THE HORSE WHISPERER 1998
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1998 Timothy Voon
2 :-) :-) for the Marlborough Man
Cast: Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Scarlett Johansson, Dianne Wiest, Chris Cooper, Ty Hillman, Catherine Bosworth Director: Robert Redford Producers: Robert Redford, Patrick Markey Screenplay: Richard LaGravenese, Eric Roth based on the novel by Nicholas Evans
If you survived the 3 to 4 hour scenic footage of DANCES WITH WOLVES, or the odd 2 to 3 hours of fly fishing in A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT, then theoretically, you should have no problems sitting through this 3 hour version of horse taming and beautiful Montana countryside. This film, will either bore you to tears from its opening moments, or have the exact opposite effect, and draw you into an intriguing story that is filled with passion and traumatised psyche.
After witnessing one of the most horrific horse accidents I have come across in my small life span, I have vowed never to get on these great four legged beasts, ever. This is a story of healing, not only for a young girl, but also for her horse that sustained horrific wounds during a most tragic accident. An initially, emotionally detached mother (Kristin Scott Thomas), fights to bring her daughter out of a morbid depression. She searches out a horse doctor (Robert Redford) in vain hopes that healing the horse-gone-mad, will also bring inner healing to her daughter. This is where THE HORSE WHISPERER comes into the picture, with a mixture of patience, firmness and of course whispering, the doctor lures the emotionally unbalanced beast back into sanity.
Robert Redford in jeans and cowboy hat, now rugged appearance is everybody's version of a Marlborough man, except for the cigarettes. He is filled this movie with what many people want on a sunny summer holiday. A house by a stream, yummy country style cooking, the surrounds of loving family, plenty of horse riding over lush plains, and of course a love interest to share the experience with. Kristin Scott Thomas is looking very much like Emma Thompson, with her hair cropped short and trying to exude the emotions of a bitter, angry mother, who doesn't know what she wants in life until she meets the Marlborough Man. Then the ever-dependable Sam Neil is the overly understanding, sensitive husband who knows when to give his wife room to choose.
Overall, a very good effort, and worth looking at if you ever wanted to see a well made picture about horses, emotional healing and romance.
Timothy Voon
e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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