A Birthday Dedication to:
My Friend, Kevin
One of my best college friends is abroad right now...so for his birthday I thought I would review his favorite childhood movie.
I remember finding this film extremely boring as a child, so when I heard him say it was his favorite film I was a little baffled. But as I sat on my three hour train ride back home for Thanksgiving I figured what is the harm? If I fall asleep that's alright...If I am pleasantly surprised that is even better. And you know...I think I was surprised.
Yes the dialogue is amateurish and some of the content is pretty bleak for a kids film but this film is actually visually very appealing. There is something quite pleasant about being immersed in pastoral England watching beautiful horses run free. Especially because the color is so much more vibrant compared to today's films. We seem to have fallen into a dark aesthetic nowadays and it was refreshing to watch something that was genuinely warm at times.
In addition, it was shot very well. The personification of the horses is achieved mostly through framing. Often finding their very giving eyes at the center of a shot, it really made you feel connected to this protagonist regardless of the species gap.
Also the music by Danny Elfman is beautiful and sweeping truly giving life to this horse beyond the dialogue.
A couple other things I was entertained by: 1.) Black Beauty has a Scottish accent...alright I am down 2.) Yes if you squint you can see a very young Sean Bean and David Thewlis ...so Boromir and Lupin made it into a film together.
Overall: This is a children's movie that I think I got more out of as an adult. No it is by no means a great film, but you know for an hour and twenty minutes it is actually quite touching. Happy Birthday, Kevin! And Happy Watching! ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment