The Black Stallion

To conclude my look at some of the late Mickey Rooney's films, I turn to The Black Stallion, from 1979, which featured Rooney's last Oscar nomination. It is in many ways a magical film.

Executive produced by Francis Ford Coppola, when he had a lot of money and was responsible for some very interesting cinema, The Black Stallion is a poetic family film, proving that such things don't have to be treacly dross. Though excessively fanciful, it is foremost a beautiful thing to watch, with exquisite photography by Caleb Deschanel.

The film divides in two parts. The first has a boy (Kelly Reno) on a passenger ship off the course of North Africa. He is with his father (Hoyt Axton), and we don't know where they are going, or why, which lends a little mystery to the proceedings. The boy becomes fascinated with another passenger, a wild Arabian stallion, black as pitch, that is held in a stall bound by ropes.

When the ship catches fire and sinks, the boy grabs hold of the stallion's rope and is towed to shore. They are both on a desert island, and gradually the horse learns to trust the boy. For about half an hour there is a wordless section in which they bond, as the boy eventually mounts and rides the stallion. This section is so well done (the director is Carol Ballard) that it's almost breathtaking. Add to that the fine music score by Carmine Coppola, and the whole thing is damn near perfect.

The second half of the movie is after Reno is rescued. He returns to his suburban home, tended to by his confused mother (Teri Garr). The stallion, dubbed "The Black," stays in the backyard. He breaks free, though, and ends up on the farm of Rooney, who turns out to be a retired horse trainer. He and the boy become friends, and hatch the idea of getting The Black into a race. This is tricky, since he is not a thoroughbred and has no papers.

The last section, which builds around a match race between the best two thoroughbreds in the country, is pure baloney, but heartwarming (least of the problems is that Reno is allowed to ride the horse in the race). We are now in classic sports film mode, with Rooney teaching the boy, getting his second chance, and the final race is also a bit of lovely bullshit.

The film was based on a novel by Walter Farley, and is highly recommended to those who like horses, those who are looking for movies for their kids that do not insult the intelligence, and those who enjoy spectacular cinematography. As for Rooney, I must say that of all the films I've ever seen him in, he shows the most restraint. It's also a lovely connection back to one of his best-known films, National Velvet.