Black Beauty

Would Anna Sewell's bestseller Black Beauty finally get the film adaptation it deserved - a great adventure film and an extraordinary friendship between a wild Mustang from the western United States and a young teenage girl who must cope with the grief of her parents? Many directors have tried to bring this novel to life Edward H. Griffith (1921), Max Nosseck (1946), James Hill (1971), Docs Keepin Time (1994), Caroline Thompson (2008) . We will disregard the series and the animated film that have hardly left their mark on our memories. To date the best adaptation is that of Caroline Thompson which was not only based on an excellent cast including Sean Bean and David Thewlis and Alan Cumming (voice of Black Beauty in the original version).

This new adaptation which even if it is broadcast on Disney + is not really a production of The Walt Disney studios was produced by Constantin Film, JB Pictures and Bolt Pictures. The result is a rather atypical film compared to the productions we discover exclusively on this new streaming platform. Before approaching this new adaptation of Anna Sewell's novel, it is interesting to put this book in its historical context, that is to say at the end of the 1870s. Far from being a simple book intended for a young audience, the author wanted to draw attention to the protection of animals whether they are wild like here a Mustang or more common like a companion animal (dogs, cats ...). One can thus understand her will to induce kindness, sympathy and understanding treatment towards horses.

By making the horse named Black Beauty the center of his novel and by expressing his thoughts in words, his book revealed an interesting approach to the society in which this story took place. From his birth on an English farm with his mother to difficult times as a means of transportation by pulling carts, the book showed us the life of a noble horse in a society that did not recognize the many qualities of these horses. In the book, Black Beauty had to face many difficulties and above all the cruelty of some people whether they were children or adults. The strength of the book was such that many people saw the fate of draft animals differently.

This more contemporary rereading of this bestseller takes a certain distance and is not content to remain totally faithful. Whether it is the introduction of the film in which Black Beauty is separated from her mother and finds herself on a farm that trains horses before selling them, or her meeting with the young orphan Jo Green (Mackenzie Foy) and a sensitive and deeply humane horse trainer John Manly (Iain Glen). Black Beauty's voice plays an important role in the story and to lend her Kate Winslet's voice is a great idea. In the same way this new version of Black Beauty turns the fictional horse into a wild mustang of the Wild West and skillfully replaces 19th century England with today's America. This new adaptation thus benefits from many differences that make this film an interesting and above all original re-reading. Written and directed by Ashley Avis (Death Valley (2016), Adolescence (2015)), Black Beauty certainly doesn't equal Caroline Thompson's version but is certainly less successful but benefits from an excellent cast and a perfect pace to establish itself as a good family entertainment.

Ashley Avis' rather clever script succeeds in creating a real link between Black Beauty and Jo Green. Both have lost their mother and both turn out to be wild. The two take care of each other and manage to create a real relationship based on mutual respect and recognition of many qualities. In the same way, the scenario shows that many people want Black beauty for its perfection but without really trying to understand or care for it. These people see her as just another trophy to show their wealth. At no time do they seek to make Black Beauty's life better except Jo Green and John Manly. The success of the film is largely due to the presence of the young actress Mackenzie Foy, discovered in the film saga Twilight and later seen again in The Conjuring (2013), Interstellar (2014) and the Walt Disney company production The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018). She brings to this film all her grace and fragility.

Black Beauty is thus a good family entertainment and even if it is not the best adaptation of Ashley Avis's novel to date, it remains a good movie and will keep you waiting for the undeniable pleasure of discovering for the first time a movie on the big screen in a movie theater.

Black Beauty
Written and directed by Ashley Avis
Produced by Jeremy Bolt, Robert Kulzer
Based on Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Starring Mackenzie Foy, Kate Winslet, Claire Forlani, Iain Glen, Fern Deacon
Music by Guillaume Roussel
Cinematography: David Procter
Edited by Ashley Avis
Production company: Constantin Film, JB Pictures, Bolt Pictures
Distributed by Disney+
Release date: November 27, 2020
Vu le 22 novembre (screener presse Disney)
Running time : 109 minutes

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