White Mane (1953)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Not quite as great as The Red Balloon and not as well-known, but White Mane is almost as good and does deserve to be better known than it is. It is a gorgeous-looking film, with the marshlands being both handsome and austere(emphasising the wildness of the two main characters and their adventures) and the black and white photography really is some of the best I've ever seen. White Mane is sensitively scored with a lovely whimsical tone, while the narration is thoughtfully written and poetic, telling the story without trying to explain too much. White Mane has a very sweet and touching story, the wonder of childhood is really charmingly depicted and the film shows also the beauty of nature that will leave one inspired. What was also appealing was the relationship between the boy and the horse which is what anchors the film, a familiar idea but you really do feel the friendship and love between the two. The pacing is deliberate but that said White Mane never came across as dull personally, the relationship between the boy and the horse, the way the film looked and how easy it was to get into the story and its emotions were utterly transfixing. Albert Lamorisse's direction is sensitive and in keeping with White Mane's poetic tone and the acting is great, especially from Alain Emery. He looked adorable and gives a spirited and touching performance, there are scenes where he doesn't say a word but his body language, eyes and face are genuinely telling throughout. The horse was clearly well-trained as well, and the chemistry between the two of them was magic. All in all, immensely charming and beautiful but also sadly criminally underrated. The Red Balloon is slightly better but if you loved that film you will find a huge amount to love about White Mane. 10/10 Bethany Cox

"White Mane" follows Folco, a boy fisherman living in the marshes of France. He spots a striking white stallion while working and tries to approach the horse. White Mane, a leader of a pack of wild horses, evades the boy, but the two will meet again. White Mane is also trying to elude ranch hands who are attempting to capture and break the wild horse. As the horse evades the men, he warms to Folco who desires a friend more than workhorse.The film's nature scenes are fantastic and the moments where White Mane fights for leadership of his clan are fascinating and brutal. Animals were clearly injured in the making of this film, but I do not get the impression that LaMorisse staged the fight for pack leader. The fight is brutal with the horses biting one another in an attempt to dominate. Its a nice corrective to the sanitized friendly horse image splashed across lunch box and Trapper Keeper."White Mane" is presented in black and white and the scenes of Folco and his family are reminiscent of the familial moments from Ray's Apu Trilogy, unadorned and quietly observant. Storytelling is handled by a narrator who maybe gives us false hope in the film's conclusion. I was reminded of "Pan's Labyrinth" which presented two possible fates for its child hero. "White Mane" does the same, but I could not shake the feeling that the narrator was lying to me. Given the film's seemingly solid placement in the mundane, its insistence on the fantastic in its conclusion strikes the viewer as false. Ironic? Not likely, but maybe LaMorisse is trying to let his child viewers down easily.

I knew that my summary would get your attention! I wrote this because unlike many people who have some sort of romantic attraction towards horses, after reading about Napoleon's troops living on horse meat during their retreat from Moscow I always wondered how horse meat tastes. Sorry, but when others watch THE BLACK STALLION or MISTY OF CHINCOTEAGUE, I'm wondering if there's something like a rib-eye steak or chuck roast hiding within the title character! Yet, because of perhaps some innate love of horses, many would be horrified to think of eating one or not loving a film about horses. It's in light of the differing ways people think of horses that would account, perhaps, to some of the really divergent views on this film--as well as people ganging up on one reviewer who called it "a bit disappointing" and then receiving 26 of 27 scores as "not helpful". I've learned over the years that when it comes to horses, there are a lot of folks who adore them and you just can't argue with this connection.When I watched WHITE MANE, I once again thought of hamburgers and brisket because I just don't get excited about horses in films (unless they are being ridden by John Wayne or Errol Flynn into battle). So, the story of some French peasant child loving a horse that all the local herdsmen want to kill did little for me--particularly the ending (which seemed either a bit silly or just slapped on because they ran out of things to say).However, I also must admit that despite feeling almost no connection with this story, I had to admire the absolutely lovely film work. It is one of the best filmed black and white films I have ever seen--almost like a beautiful piece of art come to life. This, combined with nice music made for a lovely looking film.Overall, if you love horses (and I DON'T mean in the EQUUS way), then by all means watch the film. You'll find the plot magical and the film will impress you no doubt. If, however, you are not a horse aficionado, then you still might want to watch it for its artistry but not its somewhat disappointing and rather schmaltzy story.

White Mane (1953) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Classic French film about a young boy (Alain Emery) who becomes fixated with an untamable white stallion. Even though the adults can't tame the horse, the young boy will stop at nothing to get the horse to notice him and eventually the boy breaks the horse. This is from the same director who made The Red Balloon and I must admit that I enjoyed this one a little bit more. Outside of one sequence, which I'll talk about later, this film is pretty flawless and at times downright beautiful. The cinematography is top-notch and really makes some great atmosphere especially the scenes in the pond. The pond sequence happens near the beginning of the film and it shows the boy putting a noose around the horse, trying to capture it, but then the horse takes off running and drags the boy through the water as well as the land. I'm not exactly sure how this was filmed but it was quite beautiful. Another great sequence happens at the end when the boy is finally able to get on the horse and a wild chase follows. The only rather disturbing scene is when the horse gets into a fight with another horse and this goes on for a good amount of time and it gets quite violent. The two horses are violently kicking one another and biting each other and these bites lead to some blood flowing and this scene is rather hard to watch.