The Black Stallion [Blu-ray]

I read all of the Walter Farley novels many times when I was growing up. When the Black Stallion was released as a movie, I had to see it. I was not disappointed. I had not seen this movie since I got rid of my VHS recording years ago. This 4k transfer is stunning! The beauty of the video scenes on the desert island with Alec and The Black are breathtaking. The DTS soundtrack rivals the acoustics of all of the best concert halls I have experienced. If you know this story, watch this movie. If you don't know this story, you will be transfixed. If you have children, make sure they watch it with you.

I bought this movie to share with my family for Thanksgiving. We were a diverse group - two sets of grandparents and a newly blended family of two boys and two girls, ages 6-9. It is challenging to find anything to watch together today that everyone can truly enjoy, but this classic didn't fail to please. Everyone loved it and appreciated the cinematography and the beauty of that horse! An excellent movie, even by today's standards.

I could easily wax poetic about how perfect 1979's 'The Black Stallion' is as so many have before me. Suffice to say it is magical. Carroll Ballard's masterpiece presented on a Criterion bluray is highly recommended.

I have given this movie to so many young ones over the decades. They all said that this movie was their fav childhood flick. I have seen it over 40 times and each time I’m swept into a world where agape love proves to come from the soul and lives forever. If you know a child age 7-13 please get them this movie. If you know of an elderly person who complains about how current Hollywood movies are perverse, get them this movie. This is the most beautifuly filmed movie ever. And the young actor Reno gave the world a gift with his subtle and honest performance.

One of the greatest movies made in the 1980's, now at long last in 4K and Criterion Collection release. Jaw "droppingly" beautiful from start to wild finish. One of Mickey Rooney's greatest roles, a breakout performance by Kelly Reno as young Alec and a screenplay that understands how to tell a story with minimal, and only the most essential, dialog. The rest is left to the masterwork of Director Carrol Ballard and the cinematography Caleb Deschanel who work a magic that will stay with you long after the final credits roll.

This may easily be one of the most beautiful films ever made and the Criterion Blu-ray makes it a must have!Very beautiful.

The absolute definitive home video version of the most beautiful movie ever commited to motion picture film. If you have ever seen it you owe it to yourself to relive it thru this amazing edition from the masters at Criterion. I'm so happy this version exists since this film was totally overlooked on DVD thru the years.

A classic story finally given it's due. Video is as good as it's going to get. Much better shadow detail then previous releases. There is film grain but it is present in original source. This is done right, cleaned up the picture without over processing it. Audio is clean but original wasn't in surround so you get what was originally intended.

Visually inspiring and emotionally charged, Carroll Ballard's wonderful Francis Ford Coppola produced family feature The Black Stallion makes its way to the hall of fame that is the Criterion Collection. As with all of Criterion's Blu ray releases The Black Stallion is region A locked meaning that you WILL require a multi-region player to view the content on this Blu ray. I did however manage to get around the region coding on my Panasonic BD80 by pressing stop on the mis-matched region screen then pressing top menu on the remote. As far as I know this trick only works on Panasonic equipment and on certain discs from a handful of distributors so try at your own risk.Synopsis:Based on the first of a series of novels by Walter Farley from the 1940s, The Black Stallion opens aboard a ship cruising off the coast of North Africa circa 1946. Passengers on the ship include a young boy Alec Ramsey (Kelly Reno) who is traveling the world with his adventurous salesman father (Hoyt Axton of Gremlins). One evening whilst his father plays poker Alec explores the ship. On hearing a melee of sound from another deck the inquisitive boy investigates and sees something that will change his life forever. That something is a beautiful black Arabian racehorse which a group of men are trying in vain to control and stable. Later that evening Alec attepts to get a closer look at the creature, enticing it to the door with a sugar lump but is soon chased off by the horse's owner. During the night Alec and his father are awoken by a commotion on the ship and escape their cabin to find a fierce storm has caused a fire onboard and that the ship will sink into the dark Atlantic Ocean. As chaos breaks out Alec finds himself all alone in the freezing water with the ship sunk and his father gone but before all of this happened he managed to do something amazing and that was to cut free the black horse he had so admired before the fateful accident. He awakens all alone on a sandy beach still possessing the small pocketknife and the figurine of Alexander The Greats horse Bucephalus his father had given him the night before. After a search of the island Alec hears a familiar sound, the sound of a distressed horse and soon finds that the wild Arabian black has also survived the ordeal and is too stranded on the deserted island. Through trial and error Alec gains the trust of the mighty untameable steed and the two form and unlikely bond and a lasting friendship that continues even after the pair are rescued by fishermen and returned to Alec's home back in America where his mother(Teri Garr of Close Encounters fame) fully welcomes the magnificent animal knowing full well her son may not have survived had it not been for the stallion which Alec had affectionately named Black. After an altercation with a jumpy garbage man Black is spooked and flees Alec's backyard which had become his home. Desperate to find his beloved friend Alec searches through the night across town and country and eventually tracks Black to a stable adjoining a farmhouse owned by Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney) a elderly retired racing jokey. Sensing the connection between boy and horse and realising the passion Alec possesses, Henry believes with the right training both Alec and Black could become champions of the racecourse.Beautifully mounted and exquisitely shot The Black Stallion is a real feast for the eyes. From the intense and chaotic sinking of the ship through to the vast sandy beaches and crystalline waters of the island and back to the dusty roads and rows of suburban houses of 40s Americana the cinematography by Caleb Deschanel is awe inspiring, truly pulling the audience into this remarkable story. The best scenes are of boy and horse alone on the island with limited dialogue the camera captures more on film than can be said in words alone with an often dream like ambiance that is both graceful and powerful and quite unlike anything else.The Black Stallion has an intentionally slow almost rhythmic pace which is mostly unheard of for a family orientated movie but never for one second feels tiresome with every scene in the movie having a purpose to the story. This could honestly have been a much longer movie than it is as there are moments that we simply don't see. We never really know for sure why Alec and his father are on the ship, we never once see how Alec and Black make it back to America after being picked up by the fishermen and apart from fleeting comments and one moving scene we never witness the anguish and mourning caused by the death of Alec's father. But the film is so well structured that we don't need to. We just know these events would have taken place but they seem almost irrelevant to how the story plays out which is a real credit to the narrative structure. A special mention must also go to the haunting ethereal music score which continuously captures the mood of this sumptuous movie with noodling middle eastern elements constantly reminding the viewer of the power of the Arabian stallion that may be Alec's companion but is still an untamed and almost mystical beast with very little known of it's origin.A magnificently made movie, The Black Stallion is a film that will captivate the adults as much as it will enthrall children with many emotions throughout it's 117 minute runtime culminating in a predictable but still edge of your seat white knuckle finalé that even made this 37 year old reviewer choke up. This really does showcase the power of good moviemaking from a collection of incredible talents. Highly recommended.Picture:Supervised by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, Criterion's new 2k HD transfer treats The Black Stallion to the visual presentation it fully deserves. Originally released on Blu ray by rights holder MGM on a fairly lackluster disc this new AVC MPEG 4 encoded 1080p transfer is a most welcome improvement. Framed at the correct aspect ratio of 1.85:1 detail and textures are vastly improved in close ups and with strong dimensionality and a wonderful sense of depth for the vast expanses of the Sardinian coastline (doubling up for North Africa) through to the tree lined roads of America which have the appearance of painterly works of art. Colours are robust but naturalistic from the deep orange glow of the fire aboard the boat, the soft blue Mediterranean skies and the lush greens of the foliage around the stables not to mention the kaleidoscope of colours for the jockey suits in the finalé. Black levels are deep and inky with no notable crush and contrast is perfect especially for the bright daytime scenes on the island with the ripples of light on the sea through to the sun scorched rocks and sand. One element that cineastes will find most welcome is the lack of any denoising to the image meaning that the rich and organic grain structure has been completely intact resulting in an incredibly lifelike and naturally filmic image. As always Criterion have provided a wonderful clean up job meaning that print damage and age related problems are non existent and thanks to good encoding and a consistent bitrate this gorgeous movie is a real treat for the eyes and a truly worthwhile restoration.Audio:For the soundtrack Criterion have remained faithful to the original sound design and have remastered the original Dolby Stereo in 24bit from the original 35mm magnetic Dolby A tracks. The audio has been preserved on this Blu ray release with an uncompressed 2.0 channel DTS HD Master stereo track. For the record I played this back using a DTS NEO6 decoder as I always do for stereo only presentations which is my prefered decoder as opposed to Dolby Pro Logic that Criterion recommend to use for this release.Whichever way you hear this The Black Stallion sounds breathtaking here in uncompressed. Dialogue is rich and clear with a strong natural timbre and accurate prioritization in the front centre of the soundstage even during the louder moments of the film. Imaging in the left and right channels is strong with horses and trains passing across the screen with ease and the stereophonic soundstage is realistic with crashing waves, cracking fire and the din of distressed passengers during the sinking of the ship placing the audience right in the centre of the action. Dynamic range is intense too meaning you can literally feel Black's hoves hit the ground during the end race with the soundtrack also possessing incredible nuances picking out the heavy breathing of the animal, the jangle of stirrups and the hubbub of the watching crowd. The multi layed music soundtrack is rich and resonant with the different instruments clearly defined, crisply rendered and given there own space to breathe. Despite being only a 2 channel presentation the surround speakers do open up the score and add occasional environmental atmospherics and the subwoofer implements considerable punch when required. The soundtrack as to be expected from Criterion is clean with no age related problems and is as a joy to listen to as the image is to watch.Extras:Criterion add a decent collection of supplementary features for their new release of The Black Stallion beginning with a selection of 5 short films directed by Carroll Ballard between 1965 and 1974. Presented in HD and sporting an introduction from the director these all vary in length with the longest running around 45 minutes.Next up is a new 47 minute shot in HD interview with director Carroll Ballard and film critic Scott Foundass that was recorded exclusively for this release which is both interesting and engaging covering everything from the production history and Coppola's involvement through to the shooting locations, artistic choices and Mickey Rooney's performance in the movie.A 21 minute interview with cinematographer Caleb Dechanel again shot in HD comes next. He reminisces about his time working on the movie, how he had collaborated with director Ballard previously and how he worked with the trainer to capture the incredible shots of the boy and horse.The final interview is a short shot in HD chat with stills photographer Mary Ellen Mark who talks exclusively for this release on her work in the various locations used in The Black Stallion that include Sardinia and Canada.As to be expected the theatrical trailer is included presented here in 1080p and a fold out insert (which Criterion seem to utilise now more than booklets) is also included with a piece written by film critic Michael Sragow.Conclusion:Carroll Ballard's The Black Stallion is a true masterpiece and although that is a statement that should never been thrown about without due consideration in this case it is totally true and duly warrented.Criterion's new restoration is a joy to behold with a marvelous picture transfer and equally strong lossless audio. Again Criterion continue to impress and make collecting films on Blu ray something special which is what it all should be about. Highly recommended.

One of the best movies ever made.

『ワイルド・ブラック／少年の黒い馬』は、かつては日本でもDVDが発売されていましたが、現在は廃盤となっています。アメリカでは2種類のブルーレイが発売されており、1つは2014年にフォックス=MGMから発売されたバージョン（米欧アジア共通仕様）、もう1つは2015年にクライテリオンから発売された豪華版（本商品）です。いずれも日本語は収録されていませんが、現状では本作をコレクションするにはこのどちらかのディスクを買うしかないという状況です。私はどちらのブルーレイも購入したので、以下両ディスクを比較しながらレビューしたいと思います。パッケージ：FOX盤：肉抜きプラケース（青色）、封入特典なしクライテリオン盤：SCANAVO社製プラケース（無色透明）、ポスター型解説書封入クライテリオン盤の解説書は八つ折りになったポスター仕様で、オモテ面には黒馬と少年の写真、ウラ面に映画のデータとディスク制作クレジット、そして評論家マイケル・スラゴウによる解説文（英文）が掲載されています。正直に言って大判ポスターを広げて解説を読むのは面倒なのですが、幸いに評論文はクライテリオンの公式ページから読むことができます。https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3627-the-black-stallion-nirvana-on-horsebackディスク仕様：FOX盤：映像：片面2層50GB／MPEG-4 AVCコーデック／1080p／1.85:1ビスタサイズ／本編117分（32チャプター）音声：英語DTS-HDMA 5.1chスペイン語DDモノラルフランス語DTS-HDMAモノラルイタリア語DTS-HDMAモノラルドイツ語DTS-HDMAモノラルスペイン語DTS-HDMAモノラル字幕：英語SDH／フランス語／スペイン語／ドイツ語／ギリシャ語／インドネシア語／イタリア語／韓国語／中国語（簡体）／中国語（繁体）／タイ語クライテリオン盤：映像（4Kリマスター）：片面2層50GB／MPEG-4 AVCコーデック／1080p／1.85:1ビスタサイズ／本編117分（15チャプター）音声：英語DTS-HDMA 2.0ch字幕：英語SDHクライテリオン盤はオリジナルのネガフィルムを4Kスキャンし、撮影監督キャレブ・デシャネルの監修のもと2K解像度で修復した新マスターを採用。FOX盤もまずまずの高画質（中の上といったレベル）でしたが、クライテリオン盤は解像感が向上しより鮮明な映像になっています。ただしフィルムグレインもかなり目立つので、人によってはノイジーに見えるかもしれませんまた、クライテリオン盤はFOX盤よりも画面がかなり明るくなっています。最初に観たのがFOX盤だったせいもあるかもしれませんが、シーンによってはFOX盤のほうが自然な色合いに見えることもありました。FOX盤は英語字幕の文字サイズが比較的小さく読みにくいのが難点でしたが、クライテリオン盤ではより読みやすいサイズになっているのがありがたいです。チャプター数はFOX盤のほうが多く設定されていますが、クライテリオン盤にはブックマーク機能とレジューム機能が搭載されています。特典：FOX盤：・オリジナル劇場予告編（2分・1080p）クライテリオン盤：・Short Films（キャロル・バラード監督短編映画集）…キャロル・バラードが1965年から1974年の間に監督した5本の短編映画を収録。　各短編にバラード監督のイントロダクション映像付き。英語字幕なし。　1. Pigs! (1965) (12分・1080p)　2. The Perils of Priscilla (1969) (18分・1080p)　3. Rodeo (1969) (20分・1080p)　4. Seems Like Only Yesterday (1971) (48分・1080p)　5. Crystallization (1974) (12分・1080p)・Carroll Ballard and Scott Foundas（キャロル・バラード監督インタビュー）…映画評論家スコット・ファウンダスによるキャロル・バラード監督のインタビュー映像（2015年撮影）。　監督のキャリア、コッポラとの関係、演出方針、原作小説との違い、キャスティングについて、　撮影の裏話（少年がコブラに襲われるシーンや船の沈没など）、完成後の反響などが語られる。英語字幕なし。(48分・1080p)・Caleb Deschanel（撮影監督キャレブ・デシャネルが語る撮影の舞台裏）…撮影監督キャレブ・デシャネルがバラード監督の演出スタイル、少年と馬との撮影の裏話などを語るインタビュー（2014年収録）。　英語字幕なし。（22分・1080p）・Mary Ellen Mark（写真家メアリー・エレン・マークによる写真コレクションと思い出）…写真家のメアリー・エレン・マークが、撮影現場で撮ったオフショット写真のスライドショーを背景に当時の思い出を語る。　貴重な写真が満載（1枚は封入特典のポスターにも使われた）で、眺めているだけでも楽しめる。英語字幕なし（8分・1080p）・オリジナル劇場予告編（2分・1080p）特典映像はクライテリオン盤のほうが充実しています。英語字幕がないためリスニング力が要求されますが、短編映画や写真ギャラリーは映像だけでも楽しめます。監督と撮影監督が語る製作秘話は情報量がかなり多く、ファンにはたまらない内容となっています。結論：特典映像は不要という方は安価なFOX盤でも十分だと思いますがコレクションするならこちらのクライテリオン盤をお勧めします。3000円強なら十分元が取れるでしょう。