I can't believe how highly rated this film is. Yes, the photography is beautiful, but this film is so boring! I kept telling myself it's rated 4 stars on TCM so it must get better eventually. Nope!! I give it two stars. National Velvet is infinitely better than this film.
shareI liked it a lot. The race scene at the end was very well done IMO.
shareI didn't find it boring at all. The story is moved along with more imagery than words. I thought it was beautiful and engaging from beginning to end.
shareI thought it was beautiful and engaging from beginning to end.Me too.
Sadly, you can't control other people's taste.
I found this film poetic, magical and mythic - and I adored the "old-fashioned" story-telling pace that let events breathe at an unhurried pace. I'd love to see more movies like this, but since other people would find it "boring", I guess we can't be surprised at what dreck Hollywood pumps out to satisfy modern attention spans.
I'd love to see more movies like this, but since other people would find it "boring", I guess we can't be surprised at what dreck Hollywood pumps out to satisfy modern attention spans.
My mom took me to see this when it came out, I was 6 at the time, it was boring as hell and I had a hard time watching the whole thing. I just watched it again today after all these years and being older with more patience now I don't think it was as boring but the pacing could be better. But for the time it came out I'm sure many found it boring and many found it just right.
shareI was about the same age when I saw it. I think I remember watching it on HBO, not in the theater. I distinctly remember thinking that it wasn't really a kids movie. I didn't really understand it but I couldn't look away because it was so beautiful. But I had three good reasons to watch it 1) I grew up on the water so the boat/island scenes were familiar to me, 2) my cousins had horses so I had a little bit of familiar with them and 3) my siblings went to school with Mickey Rooney's stepson so I felt like there was some tiny chance I could meet him (there wasn't).
shareThat's cool.
share"The Black Stallion" is a beautiful film that I found to be really hypnotic. I usually disagree with late critic Pauline Kael, but her great review for this was spot on (stating that it may be the greatest children's movie ever made). This film HAS to be viewed on Criterion's stunning 4K Blu-ray. This is the only children's film I would call a masterwork. I found "National Velvet" dull and uninvolving.
shareInterestingly I just sat down with my kids tonight to watch this (11, 9 & 6) and I was worried they might find it a bit slow for their tastes but they all loved it.
shareShould have had some explosions and superheroes and *beep* like that. Then original poster would be happy.
shareIt is a slow film, it is a gorgeous film, it is a moving film. I didn't expect to be so emotionally involved.
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