Product Details

• Actors: Sean Bean, David Thewlis, Jim Carter, Peter Davison, Alun Armstrong
• Directors: Caroline Thompson
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: November 1, 1994
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303241123
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,391 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Kids & Family > Animals > Horses

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Don't waste this one on your children: buy it for yourself. A spectacular adaptation of the Anna Sewell novel, this is faithful to the source material but creates a life of its own on the screen. Told from the point of view of the horse, it recalls a time and a place that could be both beautiful and cruel. Black Beauty faced both hardship and kindness as he passed through the hands of many owners throughout his life. Some are generous, but the agonies endured by the title character may be too harsh for small children. Unfortunately, director Caroline Thompson did not resurrect her magical touch a few years later with another animal tale, Buddy. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful to look at, true to the novel,, March 3, 2006

By	Jessica E. Bowen (Marlborough, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Beauty (DVD)

Unlike other adaptations of Anna Sewall's classic, this film version respects the intentions and the words of the book. We read the novel aloud with my 6 year old daughter and got this DVD as a treat for her to watch. We were not dissapointed. For one thing, Black Beauty himself narrates the film in a voice over (there's no corny talking animals), just as the novel is written in the first person from the p.o.v. of the horse. The film also does a nice job of retaining the message of the novel about treating animals fairly.

As others have mentioned, the score is lovely and the cinematography is beautiful. There are lots of little animals to see and pretty landscapes, etc.

Highly recomended, a very nice family film.

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the most faithful Black Beauty movies, December 28, 2004

By	Staci L. Wilson "Author: Animal Movies Guide ... (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Beauty (DVD)

Considered to be the truest filmed version of Anna Sewell's timeless book,1994's Black Beauty follows the unstable life of an intelligent ebony stallion (played by Doc's Keepin Time) in Victorian England. As he does in the novel, Beauty narrates the tale (he's voiced by Alan Cumming) from his idyllic birth, through the tragic events that led to him having to be sold, and how his happiness was completely at the mercy of those who held his reins. Masters both kind and cruel shape the horse's rather Dickensian life, as do his closest equine companions: A mare called Duchess and a self-willed pony named Merrylegs. Very nicely filmed and well-acted.

Staci Layne Wilson

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid In Every Way, November 28, 2004

By	M. Packo (Stratford, CT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Beauty (DVD)

A simply perfect story told with exquisite compassion
and artistry.

This version of BLACK BEAUTY should be considered the
unsurpassable classic of its genre - as well as one of the
truly memorable films of the '90s - if only for these few
reasons:
Danny Elfman's soulful score.
Alex Thomson's gorgeous cinematography.
A perfectly balanced ensemble of actors, all of whom
add great heart to the story.
All-around production design of wonderful taste and period
versimilitude.

Most of all, director Caroline Thompson's obvious love
and dedication. She has made of this simple story of the
life of a horse a movie that puts to shame all but a slim
few involving people about whom we are expected to care
and empathize with.

This interpretation of Black Beauty is touching and...beautiful.