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Black Stallion Returns, The

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    Mark Tolch
    Senior Member

  • Black Stallion Returns, The



    Released By: Twilight Time
    Released On: July 12, 2016
    Director: Robert Dalva
    Cast: Woody Strode, Kelly Reno, Teri Garr, Allen Goowitz, Vincent Spano
    Year: 1983
    Purchase From Screen Archives

    The Movie:

    Based on the success of the 1979 film The Black Stallion, it made perfect sense for Executive Producer Francis Ford Coppola to throw a sequel into the works. Fortunately, finding source material for the followup wasn't difficult, as the original film was based on one of a series of books written by Walter Farley. Rounding up some of the original cast and bringing in Robert Dalva, who was nominated for an Oscar for his editing on the first Black Stallion film, as Director made sense in attempting to recreate the winning formula, and The Black Stallion Returns was released in 1983 to somewhat less than winning reviews.

    The Black Stallion Returns brings back Kelly Reno as Alec Ramsay, the shipwrecked lad who went on to become a famous jockey in the first film. Now back home in New York, Alec lives a pretty quiet life in a country home with his mom (Teri Garr), with the famous Black Stallion stabled in a modest barn out back. His peaceful existence is about to be shattered, however, when a mysterious man starts a fire in the stable one night, and in the ensuing confusion of fire trucks and burning hay, The Black is stolen from the yard and taken to a waiting horse trailer. Throwing caution to the wind, Alec races across the field, jumps the fence, and hides in the back of the trailer, ending down by the docks. When the vehicle stops, Alec makes his move, riding the Black Stallion down the ramp and across the pier. Unfortunately for Alec, his freedom ride is short-lived as he finds each exit from the pier gated and guarded by mysterious looking Arabs.

    Taken by force, Alec is introduced to Abu Ben Ishak and his granddaughter, Tabari, who tell him that The Black is actually named Shetan, and belonged to Ishak and his tribe in Morocco before he was horsenapped...and will now be returned to the desert village of Wadi Draa outside of Casablanca. Powerless against Ishak's men, Alec is bound and gagged, but manages to escape, stowing away a board a plane bound for Morocco. In a situation that seems fraught with roadblocks, Alec's hiding place is discovered, and he's turned over to the American embassy immediately upon arrival. Not willing to give up so easily, though, Alec enlists the help of two nearby children, who dress him in the height of Arabian fashion and get him a ride in the direction of Wadi Draa with a shady man named Kurr. Unfortunately for Alec, Kurr is a member of the evil Uruk tribe, who want to steal The Black to use in "The Grand Race", in which the winner will be given the strongest of the losing tribes horses, guaranteeing wealth and strength. Abandoned and left for dead in the desert, Alec teams up with a friendly fellow named Raj and the Tuareg tribe, fighting the harsh climate and raiding parties from enemy tribes to make his way to Wadi Draa and rescue his beloved horse.

    The New York Times said of The Black Stallion Returns, "It has a kind of comicbook appreciation for direct action and no time whatsoever for mysticism or for scenery for its own sake, though most of it was shot in Morocco and is fun to look at", while Variety said, "The Black Stallion Returns is little more than a contrived, cornball story that most audiences will find to be an interminable bore". While I tended to side a little more with Variety Magazine, The Black Stallion Returns does have a few things going for it, the primary asset being scenery. The Moroccan landscape pops off the screen here, and the wardrobes and assorted supporting animal cast provide a wealth of eye candy. The acting here is also fairly accomplished if not occasionally lacking, but even the young Kelly Reno pulls off a convincing performance, though Vincent Spano outshines him in every scene the two share. I remember seeing this as a kid, and the idea of being without parental supervision, stowing away on a plane and traveling across the desert encountering danger had a certain excitement to it, like you could actually live out a sort of Indiana Jones existence and emerge unscathed.

    With the pros out of the way, however, The Black Stallion Returns is really quite boring, which is surprising considering the number of action setpieces contained in the film. And while the downfall might not be the result of incompetent direction by Robert Dalva, the sequences...the enemy raids, the stable fire, the final race...don't pack much tension, intrigue, or excitement. Like the score, which starts off as being impressive, the elements of the story eventually become hokey. Even with its average running time, The Black Stallion Returns feels longer because of the snooze factor, and by the time we reach what's supposed to be an emotional finale for the character, it's pretty hard to care either way. It may work for younger viewers, but The Black Stallion Returns is a bit of a dud for the older Blu-ray buying public.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Twilight Time brings The Black Stallion Returns to Blu-ray in an AVC-encoded 1.85:1 transfer that looks pretty great, with strong blacks and a nice range of colour. The desert scenes show off the healthy amount of detail and grain, with the texture of the sand and rocks visible at the furthest reaches of the long shots, and starkly set against the sky with no edge enhancement. There are a few scenes that aren't as beautiful and come off as a bit more soft, but this is a solid transfer that is almost free of dirt and debris.

    An English DTS-HD MA 5.1 track carries the audio (A 2.0 DTS-HD MA stereo track is also available), and does so well, with dialogue front and centre and clearly audible throughout, with no issues. The 2.0 track does this adequately as well, balancing the dialogue with the score and sound, but the 5.1 has the slight advantage, using the surrounds to provide more ambience to the score in a pleasing way. Either way, both are sufficient and the option will be welcome to those with true stereo setups.

    Par for the course on Twilight Time discs, this release also features an Isolate Score track, and English Subs for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing are also provided.

    A Trailer for the film, and the MGM 90th Anniversary Promo Trailer are included as extras, as is the Twilight Time Catalogue. Twilight Time's Julie Kirgo also provides a booklet essay found in the case liner.

    The Final Word:

    A mediocre follow-up to the original film, The Black Stallion Returns nonetheless features a great transfer from Twilight Time.


    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!






















    • C.D. Workman
      #1
      C.D. Workman
      Senior Member
      C.D. Workman commented
      Editing a comment
      Those screen shots look very good. Still, if I ever watch this film, it will likely be after reading the book. Well-written review, Mark.

    • Mark Tolch
      #2
      Mark Tolch
      Senior Member
      Mark Tolch commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks, it definitely didn't play as well as I remembered it, but it's a nice-looking disc.
    Posting comments is disabled.

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