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The Horse
Whisperer (1998)
 
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Directed
by:
Robert
Redford |
COUNTRY
USA |
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GENRE
Drama/Neo-western |
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NORWEGIAN TITLE
Hestehviskeren |
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RUNNING
TIME
169 minutes |
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Produced
by:
Robert
Redford
Patrick Markey |
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Written by
(based on the novel by Nicholas Evans):
Eric Roth
Richard LaGravenese |
Review
A 13-year-old girl (Scarlett Johansson)
and her horse are severely injured in a terrible accident that also
kills the girl's best friend (Kate Bosworth). With both girl and
horse traumatised, her mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) decides to
drive them across the country to the Montana mountains to seek help
from reclusive "horse whisperer" Tom Booker (Robert Redford). In the
first feature he both starred in and directed, Redford draws on his
empathy and penchant for human drama to create a touching, beautiful
film that only occasionally tips into oversentimentality. Redford's
stoic character – an antithesis to youth-centrism – becomes the
antidote to both the horse's trauma, the girl's fears, and the
mother's perfectionism. His grounded experience and practical
knowledge are what they need to wind down and gain a fresh
perspective. The romance between Redford and Thomas, while
surprisingly believable despite its predictability, is not the
film's strongest asset. That lies in its homage to nature, ranching,
and the love of the land. Some of the scenes of Redford working with
the horse, and of him and Johansson delving into their differences
and commonalities as they gradually open up to each other, are as
poignant as anything Redford made before or since. Also with a
strong supporting cast of Sam Neill, Dianne Wiest, and Chris Cooper.
The wonderful cinematography is by regular Oliver Stone collaborator
Robert Richardson, Oscar winner for
Platoon,
The Aviator,
and Hugo.
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