Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heals the heart, strengthens the spirit., May 7, 2000
The Horse Whisperer is not a typical Hollywood movie. But then, none of the films Redford has directed, are in any way typical. The first time I really took notice of his work, was after seeing "A River Runs Through It". He had managed to tell a brutal, sad story in a mystical way that held me spell-bound.
Whisperer takes that feeling one step further. It will hold you and then squeeze your heart till the tears come. This is not a sad film however. It is the story of a spiritual journey that a family makes with the aid of a talented guide, Tom Booker, (played by Redford himself). Each of them takes their own paths but make it through some trying times, emerging stronger than when they began.
The story gets going as a result of a terrible accident involving two young girls who are out riding in icy, lightly forested terrain. The lone survivor, Grace, is traumatised by the loss of her friend, her foot and, in another way, her horse Pilgrim. Not that Pilgrim was killed, despite the wishes of the local veterinarian, but it was not the same, sane horse that it had been.
The normal tensions that existed within the family are magnified by the aftermath of the accident. Grace becomes withdrawn, suffering guilt and shame which show themselves in her bitterness toward her parents, Annie and Robert. At the same time she makes a connection between herself and Pilgrim. The horse's fate seems to be a grim portent of her own future; scarred, maddened and kept in a dark and lonely place.
Annie's desperate search for a treatment for Pilgrim is therefore very understandable. She hopes to build a bridge back to the world for her daughter, by healing Pilgrim. Here enters the almost magical legend of the Horse Whisperers. A breed of men, so in tune with horses, that they are said to be able to talk with them... to look into the soul of the beast and calm its raging spirit.
Tom Booker seems to have a healthy scepticism for the legend however and makes his down to earth philosophy pretty clear from the first moment when we hear him say, " Well truth is, I help horses with people problems."
Despite Tom and Robert's reluctance, Annie drags Grace from her pit of despair, to cross the country on the slim hope of making everything right again, on a Montana ranch, with a little help from a horse whisperer. Her expectation are rudely shattered within hours of arriving. Tom doesn't act like a paid specialist. From the outset it is clear to him that young Grace needs as much healing as Pilgrim. And this is a load he seems more than capable of bearing.
By now we are well and truly hooked by the story. But the best is yet to come. Redford clearly loves the great outdoors and his feeling shouts from the big screen. Montana must be God's own country because it is breathtaking. Now add a dash of wholesome family values, good old hard work, reluctant romance and a pinch of equine shamanism and you've got something special.
The Horse Whisperer is a movie that makes you feel like dozing in the long grass, on a lazy Summer afternoon. Don't be afraid of grass stains; go see this unusual film and have a roll in the grass for me.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant visual artistry, August 20, 2004
Many have already addressed the plot of this film, so I will not not go into detail. However, I feel compelled to touch upon the visual storytelling in this film.
Movies are first and foremost imagery. As many legendary filmmakers have said, a good film can be watched with the sound turned off and still communicate every bit of the story and emotion through the images alone. This includes cinematography but goes light years beyond lighting and framing a scene. Each shot must be planned and designed, from sets to props to location scouting, from blocking the actors' movements to using color and shapes, textures, and spatial relationships. All these must communicate the text and subtext simultaneously.
I said all that to say this: Redford and his team blew me away with "The Horse Whisperer." The first act alone is filled with enough information in every corner of the screen to chew on for days. One example among dozens is the use of symmetry, parallel lines, and perpendicularity in the city scenes - even in the arrangement of books in the background, pens on a desk, or the window blinds in a hospital - to convey the superficially ordered control of Anne's life. This is contrasted with the organic sweeping curves of the farm landscapes where Grace's accident occurs. The confined spaces and straight streets of New York are gradually and gracefully replaced with the curves of the highways as Anne drives west until she reaches the Rockies in all their chaotically ingenious immensity.
And apart from all this, I was also deeply effected emotionally by this movie. Yes, it takes its time telling the story. But such stories in our own lives take time to unfold. And real, subtle moments deserve as much time to play out as they need. Grace's recovery from the death of her friend and the injuries to the body and spirit of herself and her faithful horse Pilgrim are also expertly crafted. It has personal resonance in my family because we faced many of the same trials and frustrations when my wife was injured by a tornado a year after we married. She was touched and encouraged by this film.
Thomas Newman's score is his masterwork. It brought me to tears during the end credits.
Grace is also perfectly portrayed by the then-unknown Scarlett Johansson. Most people seem to forget she was in "The Horse Whisperer," but I will always associate this film with Scarlett and her with it.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful, spiritual story of hope and despair..., June 25, 2000
"The Horse Whisperer" is unlike any other movie that I've seen. The story opens as a young girl, Grace, experiences a terrible accident while riding her horse, Pilgrim, on an icy road. Driven mad by shock and pain, Pilgrim is almost to the point of death. Grace is also in critical condition, for she has badly injured her right leg in the accident, and it must be amputated. Grace's mother Annie (Kristin Scott Thomas) reads about a man named Tom Booker (Robert Redford) who is known as a "horse whisperer," able to communicate and see into the troubled souls of these animals. A few days later, Annie, along with her hesitant daughter and Pilgrim in tow, sets out for Montana. There, at Mr. Booker's ranch, do you witness the amazing changes that occur as Tom begins to heal Pilgrim's spirit (along with Grace's). Soon after, Annie and Tom fall in love. The rest of the story unfolds in a symphonic display of love, hope, and miraculous recoveries. The film's ending is not your typical movie closing, but it is very good nonetheless. The beautiful Montana landscape adds to this special aura, and the characters are brilliant (both human and equine). I highly recommend this excellent movie to absolutely anyone. You'll fall in love with "The Horse Whisperer."
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