The Black Stallion

Name: The Black Stallion
Genre: Adventure, Sport, Family
Released: October 13, 1979
Duration: 118 min
Rating: 84
Cast: Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney

1979

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 10 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 21 Ratings

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8.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 21 Ratings

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The Black Stallion

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Movie Details & Credits

United Artists | Release Date: October 13, 1979 | G

Starring: Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney

Summary: A boy forges a special friendship with a wild stallion after both are shipwrecked on a deserted island. (MGM)

Director: Carroll Ballard

Genre(s): Adventure, Sport, Family

Rating: G

Runtime: 118 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Gary Arnold

The Black Stallion is one of the few movies that justifies the word "sublime." It casts an immediate pictorial spell of wonder and discovery and sustains it until a fadeout that leaves you in a euphoric mood, lingering over images whose beauty and emotional intensity you want to prolong and savor. [9 Dec 1979, p.G1]

100

Staff (Not Credited)

The Black Stallion is a perfect gem. Read full review

100

Roger Ebert

The first hour of this movie belongs among the great filmgoing experiences. It is described as an epic, and earns the description. Read full review

100

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

This touching and beautifully photographed, if slightly overlong, tale of a boy and his horse follows the escapades of young Alec Ramsey (Reno), who is traveling across the ocean with his father. Read full review

Dave Kehr

The film represents a studied, sophisticated approach to instinctual emotions: it's carefully, calculatingly naive, and amazingly it works. Read full review

David Ansen

Shot in stunning color by a gifted cinematographer named Caleb Deschanel, beautifully scored by Carmine Coppola in moods ranging from Arabian Nights impressionism to Wagnerian exaltation, the first hour of The Black Stallion is a state-of-the-art demonstration of film as a purely visual medium, a formal exercise that is nonetheless suffused with feeling. [29 Oct 1979, p.105]

Frank Rich

Though the freckle-faced Reno and Mickey Rooney (as the horse's crafty old trainer) are well cast, their scenes together are perfunctory and impersonal. Emotions are provided in stead by a busy and overbearing musical score. The film's story begins to move in fits and starts. Read full review

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User Reviews

Bitash

Mar 7, 2021

why doesn’t anyone talk about this movie? Unbelievable script , acting, cast and cinematography. I was so tired at 9 pm thinking this movie is old and may put me to sleep, but boy was I wrong. It was exciting from the beginning, didn’t know what to expect so kept watching, the little boy iswhy doesn’t anyone talk about this movie? Unbelievable script , acting, cast and cinematography. I was so tired at 9 pm thinking this movie is old and may put me to sleep, but boy was I wrong. It was exciting from the beginning, didn’t know what to expect so kept watching, the little boy is soooo good, acting is so organic but the cinematography....unreal...how did Coppola do these shots back then with no CG? The little boy did 80 percent of the stunt work.
It’s really a must see. I loved this so much that I am searching to watch the second one. Wish we saw more of the boy actor, he is so good! Some of the scene of the horse and the boy is just magnificent to watch. Must must see.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Deanomite

Sep 1, 2020

This is such a great movie i cannot express how surprised and entertained I was by every minute of this movie. 5 star photography meets 5 star music and direction. It's sad also, the little boy only made 1 other movie before getting mutilated in a car accident and he is so good in this.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Jollyjoe1000

Nov 8, 2015

Great adventures, The horse is great and talented, and a fighter. He can win a race in any way possible. The silks are cool. This is one of the best horse movies ever, and uses Micky Ronny very well.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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