Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Author Walter Farley’s sweet, timeless tale of a young boy and his special bond with a spirited horse was brought to cinematic life with irresistible visual and sonic beauty, more appreciable than ever on Criterion’s fantastic new Blu-ray. Our boy, Alec (Kelly Reno, what a find), is washed ashore on a remote island after a shipwreck, and the only other survivor is a magnificent Arabian stallion. Their time alone together is a prolonged marvel of wordless storytelling, while the post-rescue second half is quite a different animal, as a grizzled old trainer (a wonderfully cast Mickey Rooney) agrees to prepare the horse to race. It’s a thrilling adventure for kids, but without the sap that might otherwise send the adults fleeing.

The Black Stallion was transferred from the original 35mm camera negative at 4K and restored at 2K, supervised by director of photography Caleb Deschanel and approved by director Carroll Ballard. The results are often stunning, with exceptional clarity and organically nuanced colors, critical because of the extensive use of natural light. The 1.85:1 presentation preserves Deschanel’s artful compositions, rich in shadows, which reproduce without issue, and we can discern virtually every sinew on the dark-hided, four-legged co-star. There’s quite a bit of film grain carried over to 1080p video, sometimes extremely pronounced.

The movie won a Special Achievement Oscar for its sound editing, and here the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is best enjoyed with Dolby Pro Logic decoding for the intended late-’70s “surround” effect. At 24-bit depth the audio displays remarkable dimension, the mix flaunting clever touches like the rhythmic low-end rumble of the steamship’s engine. Dialogue is dependably clear, but the quietude is depicted with equal drama. Frenzied braying combined with massive hoofbeats show off the tremendous dynamic range. The music by Carmine Coppola (father of executive producer Francis) is often sparse, often infused with a Middle Eastern flair, always a listening pleasure.

The supplements include no fewer than five pre-Black Stallion shorts by Ballard. There are also new interviews with Ballard and Deschanel, reflecting upon their craft, and a segment about on-set still photographer Mary Ellen Mark, who essentially narrates a slide show of her interesting behind-the-scenes work.

Blu-Ray
Studio: Criterion Collection, 1979
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Length: 118 mins.
MPAA Rating: G
Director: Carroll Ballard
Starring: Kelly Reno, Teri Garr, Mickey Rooney