The Horse Whisperer [Blu-ray]

Heals the heart, strengthens the spirit.
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...

Brilliant visual artistry
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...

A Beautiful Movie
The Horse Whisperer is sucha beautiful film it takes your breath away. The film's stunning cinematography, it's awesome acting and great storyline make it a 4 star movie and one of the best of 1998.

Scarlett Johnasson is the star of the show, she plays 14 year old Grace, a horse-lover who has just had a terrible accident with her friend. Her mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) helps her daughter and her horse, Pilgrim by taking her to a 'horse whisperer '(Robert Redford) who can heal horses.

This is a very sad, beautiful and lovely movie and don't be put off by it's mammoth length (2 hours, 48 minutes) - to me it felt like 1 hour rather than 3.

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