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OUT ON MONTANA PLAINS
The Horse Whisperer (PG-13) “For me
personally, the most important things in
approaching a film are having a good story,
and having one that is character-driven,
rathei than being driven by technology or
effects by outer forces.” So says
direct or/producer Robert Redford. speaking
about his attraction to this new romantic
drama, based on the recent novel The Horse
Whisperer by the British author Nicholas
Evans This is the first film that Redford has
appeared in. directed and produced, and it
may he one of the most memorable films
he’s ever made.
This adaptation actually does have a
good story* and more than a few strong char
acters. In the opening scenes, we watch a
New York family suffer a terrible incident:
the 14-year-old daughter Grace (Scarlett
Johansson of Manny And Lo), is scarred
physically and emo
tionally after a riding
accident The acci
dent kills her best
friend, and her
horse Pilgrim is
injured almost
irreparably A tense
period of remorse,
guilt and depression
immediately sets in
as we watch both
Grace and Pilgrim
suffer simultaneous
ly. In desperation,
her mother Annie
(The English Patient s
Kristin Scott
Thomas), a high-
powered magazine
editor, decides to
drop everything in
New York City, including her lawyer husband
Robert pSam Neill) and journey out to rural
Montana to seek help for both Grace and
Pilgrim from an elusive “horse whisperer "
Redford plays the rugged and sensitive
Tom Booker, the semi-legendary "horse
whisperer” — a man with a unique gift for
curing troubled horses Over the phone to
Annie . he explains. " I don’t help people
with horse problems. I help horses with peo
ple problems ”
Redford is periectly-suited in this role as
the handsome, humble and polite cowboy,
the weathered romantic with strong family
loyalty, a broad smile and a dry sense of
humor Booker lives on a beautiful, large-
scale cattle ranch with his brother Frank
(Chris Cooper ol hme Slur), his wife Diane
(Dianne Wiest of The Birdcage Parenthood)
and a pack of giggling little kids with cowboy
hats The sense of God-fearing family values
couldn’t tie more pronounced
Booker works slowly w*ith Pilgrim, allow
ing the horse to communicate at its own
pace Annie constantly asks Booker How
long do you think it'll lake' Booker replies
“That's entirely up to Pilgrim "
l uckily, the ghost of The English Patient !
stays prettv well sidel.ned in this him — w»- I
don’t have to endure too many scenes of
snobbery and flirting between Redford and
the mom While Thomas' character retains
that same British snobbery in the first half
of the film, it's enjoyable to watch it mellow
and fade as she adjusts to her new Montana
environment
Booker acts the sage throughout the film,
guiding Grace through her struggle while
delicately interacting with Annie on an
increasingly romantic level He buttons her
dress, takes her for a long, scenic ride, and
confides his feelings. She’s married, yet she
feels that Booker is more “home” to her than
her husband, Robert This romantic dilem
ma between Booker and Amie unwinds less
predictably, perhaps, than one would
ex|>ect. with an emphasis on what's best for
the two families rather than a cut-and-dried
love story. For those moviegoers who dread
the typical sappy
romantic sludge —
endless lofty “love"
scenes between
unbelievable and
unlikahle characters
— rest assured that
77i« Horse Whisperer
has much more in
common with
Bedford's 1979 film
Jeremiah Johnson
than The English
Patient
This film is equal
ly about nature and
the American West
as it is al>out human
characters Redford
notes. “The film pro
vided me with the
opportunity to show
the West not only as it used to be as a way of
life, but as it still is in very, very small pock
ets. The times we live in are changing so
quickly, and we mostly have a very synthetic
existence."
He illustrates this point in what turns out
to be the strongest scenes in the film —
Grace. Annie and Pilgrim leaving the struc
tured New York/E^ast Coast environment for
the expansive and spare landscapes of
Montana Director of photography Robert
Richardson captures the vastness of the
Montana mountain ranges, cloud formations
and wide-open fields, much the way the
recent Kundun relied thematically on the
look and feel ol the Himalayas
Beside the simple aesthetic of the
American West. The Horse Whisperer cele
brates a profound sense of family, though no
right-wing moralist could ever have commis
sioned such a sensitive storyline and such
stunning imagery It's a little long, hut well
paced, well acted anti especially engaging to
anyone who loves animals The Horse
Whisperer should provide an excelled alter
native for moviegoers seeking refuge this
week from (jodzilla and Deep Impact
let’s get
NINE INCH HEELS
NINTH ANNUAL
Boybutante
Ball
saturday.may.30.1998
arrivals—8:30p.m.
doors.open—3:00.p.m.
a benefit show &
dance extravaganza
the.fabulous.40.watt.club
385.w.washington.st
athens.ga.usa
tickets-$12.advance
(on sole at Outwnte Books. Boneshakers
BigShot Records Junkman s Daughter s
Brother. Lo Yo-Yo Stuff I
weekend.passes-$35
(includes weekend events plus r-stint)
foMi com'pta$ list ol events.
V ^ tickets, or moiMjifo. coil
706)227^30
\ or log on of \
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