The Black Stallion Returns | |
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Directed by | Robert Dalva |
Screenplay by | Jerome Kass Richard Kletter |
Based on | The Black Stallion Returns 1945 novel by Walter Farley |
Produced by | Fred Roos Francis Ford Coppola Tom Sternberg |
Starring | |
Narrated by | Hoyt Axton |
Cinematography | Carlo Di Palma |
Edited by | Paul Hirsch |
Music by | Georges Delerue |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | MGM/UA Entertainment Co. |
Release date |
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Running time | 103 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $12 million [1] |
The Black Stallion Returns is a 1983 adventure film, an adaptation of the book of the same name by Walter Farley, and sequel to The Black Stallion . The only film directed by Robert Dalva, it was produced by Francis Ford Coppola for MGM/UA Entertainment Company. [2]
Kelly Reno and Teri Garr reprise their roles with Hoyt Axton once again serving as the narrator. New cast members include Allen Garfield, Vincent Spano and Woody Strode. The portrayal of The Black was shared between Cass Ole, the horse from the first film, and El Mokhtar in his only film appearance.
Several odd occurrences, including a suspicious fire, happen at the farm where Alec Ramsay (Kelly Reno) and his mother (Teri Garr) stable Alec's horse, “The Black.” One night, “The Black” is taken away. Sheik Ishak (Ferdy Mayne) says he is responsible, claiming that the stallion is his stolen property that he has retrieved, learning his whereabouts due to the publicity about “The Black” winning in the match race and that his real name is Shêtân ("devil"). After learning that the sheik is returning “The Black” to his kingdom in the Moroccan desert, Alec stows away on a plane to Casablanca.
In Morocco, Alec makes some friends who disguise him as a local. They take him to a man named Kurr (Allen Garfield), the leader of a rogue tribe called the Uruk, who is interested in “The Black” and Sheik Ishak. He allows Alec to travel with him and another man, but they abandon Alec in the desert after the truck breaks down. Alec is picked up by another truck driver. Aboard the truck, he meets Raj (Vincent Spano), who learned English from university. The two become friends and travel across the desert on foot with Meslar (Woody Strode), Raj's friend and mentor. Then the Uruk kidnap Meslar, and Raj and Alec must defend themselves against the harsh elements as their camel dies. After running out of water, they collapse but recover when they find a river.
Raj's tribe discovers them, welcoming Raj home and Alec to the tribe. Raj takes Alec to Ishak's domain, where he reunites with “The Black” but is apprehended by Ishak's men. He pleads his case to Sheik Ishak, who is sympathetic but will not give up the horse. He is racing the stallion in the "Great Race" with his granddaughter, Tabari (Jodi Thelen) as the rider. Alec insists “The Black” can only win if he rides him. Denied, Alec coaches Tabari, but “The Black” throws her off during practice. Then, the Uruk capture “The Black” and Alec, but the two escape. As they flee, Alec discovers that Meslar is being held prisoner and gives him his pocket knife to cut his bonds. Alec and “The Black” return to Ishak's. As a reward, Alec is allowed to ride him in the race.
On race day, Alec reunites with Raj, who is also competing. They and the other riders begin their run across the desert. The Uruk's rider tries to kill Alec, but he and “The Black” escape. Alec discovers that the Uruk's rider pushed Raj off his horse and returns Raj's mount to him. Together, they race against the Uruk rider until Meslar appears and spooks the rider's horse, unseating him. Suddenly, Kurr chases Raj and Alec in his truck, shooting at them. However, the truck crashes into a ditch.
Alec wins the race, then pleads with Ishak to spare Raj's horse, despite the winning sheik taking any horses he chooses. Ishak grants the reprieve, which allows Alec to repay Raj for his kindness. Meslar returns with Kurr, his accomplice, and the Uruk rider, who are all taken prisoner.
Although Ishak gives “The Black” back to Alec, he decides to leave his horse in Morocco, believing he belongs there.
The filming locations for "The Black Stallion Returns" took place in Djanet, Algeria; Abiquiu, New Mexico; Italy; Morocco; Santa Clarita & Los Angeles, California; and New York City. [3] The role of the Black Stallion was played by Cass Ole (who starred in the first film) and El Mokhtar, who was used in the racing scenes of the film, but he died from colic during the making of the film.
The Black Stallion Returns debuted at #5 at the box office, grossing $2,923,297 during its opening weekend, coming in behind the films High Road to China and Tootsie. The film grossed $12,049,108 at the North American box office. [1]
Vincent Canby of The New York Times said the film was "funny, unpretentious and fast-paced. It has a kind of comicbook appreciation for direct action and no time whatsoever for mysticism or for scenery for its own sake, though most of it was shot in Morocco and is fun to look at". [4] The Boston Globe called it a "slow-paced, incompetently directed film with both eyes focused on the box office".[ citation needed ] Variety magazine said, "The Black Stallion Returns is little more than a contrived, cornball story that most audiences will find to be an interminable bore". [5] Roger Ebert complained about the film's stereotypical portrayal of Arab characters in his review, while noting that Allen Garfield was miscast. [6]
Young Artist Awards
The Black Stallion is a 1979 American adventure film based on the 1941 classic children's novel of the same name by Walter Farley. The film starts in 1946, five years after the book was published. It tells the story of Alec Ramsey, a boy who is shipwrecked on a deserted island with a wild Arabian stallion that he befriends. After being rescued, they are set on entering a race challenging two champion horses.
Garfield: The Movie is a 2004 American comedy film based on Jim Davis' comic strip Garfield. Directed by Peter Hewitt and written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, it stars Breckin Meyer as Jon Arbuckle, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Dr. Liz Wilson and features Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield, who was created with computer-generated imagery.
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Walter Farley was an American author, primarily of horse stories for children. His first and most famous work was The Black Stallion (1941), the success of which led to many sequels over decades; the series has been continued since his death by his son Steven.
Woodrow Wilson Woolwine Strode was an American athlete, actor, and author. He was a decathlete and football star who was one of the first Black American players in the National Football League (NFL) in the postwar era. After football, he went on to become a film actor, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spartacus in 1960. Strode also served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.
The Adventures of the Black Stallion is a drama television series that starred Mickey Rooney and Richard Ian Cox, as a trainer and a teenaged horse racer and was loosely based on The Black Stallion book series by Walter Farley. The series originally ran on The Family Channel and YTV from September 15, 1990, to May 16, 1993, before cancellation. It has since been shown in re-runs throughout the world. Mickey Rooney is the only original cast member from The Black Stallion film to reprise his role in the show. In France, the show ran on M6 from April 20, 1991.
Vincent M. Spano Jr. is an American film, stage, and television actor, and a film director and producer.
The Black Stallion, known as the Black or Shêtân, is the title character from author Walter Farley's bestselling series about the Arab stallion and his young owner, Alec Ramsay. The series chronicles the story of a Sheikh's prized stallion after he comes into Alec's possession through a ship journey gone awry. Later books in the series furnish the Black's backstory. Shaytan is the Arabic word for "devil".
El Mokhtar was an Arabian horse, and one of three black Arabian stallions used to portray "The Black" in the second Black Stallion film, The Black Stallion Returns.
Baby It's You is a 1983 American romantic comedy drama film written and directed by John Sayles. It stars Rosanna Arquette and Vincent Spano.
Kelly Reno is a former child actor, rancher, and trucker. At age 13, he was cast in the role of Alec Ramsey, the young boy who is marooned on a deserted island along with an Arabian horse, in The Black Stallion.
Cass Ole was a Texan-bred Arabian stallion. Originally bred to be a show horse, he was National Champion in Arabian Western Pleasure in 1975, National Reserve Champion Arabian Ladies Side Saddle in 1976, and U.S. Top Ten Arabian English Pleasure in both 1975 and 1976. He won over 50 championships and over 20 Reserve Championships in his seven-year show career and was high point winner of the King Saud Trophy of the American Horse Show Association.
Robert Dalva was an American film editor. Filmography as editor includes The Black Stallion, Raising Cain, Jumanji, Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo, October Sky, and The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. He also directed the film The Black Stallion Returns (1983).
The Young Black Stallion is a 2003 American IMAX drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Simon Wincer, the film is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Black Stallion creator Walter Farley and his son Steven Farley.
Glenn H. Randall Sr. (1908-1992) was a professional horse trainer, best known for training the horse Trigger for the television series The Roy Rogers Show. He developed over 30 hand commands to which the palomino responded. Randall Sr. also trained Gene Autry's horse Champion the Wonder Horse.
Larbi Doghmi was a Moroccan actor. He starred in numerous Moroccan films and television shows, and was known for his sound dubbing of Bollywood films. He also has to his credit international films such as The Man Who Would Be King, where he portrayed Ootah.