Description:

THE BLACK STALLION (1979) 
Introduced by Jacob Smith, Professor, Sound Arts and Industries, Northwestern University
THE BLACK STALLION (CARROL BALLARD, 1979, 118 MIN, DCP)

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“...the first hour of this movie belongs among the great filmgoing experiences.”-- Roger Ebert

Based on Walter Farley’s beloved 1941 novel, THE BLACK STALLION (1979) is a mesmerizing, visually stunning film by Carroll Ballard (NEVER CRY WOLF). In his first feature, Ballard demonstrates his affinity for both adventure stories and young protagonists. Here, an adolescent boy, Alec (Kelly Reno, in his screen debut), finds himself shipwrecked on a deserted island with only a black horse as a companion. What follows is an enchanting stretch of human-animal friendship in isolation. After they are rescued, Alec works with retired jockey Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney, Best Actor nominee) to see if this wild stallion can be transformed into a winning racehorse. Teri Garr plays Alec’s mother and singer-songwriter-actor Hoyt Axton plays his father. THE BLACK STALLION is notable for its beautiful cinematography, by the great Caleb Deschanel, and a stirring score by Carmine Coppola. It is also celebrated for its virtuosic sound design, particularly in the film’s first half-hour, which is nearly dialogue-free. Innovative sound editor Alan Splet (who was a long-term creative partner of David Lynch on films including BLUE VELVET, ERASERHEAD, and DUNE) received a Special Achievement Academy Award for the film, and Northwestern professor Jacob Smith will focus on this aspect of the film in his introduction, and also connect it to Splet’s work with David Lynch. Technical achievements aside, THE BLACK STALLION remains a rousing experience for the young and the young-at-heart alike.

Co-presented with the MFA in Sound Arts and Industries at Northwestern University.