Summary

BLACK STALLION

Source Archive Films by Getty Images
Title: BLACK STALLION
File Number: DN-CLB-009 Beta SP
Color: B W
Type: Sound Western
Year: 1938
Description: 00:00:00:00 B W 1938 Cast: Hobart Bosworth - Uncle Hank Frank Campeau - Jim Harry Harvey, Jr. - Tommy Harry Harvey, Sr. - Pete Sheik - Whitey Jack Lindell - Horse Trainer Rex - El Diablo The magnificent black stallion Rex (or his descendant) carries the film's "romantic" plotline, as he regularly purloins the mares and fillies under the protection of his equestrian rival, the white stallion Sheik. Framing the story is old-timer Hobart Bosworth, who recalls the adventures of Rex and Sheik to his wide-eyed grandson Harry Harvey Jr. The film is beautifully photographed (by Jack Greenhaigh Jr.), a fact that glosses over the multitudinous faults in W. Scott Darling's screenplay. Good shots throughout of herds of galloping horses and landscape shots of the American Southwest. 03:02:27:00 B W 1938 ws shot of Western valley, horse round-up 03:04:21:00 B W 1938 herd of horses cross stream (again at 03:05:41:00) 03:05:50:00 B W 1938 grandfather, father and son (not really, but could pass for three generations of cowboys - shots of the three together with scenic backdrops appear throughout) rest on rocky cliff and tell stories 03:06:40:00 B W 1938 El Diablo (the Black Stallion) and pinto horse fight - bucking and kicking and biting 03:08:55:00 B W 1938 cowboy quartet sings tune while one strums guitar 03:11:00:00 B W 1938 young Tommy (decked out in cowboy gear, complete with holster and pistol) belts out a cowboy tune, "I want to be a great big buckaroo...", dinner bell rings in the middle of Tommy's tune 03:12:24:00 B W 1938 cowboy leads white horse (Whitey - an all-white horse with black speckles on his face) to water trough 03:16:56:00 B W 1938 man spots herd of wild horses, Whitey neighs to warn other horses to escape, Whitey leads man on wild chase 03:17:45:00 B W 1938 Whitey leads herd of horses to expansive clearing surrounded by lakes and trees... begins "courtship" with a white pinto mare 03:19:15:00 B W 1938 black mule neighs loudly... Whitey and mare nuzzle with newborn colt 03:20:37:00 B W 1938 Whitey and colt frolicking in the lake, Whitey spots a snake swimmming towards colt and stomps on it... black mule belts out his approval 03:21:55:00 B W 1938 colt frightened off by a pack of cotton-tail rabbits 03:23:23:00 B W 1938 good shot of wide-eyed owl perched on a tree limb (CU shot at 03:23:31:00) 03:25:30:00 B W 1938 black mule (the mule ostensibly functions as source of comic relief though he's not particularly funny... seems out of place with herd of wild horses) falls into trap set up by horse ranchers, Whitey attempts to rescue him but the ranchers get there first, they lasso the mule and yank him out of pit and struggle to bring him down, mule bucks wildly 03:27:35:00 B W 1938 Whitey charges towards the ranchers, the frightened ranchers release the black mule who rejoins the herd 03:28:04:00 B W 1938 El Diablo spots the herd and "kidnaps" Whitey's mare (though it seems like she happily joins him)... colt gallops towards his mother and El Diablo while Whitey neighs in anger 03:30:18:00 B W 1938 El Diablo bucks wildly to try to scare away colt, colt gallops away 03:33:15:00 B W 1938 lost and wandering colt chased by pack of wolves 03:34:11:00 B W 1938 trapped colt surrounded and attacked by yelping wolves, Whitey charges the wolves and starts bucking and kicking, scares wolves away 03:35:42:00 B W 1938 man bites into an onion, starts to cry... little Tommy points and makes fun of him 03:36:36:00 B W 1938 man uses saying "a little child shall lead them" 03:36:42:00 B W 1938 Whitey reunited with his family, trio of white horses play and nuzzle together, mare nurses young horse 03:37:47:00 B W 1938 mule's ears perk up, belts out a funny-sounding noise followed by a yawn (very funny facial expression) 03:39:24:00 B W 1938 good shot of the magnificent El Diablo (the Black Stallion), cliff rocks and canyons in background 03:30:12:00 B W 1938 Whitey and El Diablo square off, horse fight between black horse and white horse (pretty fierce stuff)... mule perches atop a cliff to watch - lifts head and neighs loudly 03:42:34:00 B W 1938 man starts a brush fire to smoke out herd of horses, stampeding horses escape flames 03:45:34:00 B W 1938 man rubs ointment on young colt's burnt legs inside a barn, feeds colt from a bowl... mare enters the barn and nurses young horse, man approaches mare and colt as they feed from bale of hay, offers bowl of water 03:49:00:00 B W 1938 Whitey finally joins mare and colt, all three horses feed on hay 03:50:07:00 B W 1938 four men on horseback chase El Diablo, they lasso the horse around the neck but he still manages to escape 03:51:46:00 B W 1938 hundreds of horses rounded-up
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