White Mane 1953

6.686 / 10   51 vote(s)
Drama Family

In the south of France, in a vast plain region called the Camargue, lives White Mane, a magnificent stallion and the leader of a herd of wild horses too proud to let themselves be broken by humans. Only Folco, a young fisherman, manages to tame him. A strong friendship grows between the boy and the horse, as the two go looking for the freedom that the world of men won’t allow them.

Release Date 1953-03-31
Runtime 41m
Directors Albert Lamorisse, Edmond Séchan
Producer Albert Lamorisse
Writers Albert Lamorisse, Denys Colomb de Daunant

When a beautiful, wild, white stallion is manoeuvred into a coral he steadfastly refuses to have anything to do with his new human captors - and pretty soon escapes their custody. The young fisherman "Folco" (Alain Emery) who lives with his grandfather nearby, watches these chases and soon becomes fascinated with this beautiful animal. He determines to try and make friends - but can it avoid the constantly pursuing, relentless, and increasingly cruel wranglers long enough to let him? This is where serendipity takes an hand and offers the young lad an opportunity, assuming he can master aquaplaning, to befriend the creature. There's some beautiful photography of the wild horses here - galloping, frolicking, rutting and the storyline is peppered with a gentle sense of humour. I am sure I even saw a look of disdainful pity coming from the horse as his personal gadfly persists, and persists. Whilst this is essentially a story about a boy's affections, it also invites us to remember that this animal has a place within the hierarchy of it's own kind, and it also has a need to be around them too. Some sort of balance might need to be in order for any satisfaction to be achieved - though maybe not quite the one we are offered in conclusion here!

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