TMS Spotlight: Popular Horse Themed Movies

(American Zoetrope / United Artists)

Horse racing season is almost over in certain parts of southern California. For horse lovers, the off season can be time to not only spend with one’s own horse; but to also visit horse-related content in pop culture. With film, you have a vast selection of horse-themed movies for and boys and girls all over to enjoy, though many of them are B-movie schlock like Michael Mayer’s Flicka (2006) and Frederik Du Chau’s Racing Stripes (2005). But there still is a handful of quality movies for equine enthusiasts and film fanatics ranging from racing to just a boy/girl and their horse.

One of my favorites growing up was Clarence Brown’s National Velvet (1944), based on Enid Bagnold’s 1935 novel of the same name. I was never into horses as much as my younger sister; but 12-year-old Elizabeth Taylor’s on-screen love and passion raising and training her horse Pie with Mickey Rooney swept me away to film paradise. Even as a young girl, it was obvious Taylor was destined to be a movie star with her natural presence and comfort with the horse on the track. There would be a sequel, Bryan Forbes’ International Velvet (1978) with Tatum O’Neal and Anthony Hopkins, but it paled in comparison to the classic original.

Another horse classic, this time from the boy’s perspective, would be Carroll Ballard’s adaptation of Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion (1979), about little boy Alec (Kelly Reno), who’s stranded on an island with a dark Arabian horse named Black. Alongside Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography and Carmine Coppola’s score, the film is a breathtaking piece of nature and cinema. For biopics on real-life horse racing events, there are Gary Ross’ Depression era Seabiscuit (2003), Randall Wallace’s 1973 set Secretariat (2010) and Euros Lyn’s Wales set Dream Horse (2020), all of which were popular with critics and movie audiences. Just this past summer we were given a very rare sci-fi horror picture set in the horse community with Jordan Peele’s Nope.

(Dreamworks Pictures / Universal Pictures)

For animation, the 2002 DreamWorks feature Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron was originally overlooked in favor of Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, but over the years has found its small following with its tale of a free horse captured by humans. Two years later, Viggo Mortensen followed up Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings (2001-03) with Joe Johnston’s adventure flick Hidalgo (2004), about a cowboy and his horse in Arabia. Although not one of Steven Spielberg’s more popular films, 2011’s War Horse had an interesting perspective on WWI through the eyes of a thoroughbred for history and horse buffs.

A few romantic horse-themed movies are out there too. Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer (1998), about an 8th grader (Scarlett Johansson) who loses her legs in a horse accident, and her mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) falls for the trainer (Redford) reviving the stability of the girl’s horse. Steve Miner’s Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken (1991) tells of a young fair daredevil (Gabrielle Anwar) who jumps horses off high dives and also gets involved with the showrunner’s son (Michael Schoeffling). And finally, Billy Bob Thornton’s overlooked All the Pretty Horses (2000), adapted from Cormac McCarthy’s 1992 novel. Matt Damon and Henry Thomas play 1950s era cowboys who move to Mexico for ranch work, and the Damon character begins a romance with a local socialite played by Penélope Cruz. Not a perfect movie by any means, the film still has a lot of intriguing things with the performances and direction going on.

So if you’re still waiting for autumn weather to finally hit your region, here are some last minute summer viewing suggestions for movie fans.