was 6 or 7 years old when I went for the first time to a cinema and Crin Blanc was was then the first film I saw on a large cinema screen (at home we got our first television set at the beginning of the sixties). As far as I can remember it was a nice story of a boy and a wild horse in the Camargue.The director was Albert Lamorisse and another important name: Edmond Séchan, the director of photography of this film. Very beautiful images of horses and the landscapes of the Camargue.

In the mid-fifties, Albert Lamorisse produced two beautiful, but strangely distant films, "The RedBalloon" and "White Mane". "Red Balloon" has been available and remained somewhat popular, while "White Mane" all but disappeared. Its re-emergence is welcome, as it offers intensely compelling black and white imagery, cinematography that is a cross between Ansel Adams and Atget, in its rich tones, dramatic light, and epic feel.

Red Balloon, offers an interesting contrast. Paris is all muted earth tones and grays, with the balloons offering the only vivid colors. It is also interesting to remember that World War II was less than a decade earlier.

Little Pascal, the director's son, is seen in both films, always appealing never "cute", but somehow distant. We don't really know him except as "the little boy".

The two films are wonderful artifacts from a time when film was more art than marketing.

Not quite as great as The Red Balloon and not as well-known, but White Mane is almost as good and does deserve to be better known than it is. It is a gorgeous-looking film, with the marshlands being both handsome and austere(emphasising the wildness of the two main characters and their adventures) and the black and white photography really is some of the best I've ever seen. White Mane is sensitively scored with a lovely whimsical tone, while the narration is thoughtfully written and poetic, telling the story without trying to explain too much. White Mane has a very sweet and touching story, the wonder of childhood is really charmingly depicted and the film shows also the beauty of nature that will leave one inspired. What was also appealing was the relationship between the boy and the horse which is what anchors the film, a familiar idea but you really do feel the friendship and love between the two. The pacing is deliberate but that said White Mane never came across as dull personally, the relationship between the boy and the horse, the way the film looked and how easy it was to get into the story and its emotions were utterly transfixing. Albert Lamorisse's direction is sensitive and in keeping with White Mane's poetic tone and the acting is great, especially from Alain Emery. He looked adorable and gives a spirited and touching performance, there are scenes where he doesn't say a word but his body language, eyes and face are genuinely telling throughout. The horse was clearly well-trained as well, and the chemistry between the two of them was magic. All in all, immensely charming and beautiful but also sadly criminally underrated. The Red Balloon is slightly better but if you loved that film you will find a huge amount to love about White Mane. 10/10 Bethany Cox