The Black Stallion
Carroll Ballard · 1979
Carroll Ballard’s 1979 adaptation of Walter Farley’s novel follows a boy shipwrecked with a wild black stallion, their bond forged in silence and survival on a deserted island, then tested in the high-stakes world of American horse racing. Shot by Caleb Deschanel and scored by Carmine Coppola, it favours duration, texture, and restraint over exposition or sentiment.