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The Horse Whisperer

Rating

Director

Robert Redford

Screenplay

Eric Roth, Richard LaGravenese (Novel: Nicholas Evans)

Length

2h 49m

Starring

Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Dianne Wiest, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones, Catherine Bosworth, Ty Hillman

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Basic Plot

A horse is involved in a terrible accident leaving it badly injured and its rider with an amputated leg. Only a “horse whisperer” from Montana can cure both creatures.

Review

A horse is a horse. And nobody can talk to a horse. Unless it’s the famous Tom Booker?

Robert Redford directs and stars in this adaptation of the Nicholas Evans novel of the same name. Redford has always been one for wide open spaces and doesn’t take a break now.

The opening sequence is stunning. A horse is galloping across a sandy wilderness. The editing is moving and the underscore is breathtaking. After we finally see the horse in full stride, Redford cuts to the action. A young girl wakes up early in the morning, dresses in her warmest riding outfit and runs out the door silently to meet a friend and neighbor in the middle of a snow-covered field. They wander up to the stables and take their horses for a ride. They are trotting down the road, discussing boys. The take their steeds off the beaten path onto a hillside.

While climbing the hill, the music builds and they start sliding backwards. The horses buck wildly and one of the young girls is knocked from her horse, but still attached to the stirrup. The resulting montage is magnificent. A semi comes barreling down the road towards them, honking wildly for them to get out of the road. It tries to stop, but instead jackknifes as it tries to stop. One horse and girl, Grace (Scarlett Johansson), are saved, but not unscathed. The other girl and horse are dead.

The horse is badly injured and many want to put it to sleep. Grace’s mother, Annie MacLean (Kristin Scott Thomas), refuses to let the horse, Pilgrim, go and tries to do everything to ensure that Grace and the horse are saved from their prisons of hatred and fear.

Annie calls up a Montana rancher known as a “horse whisperer.” Tom Booker (Robert Redford) initially refuses to help and Annie convinces her husband to allow Grace and the horse to travel to Montana to see this man.

When they arrive, Tom can do little more then accept, since they came all that way. Thus begins a lengthy movie focusing on the relationships between Tom and Pilgrim, Tom and Grace, Tom and Annie, Annie and Grace and Grace and pilgrim.

That’s a lot to do in one movie, but Redford handles it well. There are several sequences that could have been trimmed to lessen the running time far below its intimidating 3 hours. However, the story itself is touching.

Redford is good, but Scott Thomas and Johansson are the best performances in the film. Scott Thomas became extremely popular after 1996’s “The English Patient” and continues that stride in this picture. Johansson is a relatively new actress and is very interesting to watch. Redford directs her well and the character is so diverse and faceted that Johansson is the best thing about the film.

Other than the opening sequences with the horse in the sand and the horse and the truck, the rest of the film is rather unoriginal. Long distance shots are abundant, but it is still breathtaking. Cinematographer Robert Richardson could find a trophy on his mantle for this one. Other than that, there aren’t any other good bets awards.

“The Horse Whisperer” is one of those rare, touching films that despite its length is refreshing to enjoy, but standard romantic fare.

Awards Prospects

At this point a contender for Best Picture, Actor (Redford), Actress (Scott Thomas), Supporting Actress (Johansson), Director (Redford), Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, Cinematography and Dramatic Score. Not likely to win any of them, except maybe Cinematography.

Review Written

June 6, 1998