BLACK BEAUTY (1994)

Name: BLACK BEAUTY (1994)
Item: BLACK BEAUTY (1994)
Author: Review

“From a Horse’s Point of View”

Family Content: +2 Moderately questionable elements.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

BLACK BEAUTY is a 1994 movie that follows the dramatic story of a black stallion and is an adaptation of Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel of the same name. Told from the perspective of the horse, Black Beauty enjoys a pleasant life on a farm with a loving family and a caretaker. When the master’s wife falls ill and the family must relocate, he is sold, along with the horse he loves, Ginger. The new owners are harsh, and after an accident, he is sold again. Separated from Ginger, he loses hope as he passes from one owner to the next. But when all seems lost, an old friend unexpectedly appears.

BLACK BEAUTY has strong moral worldview elements of loyalty, love, and perseverance. Black Beauty remains loyal to her masters, no matter how they treat her, and perseveres through it all. While there is much pain and heartache, restoration through love and loyalty is achieved. There are instances of light, violent scenes, including humans abusing horses and a perilous barn fire. There are also a couple of scenes that display drunkenness. MOVIEGUIDE advises caution for young viewers.

Content:

(BB, CC, L, V, N, A, D, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Very strong moral worldview elements of loyalty, love, and perseverance. Horses are shown sticking up and standing with each other. A horse endures much oppression but pushes through loyally. While there is much hurt, restoration through love and loyalty is eventually found;

Foul Language:

One obscenity and the word ‘bloody’ is used once. A horse leaves gas. A man calls a boy stupid;

Violence:

A fire starts in a barn full of horses, but all the horses make it out alive. A mistress continually has the reins on the horses tightened so that their heads will be forced upright. A horse gets aggressive and breaks free from a carriage. A horse gets a cut on its leg and injures its knees after falling; blood is shown. A man falls off his horse while riding. A man yells at a boy. A man hits a horse to make it go faster. A horse kicks a man. A man pushes a woman aside in the street while running. A horse is shown dead;

Sex:

None;

Nudity:

Natural animalistic nudity. A horse is shown giving birth;

Alcohol Use:

A man is seen drunk, trying to get on his horse. Two men are seen drunk, and they express wanting another drink;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

A man smokes a pipe;

Miscellaneous Immorality:

A boy is rude to his sisters. Some instances of the mistreatment of animals.

More Detail:

BLACK BEAUTY is a 1994 movie that follows the dramatic story of a black stallion and is an adaptation of Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel of the same name. Black Beauty, in the mid-1800s, is born into a peaceful horse farm in the English countryside. His master trains him and then sends him to an estate to serve a family. The family treats him very well, and he grows a strong bond with his caretakers, especially the stable boy, Joe. Everyone loves him, and after he saves the stablemaster’s life, they hold him in high esteem.

Black Beauty roams the pastures and forms close friendships with the other horses on the estate, particularly with a chestnut mare named Ginger. Ginger ignores him at first, but over time they grow to love each other. But things change one day when the mistress of the estate becomes ill, forcing the family to move away. Black Beauty is sold to a new estate and stripped of everything he knows and loves. The only consolation he has is that Ginger is still at his side.

Things, however, keep getting worse. Their new owners are harsh and have no compassion. They drive the horses hard, and one day, Black Beauty has an accident. After recovering, he is sold and torn away from Ginger. Devastated, he starts to lose hope as he passes from one cruel owner to the next. The owners sell him to a family in the city who runs a taxi service. They take good care of him, brushing and feeding him every day. The work is hard, pulling cabs on the cobbled street every day, but Black Beauty doesn’t mind; he is thankful that, finally, he has found a good home. He loves his master and serves him eagerly.

One day, while pulling cabs, he sees a horse he recognizes. He realizes that it’s Ginger who is in bad shape. Black Beauty is overjoyed to see her again. Things start looking up. But the next day, while working, he is met with a painful scene in the marketplace that breaks his heart.
On top of that, his master gets sick and has to move away. His master sends him to work at a mill hauling grain. The work is brutal, and after years of pulling a wagon overloaded with grain, she starts to break, but when all seems lost, an old friend unexpectedly shows up.

The movie is filmed from the perspective of Black Beauty, making it very engaging and unique as the story chronicles the life of a creature passed from owner to owner. It does a good job of blending in the horse’s narrative with the human’s without being cheesy or disjointed. The movie captures the imagery of landscapes and wildlife beautifully.

BLACK BEAUTY has strong moral worldview elements of loyalty, love, and perseverance. Black Beauty remains loyal to her masters, no matter how they treat her, and perseveres through it all. The movie also explores the bond between humans and animals. While there is much pain and heartache, restoration through love and loyalty is achieved. There is some light, violent scenes, including humans abusing horses and a perilous barn fire. There are also a couple of scenes that display drunkenness. MOVIEGUIDE advises caution for young viewers.