Racing champion, injured animal, loyal companion… The horse has always inspired authors and filmmakers. On the occasion of the broadcast of Billy Bob Thornton’s film, So Pretty Horses tonight on C8, Vogue looks back at seven notable horse movies featuring this intrepid and unpredictable that fascinates so much.
The Man Who Whispered Horses (1998)
Probably one of the most famous horse movies in the world, The Horse Whisperer is an adaptation of a 1995 novel by Nicholas Evans. Robert Redford is directing it, producer, and actor. He plays Tom Booker, a horse specialist called to cure that of young Grace McLean, played by Scarlett Johansson. In this rural fable, the whisperer seeks to reconcile the teenager with her horse and with life, after she loses a leg in a horse riding accident. And to give the answer, Robert Redford called on Kristin Scott Thomas. She is Annie McLean, Grace’s mother and the one who will captivate the horse breeder’s heart. Fun fact: Buck Brannaman, the man who inspired Nicholas Evans, served as a consultant on the film.
Such Pretty Horses (2000)
Adapted from the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy, this horse movies features a young cowboy plunged into an adventure from which he will not emerge unscathed. When John Grady Cole and his best friend cross the Mexican border, they discover life outside their native ranch. By trying to help a young horse thief, John gets himself into a lot of trouble. In the heart of a hacienda, he will meet Alejandra Villarreal, a beautiful aristocrat with whom he will fall in love. Horses, adventure, a touch of mystery and romance… Billy Bob Thornton‘s film is the perfect example of the story of the cowboy heading south, accompanied by his faithful steed. At the top of the bill, the director brings together a crack team made up of Matt Damon, Penelope Cruz, and Henry Thomas.
Pur Sang, The Legend of Seabiscuit (2003)
When Tobey Maguire leaves the red and blue costume of Spider-man, it is to become Red Pollard, a jockey with a painful past. His horse – which no one bet on – becomes a legend when he participates in American gallop races. Nominated seven times for the Oscars, Thoroughbred, the Legend of Seabiscuit is the adaptation of the book of the same name by Laura Hillenbrand, who herself was inspired by the true story of this legendary horse who raced in the 1930s and 1940. For the filming of the film, Tobey Maguire lost ten kilos and trained hard, sixteen sessions per week. The actor’s body already strengthened thanks to his role as Spider-man, he had to learn to ride a horse. He first trained on a mechanical horse before climbing onto the back of a real animal.
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War Horse (2011)
After plowing the fields, Joey, a young country horse, finds himself on the battlefield of the First World War. Adapted from the novel by Michael Morpurgo, these War Horse movies is a sort of homage to the eight million horses sacrificed during the multiple clashes of 14-18. Steven Spielberg makes it a tale full of hope thanks to music by – as usual – John Williams and a morality centered on loyalty and courage. The casting is strong: Jeremy Irvine is Albert Narracott, Joey‘s young rider. He is surrounded by Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emily Watson, and David Thewlis.
A special feature of this film: the war is shown from the point of view of the horse, considered as an actor in its own right. To perform Joey, fourteen different horses were used. The equines were trained together and manually made up to look like the exact spot. But the star of the film is Finder. The horse had already played Seabiscuit in the film with Tobey Maguire.
Jappeloup (2013)
Similar to Pure Sang, Jappeloup draws inspiration from the legend of a horse that few esteemed and which will become a legend. Only 1.58m at the withers, modest origins but in show jumping, he beats them all. In 2013, Christian Duguay and Guillaume Canet joined forces to direct and write the film about Jappeloup. Advised and trained by Olympic gold medalist Frederic Cottier, Guillaume Canet worked hard to interpret the rider. The story of Jappeloup and his editor clearly resonated in the mind of the actor who himself had given up horse riding after several injuries to become an actor in Paris.
The Rider (2017)
In 2017, the director, fresh from an Oscar for Nomadland, set her cameras on a Sioux reservation in South Dakota to tell the story of the quest for identity of a young cowboy, a rising rodeo star, who sees his dream crumble after a tragic accident. How to find meaning in your life? What does it mean to be a man in a contrasting America? Existential questions around which this magnificent contemplative tale, awarded the Art Cinema Prize at the Directors’ Fortnight, revolves.
Nevada (2019)
“ I’m not good with people. ”But what about horses? When Roman, incarcerated in a Nevada prison, joins a social reintegration program through the training of wild horses, he will learn to know himself again and overcome the past that broke him. Surrounded by mustangs, animals as unpredictable as he is, the character played by Matthias Schoenaerts fights to reconnect with life. Written and directed by Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Nevada received rave reviews upon its release, notably thanks to its realism. The filming took place in the same prison where the rehabilitation program takes place and the prisoners in the film are ex-inmates who participated in it. Kathleen O’Meara, in charge of the psychology/psychiatry department of California prisons, became a consultant on the set. But the ultimate boost comes from Robert Redford, executive producer of the film.