"Good people make good horses."
Hello everyone!
While listening to the rain fall outside I decided that I was going to review a movie that's incredibly near and dear to my heart. And I mean it's one of those where I will bawl my eyes out regardless if I've only just seen it, haven't seen it for years, or am watching it then and there.
There's something about a movie that talks about horses which always gets me.
Probably because horses just so happen to be my favourite animals.
And of course there's the little fact that black horses, especially, are the ones that get my heart racing.
What?
I admit it, at least!
And as to the movie I'll be talking about tonight, it's over twenty years old, but still amazing. I'm talking about Black Beauty.
Now last Thursday I reviews the book of the same title, and you can find the link to that particular review down below at the bottom of the page. This blog post will be dedicated to one of the few movies in which Sean Bean does NOT die!
Well, I mean, the character he plays probably dies of natural causes, but considering the fact the man should literally ask for a pay raise now for each time he survives a flick, it's a minor miracle!
Our story begins with Sean Bean helping one of his mares, Duchess, give birth to our protagonist - Black Beauty.
And then we're treated to some lovely scenes of the colt frolicking around, before Alan Cumming, who provides the protagonist with a voice, starts narrating just what he's supposed to be doing.
I have to admit, the scenes where Sean Bean's training the horse are absolutely hilarious.
But, once trained, Beauty is sold to Squire Gordon and his family, where he's placed in a stable together with a pony, Merrylegs, and a beautiful mare Ginger - who has a bit of a temper, however, and won't let the stallion near her.
Beauty quickly becomes a favourite of the family and we witness a number of his adventures, and misadventures at that, especially with Ginger, but the stand-out is one night when he declines to cross a bridge in a storm, thus saving the lives of both the Squire and John Manly (Jim Carter), the man responsible for the horses.
Unfortunately, with John feeling poorly after a dip in te foaming river, it's his nephew Joe who takes care of Beauty, not exactly the way he should.
By morning, the poor horse is sick.
Luckily for us it's not the end of the world because he gets better, AND his relations with Ginger improve!
But life still changes, because the Squire's wife becomes seriously ill, and they have to take her to a specialist far away from home, where they barely manage to escape from a barn fire with their lives. Still, their misfortune continues as the Gordons have to leave England, which means that Beauty and Ginger are sold.
Their lives now take a turn for the worse despite living in a bigger home than before - because here, it's all about fashion, which means an uncomfortable bearing rein that pulls the horse's head up high.
The higher it goes, the worse it is for Ginger, and one day she snaps, going berserk.
After that, Ginger is never called by the lady of the manor again, but Beauty is subjected to her every whim, unfortunately. This also comes to an end one time when Reuben Smith, the man nw resopnsible for the horses, is completely drunk when riding him one night, ignoring a loose horse shoe which comes off during their mad gallop home. Beauty trips and tosses Smith, injuring his knees, and Smith loses his job afterwards.
It's worse for Beauty, because he has to be sold, and Ginger's not too good either, having broken her wind during a hunting stint. They barely manage a goodbye before Beauty's sold to a man who rents horses out to riders, but treats them poorly.
Eventually, Beauty ends up at a fair to be sold again, where he spots a now-grown Joe, but can't call him back with whinnies. Instead, he draws the attention of one Jerry Barker, a taxi carriage driver from London (and played by David Thewlis). Jerry buys Beauty and together, they then spend years together in London, even making a trip to the countryside once. He also meets Ginger again, but unfortunately his friend later dies from neglect and harsh handling.
And when winter falls, Jerry gets incredibly sick - so sick, in fact, that he can never be a taxi carriage driver again.
This means Beauty has to be sold one more time, despite having hoped to live out the rest of his days with Jerry. His owner sells him to a grain dealer, where he hopes the horse will be treated fairly, but instead he has to pull heavy loads of flour day in and day out. One day, he simply can't pull anymore and collapses.
This is how he once again ends up at the horse fair, but with the tired and written-off horses now. Nothing really rouses him until he hears a familiar voice - it's Joe!
And this time, Beauty manages to call him back. In a scene that makes my eyes go misty just by thinking about it, Joe recognizes the white mark on Beauty's forehead and swears that the horse is safe now. He'll look after him.
Our movie then ends with Black Beauty calmly grazing after a year spent recovering at the farm. Joe has sworn never to sell him again, and all that's left is for him to reminisce - especially in the mornings, when he will sometimes think he's still at the home of Squire Gordon, on the big meadow with his friends.
Nothing can take that away from him.
Geez I'm trying not to bawl just writing about this haha!
This was one of the first, if not THE first, horse-related movie I've seen, and I love it as much today as I did back then. It helps that the titular character is portrayed by Docs Keepin Time, a gorgeus Quarter Horse with a lovely black pelt. The movie is a faithful adaptation (with some omissions) of the book and shows just how horses were treated back then - and how they can still be treated now.
The lesson to be learned here is that kidness costs you nothing, but may save an animal's life.
We should probably all remember that.
xx
*images not mine
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