Well, it's taken me many years to get around to seeing this film. I love animals, I enjoy animal stories, and there are many, many good actors in this cast.
I grew up on the book. It's a truly amazing story, and a wonderful look at both the animal cruelty of society in the Victorian era, but also at the growing social awareness of animal rights as well, and the very practical knowledge of people who genuinely know about animals - that an animal always provides its best when well treated, and thus mistreating animals is actually cutting off your own nose to spite your face.
In fairness to the film, this message does come across. And that's why I didn't give it 1/10. And, given the little material they have to work with, the actors do their best.
What mystifies me, however, are the amount of critics and fans who think this film is true to the original story. It captures the GIST of the original story, and concentrates on the theme of animal cruelty that the original story is all about - but that's all it does. It makes alterations to the original story that make no cinematic sense and - for me at least - made a wonderful story yet another formulaic irritation. As brilliant as the actors are in other films, they couldn't fix this story. I was never emotionally lost in the film, the way I was in the novel. I didn't care about the people or horses at all, and considering the story was originally designed to make people care, that's a brutal failure on the part of this film.
Sadly, it is the best Black Beauty adaptation that exists, but it's an appalling shadow of the original book. Read the book and love it, but this film does not do the story justice and makes some ludicrous deviations.
What a waste of well trained animals, beautiful scenery and good actors. The film is incredibly disappointing. I recommend Black Beauty lovers stick with the novel and avoid buying this film.
I grew up on the book. It's a truly amazing story, and a wonderful look at both the animal cruelty of society in the Victorian era, but also at the growing social awareness of animal rights as well, and the very practical knowledge of people who genuinely know about animals - that an animal always provides its best when well treated, and thus mistreating animals is actually cutting off your own nose to spite your face.
In fairness to the film, this message does come across. And that's why I didn't give it 1/10. And, given the little material they have to work with, the actors do their best.
What mystifies me, however, are the amount of critics and fans who think this film is true to the original story. It captures the GIST of the original story, and concentrates on the theme of animal cruelty that the original story is all about - but that's all it does. It makes alterations to the original story that make no cinematic sense and - for me at least - made a wonderful story yet another formulaic irritation. As brilliant as the actors are in other films, they couldn't fix this story. I was never emotionally lost in the film, the way I was in the novel. I didn't care about the people or horses at all, and considering the story was originally designed to make people care, that's a brutal failure on the part of this film.
Sadly, it is the best Black Beauty adaptation that exists, but it's an appalling shadow of the original book. Read the book and love it, but this film does not do the story justice and makes some ludicrous deviations.
What a waste of well trained animals, beautiful scenery and good actors. The film is incredibly disappointing. I recommend Black Beauty lovers stick with the novel and avoid buying this film.