Robert Redford directs the movie and also stars as Tom Booker, the “whisperer.” Well-known as an actor, producer, director, and environmentalist, Redford is also a horseman and Utah rancher. A man who lost a love allows himself to love again. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. The surviving girl and horse both undergo gentle but firm therapy, and the famous Robert Redford-directed piece epically covers their slow and painful progress with beauty and eloquence. Does it seem as if there's a parallel between the slow recovery of the horse and the recovery of the girl? Breathtakingly photographed by Robert Richardson on magnificent Montana locations, it is undoubtedly one of the most visually impressive movies of its era. If the book The Horse Whisperer follows the general scheme of the others I have read (The Loop, The Smoke Jumper, The Brave, ) the movie eliminates the sub-stories that turned those books into soap operas, or perhaps another analogy, Redford trims the fat from the Evans novel and in just short of three hours crafts a great movie. But in the movie, the two characters remain forever prisoners of love that never was, and will die in regret. These mystical things, metaphor and myth, are so much harder to do in movies than in books. Do you know any? Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. This life has imbued Tom Booker with an empathy that allows him to identify with pain, and for me the best scenes involved his careful touch with Grace. The Horse Whisperer is about letting go of old pain, useless baggage, and self-destructive ways. The heart of the film is in Big Sky country, where Booker runs a cattle ranch with his brother Frank (Chris Cooper) and Frank's wife, Diane (Dianne Wiest). Also, Buck's horses were used to film the movie. Those deaths and injuries inform all aspects of the rest of the nearly three-hour story. THIS MOVIE ROCKS!!! And while I suspect that an unhappy New Yorker who moves to Montana is likely to become an unhappy Montanan, I concede that the myth is comforting. Tom was married once; it was love at first sight, but it didn't last because his city-born wife found that the ranch had "too much space for her." Most Hollywood films are doing well to create even one deep, well thought out meaningful character role in a film. The story is subtler, and the moral issues it raises are far more complex. How do the characters in The Horse Whisperer demonstrate communication and self-control? And Tom sees in her what he needs to see in a woman--what he saw in his wife until she left. It evokes the healing serenity of wide-open spaces. The overall meaning of the story is completely different in the movie compared to the book, where they were catering to audience opinion and changed the ending so they didn't match the book. In the movie, it is dismal and depressing. She has fallen so much under the spell of the West that when she's fired from her magazine job, she hardly seems to notice. While self-control is important, one can be in control all the time. Add/Edit a Difference. Does the slow pacing of The Horse Whisperer have an echo in the story being told? except the methods to train Pilgrim at the end were horrible cruel, a true horse whisperer would never do that, thats old fashioned breaking in. Their farm workers believe the horse should be put down (it's fearful and skittish), but Annie reads about a famed "horse whisperer" named Tom Booker who heals troubled animals. “The Horse Whisperer” explores THREE lives in its necessary almost 3 hour length. He leaves lots of space for the horse to come around on his own. Yes, says Annie, she could. "This is where I belong. I liked the ending of the book more than the movie, although most people probably wouldn't. The book was more Hollywood than the movie… Get full reviews, ratings, and advice delivered weekly to your inbox. It's important to find your place in the world. Profanity includes "s--t," "hell," "damn," "Jesus," "Christ," and "SOB." See something that needs to be addressed? Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Robert Redford bought the film rights in 1995 for £3 million, and the film The Horse Whisperer was released in 1998, with Redford himself in the title role as Tom Booker. The horse did not "fall down", he was "laid down" using this technique that is used as a last resort to save horses. Our ratings are based on child development best practices. They totally ruined it. The Horse Whisperer is a 1998 American Western drama film directed by and starring Robert Redford, based on the 1995 novel The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans.Redford plays the title role, a talented trainer with a remarkable gift for understanding horses, who is hired to help an injured teenager (played by Scarlett Johansson) and her horse back to health following a tragic … Maybe that's because she sees the West in terms of a Redford film. His sacrifice at the end was so tragic, yet so romantic and well, sacrificial. The ending of the book requires that the horse whisperer, who is a kind of angel in one sense, to move on in order that the healing can be completed. The young and eerily precocious Scarlett Johansson already has the stillness and intelligence of her later work. "The Horse Whisperer" is about a man of great patience, faced with a woman, a child and a horse in great need of it. 19. In watching the horse's transformation, it appears that everyone involved also comes away gentler, more patient, and more understanding of themselves and others. Judith and Grace are having a fun day of it riding their horses and whatnot. Suggest an update to this review. Nicholas Evans encapsulates human personalities, love, and the magnetism of sexual attraction--all with his amazing, constant skill. ... of course the whole thing is lighter than the book, but the ending was DEFINITELY different! . Kristin Scott Thomas as the high-strung mother is both pitiable and magnetizing, ready to be humanized by her attraction to the sensitive rancher. She's sullen and withdrawn at first, but he insists that Pilgrim will be ridden again--and Grace will ride him. Her high-powered New York magazine editor mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) drives the depressed girl and damaged horse to Montana for therapy with a man known as a "horse whisperer" (Robert Redford). Gone With the Wind is the greatest romantic book and movie, IMO. What to Watch, Read, and Play While Your Kids Are Stuck Indoors, Common Sense Selections for family entertainment, Check out new Common Sense Selections for games, Teachers: Find the best edtech tools for your classroom with in-depth expert reviews, 3 aplicaciones para aprender las tablas de multiplicar, Actividades sobre el Mes de la Historia Afroamericana, Which Side of History? There aren't any reviews yet. The star rating reflects overall quality. ). I would love to visit the Taj Mahal one day. The Whisperer could calm wild horses with softly whispered secrets uttered into troubled ears. A woman considers cheating on her husband but decides against it for the sake of her family. Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Witty, stylish musical classic will entertain all ages. We won't share this comment without your permission. Buck Brannaman was the consultant on this movie and as I understand it, this movie was about him. © Common Sense Media. Her mother gambles that The Whisperer can heal both Pilgrim and her daughter. Could you live here?" Great book, tragic ending. ... Alternate Ending was formed when three friends realized they all shared a passion for movies. And then there's "The Firm" (John Grisham). But Redford, as director and star, relates to the underlying themes of the story, which is about city vs. country and responsibility vs. passion. Get A Movie Rental. And … When life gets difficult, don't give up and hide; stay and fight. Some of the scenes filmed were done by Buck, not Redford. It's important to let go of useless obsessions. Right at the start of the book, horse and rider together suffer a life-threatening accident and are forever changed. A man and woman who have been working together are suddenly aware they're attracted to each other, conveyed in long stares and a momentary touch. What works is the beauty of the Western country, the tactful way Tom deals with Grace and the touching scenes in which the damaged horse is healed. They kiss passionately fully clothed. Both adults begin to see the other as the ideal mate they've always been looking for. In THE HORSE WHISPERER, a 13-year-old girl (Scarlett Johansson) loses her leg in a riding accident that also traumatizes and nearly kills her horse. The ending is full of hope. Our goal is to save you time and money by sharing our thoughts and recommendations on which movies to race to theaters for, which to watch at home and those to actively avoid. And so Redford and his writers, Eric Roth and Richard LaGravenese, were correct to supply their story with a different ending than Nicholas Evans' climax. It depicts an accident that kills a girl and her horse and seriously injures another girl and horse. The story, from the best-selling novel by Nicholas Evans, involves a riding accident that leaves a horse named Pilgrim crippled, and a girl named Grace (Scarlett Johansson) so badly injured that part of her leg must be amputated. not on. The Horse Whisperer is an excellent must see movie. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. Finding one's place in the world, letting go, and the nature of love are all themes, which lead to a married woman deciding if she values her family above her personal needs. In films going back to "Jeremiah Johnson," Robert Redford has … Families can talk about how the filmmakers decided to tell the story at a slower pace than many of today's movies. Two classic examples, I Am Legend and The Horse Whisperer. I've never read the HORSE WHISPERER. I honestly feel The horse whisperer is a better movie than the book on which it’s based. See our. The horse whisperer-good movie, but the book was better (and a Completely different ending!)