Customer Reviews

King of the Wind [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The movie is basically about a tale of devotion between a mute boy and his horse. The boy saves his horse from being killed because the horse was considered bad luck. And from then on the horse, Sham, and the boy stay together.I thought the movie was really great and I recomend this movie to any one who loves horses or a story of devotion.

This is the story of how The Godolphin Arabian, Sham, became one of the three foundation sires from which the Thoroughbred breed sprung. Set in the early 1700s, the cinematic adventure follows the colt's birth and early training in Arabia, his fateful friendship with a young groom called Agba (Navin Chowdhry), and his journey to France where he settles in the Royal Stables of King George II (Richard Harris) and Queen Caroline (Glenda Jackson), only to find misfortune and then rescue in England. Based on the book by Marguerite Henry, which was a childhood fave of mine. When I saw the movie, I didn't think it captured the spirit of the novel -- but taken on its own, it's a good horse tale.

Staci Layne Wilson

Perhaps 4.5 stars. It was a real sweet story. After being sold to the French king, the horse and the boy go through a lot of misfortunes and were handed over from one owner to another. Half of the time in the hands of kind people, half of the time at the mercy of evil hands. The boy is extremely passive and good-natured, and accepts his fate as it unfolds. He doesn't seem to hold grudges against his tormentors, neither does he have strong emotions toward his losses. But he's not weak or coward, either. He has pretty good endurance toward hardships and knows how to move on.

No one really punishes his tormentors, nor does he seek revenge on anybody. The movie shows that there are good and evil in this world, and they come on our ways side by side, but that's what life is all about. In this day and generation, justice must be done and to leave the wicked go unpunished is very frustrating, perhaps, but I think this movie has a good message there.

The movie doesn't really get into the depth of the boy's struggles or the bond with the horse, and acting in general isn't that great (I was expecting it to be a tear-jerker, but it really wasn't). I think some things can be improved, but I sort of like the way it is, its low-key approach, because it's not as threatening or emotionally traumatic for younger children. Some characters die or get killed in the movie, but not like in the ways of dramatic, fancy killings of Hollywood movies. The story is well-told without becoming violent or too dramatic.

I will feel very comfortable showing it to my young nephew and niece.

How could a book so good end up as a movie so bad? It makes the appearance of being a classic, with it's star-studded cast and cinematography, but fails miserably. There's just nothing worth watching it for. Stick with The Black Stallion and Black Beauty.

I read this book, "King of the Wind" eons ago and loved it. Anything to do with horses and I'll read or or I'll watch it. This was based on facts and is a true story. Again the I enjoyed the film, the scenery, and of course the horses. It's a great family film and any horse lover will enjoy it.

The movie King of the Wind are a nice and pleasent story obout the life and first race ever done by a godolphin arabian horse in England, and the movie are a faithful kliche` between arabian horseboy and arabian horse, the movie King of the Wind are exciting spiced with a little tragedy too. Since this are the story about the first arabian horse ever in Great Brittainy - GB - England, the movie King of the Wind get my rating four stars and are a very good family story for the whole family that everybody can watch and enjoy. The movie story - King of the Wind are held in English Country style with English Cottages and English environments, fields and weather, clothes and outfit for women and men with horses and wagons are held in the years 1700-1800 fantasy or/and empire style. The movie King of the Wind are made for and come from MIRAMAX FAMILY CLASSICS and are classic entertainment. This are a movie you should buy and see with family and friends at holidays or freetime when you wanna be ordinary and trivial pleasent or might be that you wanna sample a good horse movie on DVD.

Thanks To Amazon we discovered a real life tale which is a must for all animal and/or horse lovers. This movie on DVD is a well cast period story.

King of the Wind

I bought this movie years ago and enjoyed every minute of it. It is based on a true story. It is about the Goldolphin Arabian, how he and his young friend, a mute, young Arabian boy who loved and follows this horse through his life. It is the story of HOW the Goldolphin Arabian came to be in England.
It is a good movie. And in many ways reminds you of the story of Black Beauty. I would recommend it for anyone who cares for or loves horses.

(I would not be surprised that if most people of today were to search their horses pedigree, whether Quarter Horse, Paints, Thoroughbred and of course Arabians, they would end up tracing back to one of three Arabian Stallions that ended up in England during the 17th and early 18th Centuries. They were very Special Arabian Stallions. The Goldolphin Arabian, Darley Arabian and Byerley Turk Arabian are the three Stallions.)

(All modern day Thoroughbreds trace back to these three stallions imported into England from the Middle East in the late 17th and early 18th centuries: the Byerley Turk (1680s), the Darley Arabian (1704), and the Godolphin Arabian (1729). One genetic study indicates that 95% of all male Thoroughbreds trace their direct male line (via the Y chromosome) to the Darley Arabian.[27] However, in modern Thoroughbred pedigrees, most horses have more crosses to the Godolphin Arabian (13.8%) than to the Darley Arabian (6.5%) when all lines of descent (maternal and paternal) are considered.)

The video version is okay if you have not read the book. However, the film lacks much of the emotion that is present in the original story. Also, the film version completely leaves out the introduction in the book where Man-O-War wins the race against Sir Barton since this is what leads into the story of the Godolphin Arabian who is the ancestor of Man-O-War, one of the greatest race horses in American horse racing.

This is not a review. It is the only way I could find to make a comment. The editor's comments states in its fin=al line that Sham became a Thorobred. Sorry, that statement rather confounds the Laws-of-Nature. Sham was born an Arabian and he died an Arabian. A Thorobred is a hybrid created by breeding a pure Arab with a pure Standardbred. The mare of such a union gives birth to a Thorobred, as does breeding one Thorobred to another Thorobred. Darwin frowns upon species that change their DNA in mid-life!