The Black Stallion

Director: Carroll Ballard

1979 / 117min / DCP

Young shipwreck survivor Alec finds himself stranded on an island with only a mysterious black horse as a companion, and in this hostile environment, boy and beast must learn to work together. When the pair are returned to civilization, trainer Mickey Rooney (evoking his role in National Velvet) uses their bond to take them to the elite level in horse racing. A visually sumptuous work from Ballard and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel from a script by E.T. scribe Melissa Mathison, showing a familiar sensitivity to the inner life of a child.