WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE HORSE MOVIE?

The first ever film festival held just to honor movies that feature horses in our lives, both animated and with live actors and horses, was held last weekend, Nov. 21st and 22nd. It was called the Equus Film Festival and was held in New York City using three different screens. I sure wish I could  have been there!

Three of the films, "The Fork in the Road", "The Equestrian", and "Valiant" focus on Dressage. The first, "The Fork in the Road" was made to promote Para Dressage and the determination of injured eventer Gigi McIntosh as she strives to return to riding and competing now in dressage.

"The Equestrian" examines how the bond of trust between a horse and rider can be destroyed and rebuilt. See the trailer here:

http://youtu.be/JFsKtz3b54I

The third, "Valiant" is about a completely blind dressage horse. That is especially poignant for me as my wonderful Kit that I have written about in previous posts was just determined to have developed total blindness in his left eye.

The Horsechannel.com made a listing of their 30 favorite horse movies. It is kind of fun to look at the list and see which ones you have seen. Click here for the list:

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-fun/30-best-horse-movies.aspx

Now, pretend I am a movie critic! Here goes!

My comparison of National Velvet and International Velvet!

These two films were made thirty-four years apart and they are a classic example of how Hollywood has changed in that time. National Velvet was released in 1944. It starred young Elizabeth Taylor, Mickey Rooney and Angela Lansbury, to name a few. All three went on to have illustrious film carriers, as you know. The story is wholesome and touching. The filming in the English country side was beautiful. But I was impressed with the depiction of Velvet's family. The mother had given up fame as a swimmer to raise her children. Both she and her husband, though not wealthy, worked hard to take care of their family. Mom was at home for her kids. I loved that prayers were said at every meal. 

Now, move forward (or perhaps backward) thirty-four years! Velvet is now a grown woman shacked up with her boyfriend who is, for some undisclosed reason, afraid of marriage and she puts up with it. Their niece, played poorly by Tatum O'Neil, comes to stay with them when her parents are killed. No prayers, no strong family. The only sacrifice made is when the author live-in (played by Christoper Plummer) starts writing trashy novels to supplement their income to pay for Sarah Brown's riding lessons. It is fun to note that the eventing competition in the U.S. was filmed with Pony Club Riders! See my post about Pony Club from August 2, 2014. 

That being said, for an old eventer like myself, the horse scenes were great! (Except on the airplane when one of the competition horses being flown over the pond has to be shot! That made me cry!)) And the value of horses as the healing mechanism for a grieving girl is not only true to life but very touching.  

So, what was your favorite horse movie? 

And don't you think Behind the Mist, Mists of Darkness and The Rising Mist would make great movies???

PHAR LAP - A unicorn from Down Under

While the US struggled through the great Depression and pinned its hopes and dreams on a funny looking little hero of a horse named Seabiscuit, our friends in Australia and New Zealand had their own hero to carry them through the Depression. Their National Icon was a large, chestnut thoroughbred named Phar Lap.

Phar Lap was foaled on Oct. 4, 1926 in Seadown in the South Island of New Zealand. Sydney trainer, Harry Telford convinced wealthy American Businessman, David J. Davis, to buy him as a yearling, sight unseen based upon his pedigree. When he arrived in Australia he was a gangly, awkward colt with warts all over his face! When Davis saw him he was so angry he refused to spend another penny training him. So, Telford offered to train him for nothing in exchange for 2/3 of his winnings...if there would ever be any! Telford had him gelded so he would concentrate on his training better.

His first race he came in dead last and he didn't even place in his next three. However, as he matured, his achievements slowly started to accumulate and so did his reputation. In fact, criminals tried to shoot him early in the morning of Nov. 1, 1930. They missed and he went on to win the Melbourne Stakes that afternoon. Three days later he won the Melbourne Cup. In 1931, he won fourteen races in a row!

Eventually Telford had enough money to become joint owner of Phar Lap whose name comes from a Thai word that means "Lightening."

His nicknames included "Big Red," just like Man 'O War and Secretariat,) and "Australia's Wonder Horse."

In 1932 Davis insisted upon bringing Phar Lap to America to run in some races. He ran his last race in Tijuana Mexico for the largest purse ever offered in America. He was then taken to California.

On April 5, 1932, Phar Lap died by Hemorrhaging to death. A necropsy revealed that hte stomach and intestines were severely inflamed. Since that time, theories have abound as to his cause of death, the most sinister of which involves U.S. Gangsters who poisoned him so he wouldn't mess up their bookie businesses. In 2006, a team of researchers in Australia concluded that it was almost certain that Phar Lap was indeed poisoned with a large dose of Arsenic. This supported the Gangster theory. However, Arsenic was a common tonic in those days and most horses were given it in small doses. In 2008, a study of six hairs from Phar Lap's mane suggested that he was given a massive dose of arsenic 30 to 40 hours before his death. Very Suspicious I would say!

Phar Lap's remains have been divided up between his two countries. His Hide is in the Melbourne Museum, His Skeleton in in the Museum of New Zealand and his enormous heart, like Secretariat's, is in the National Museum of Australia.

He is an icon in both Australia and New Zealand and a worthy nominee for Unicornhood!

Here is a clip from the 1983 movie about Phar Lap titled "Phar Lap: Heart of a Nation."

WAR HORSE-See a future unicorn in action

On December 5th I was privileged to be able to preview the new movie "War Horse" by Steven Spielberg to be released on Christmas Day. What an experience! What a great Christmas gift to all of us, horse-lover or not! I loved this movie, not only because I love horses and hate war but because of all the messages within and around it.

Steven Spielberg saw the fantastic play "War Horse" in London and it inspired him to put aside all other projects and make that story into a movie.

If you haven't heard about this play it is quite amazing. The horses are all depicted by puppets and the puppeteers have so thoroughly studied the natural movements of horses that you completely forget that the puppets aren't real.

The story is about the love between a boy and a horse, just like in Behind the Mist. The story opens in England just before World War I when the boy's father, in a state of inebriation spent all of the families meager funds on a young, untrained thoroughbred colt instead of the needed plow horse. With loving training by the man's son, "Joey" as he is named becomes not only loyal but very strong. When the war comes, the farmer is forced to sell Joey to save the farm, breaking his son's heart, and Joey is sent off to war, but not before the boy promises to find him.

There are several touching moments in the film that had me crying...sobbing actually, and others that had me gripping by husband's arm tightly. One of the most touching scenes reminded me of the story about the Christmas Eve during WWI when the soldiers from both sides set down their guns and sang "Silent Night" together. In this movie, Joey escapes the German's who have captured him and is running between the trenches in "No Man's Land." It is a brutal scene as the horse becomes entangled in the barbed wire. (Barbed wire is every horseperson's worst nightmare!) An English solder risks his life to go out to try to save him and is joined by a German soldier who has a pair of wire cutters. The depiction of the bond of humanity that connects these two young men who have enmity forced upon them is worth the price of admission.

I don't want to spoil the movie for you but let me just say that it has shades of "Black Beauty!"

Movie producers think that "Horses don't sell." Let's prove them WRONG! Go see WAR HORSE!

After you see it, send me your comments either here, on Face book: Behind the Mist, or on my email: mjevansbtm@gmail.com

I have no doubt that Joey has earned his unicorn horn by now!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!