Academic Review of "The Horse Whisperer"

The Horse Whisperer. Dir. Robert Redford. Perf. Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Scarlett Johansson. Touchstone Pictures, 1998.

Photograph courtesy of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Horse_Whisperer_(film)

Plot Summary

            Early one winter’s morning, teenager Grace MacLean and her best friend Judith take their horses out for an early ride.  Throughout their ride, they come to a slope, which has become slippery in the icy conditions.  Judith’s horse Gulliver slips and falls into Grace’s horse Pilgrim.  The two pairs fall down the hill, coming to a stop on a road below.  A truck slides around a corner and collides with them.  Judith and Gulliver are killed, while Grace and Pilgrim are left badly injured.  After the accident, Grace is left with a partially amputated right leg and Pilgrim becomes unmanageable due to the trauma he experienced.  Unwilling to put him down, Grace’s mother Annie is convinced that the recovery of her daughter is directly linked to that of Pilgrim’s. 

Photograph courtesy of http://www.sky.com/tv/movie/the-horse-whisperer-1998

            Annie tracks down a man by the name of Tom Booker, also known as the “horse whisperer”.  He is a talented trainer with the gift to understand horses, and the people who ride them.  Tom agrees to help so Annie and Grace make the long journey from New York to a remote ranch in Montana.  Here Grace, Annie and Pilgrim are tested to their limits to come together to heal one another.  As time ensues, Tom helps this family overcome their horrific past and gain back trust towards each other as well having the courage to get back in the saddle.  During this healing process, Tom and Annie reach a mutual attraction, despite the fact that Annie is married.  She is then faced with a near impossible decision between the life she has and the life she wants.          

Analysis

            Coming into this project, the idea being analyzed is that Hollywood often portrays ranching and farming in a very stereotypical way.  Throughout this paper, it will be discussed whether or not The Horse Whisperer follows those same guidelines. 

            The important role that farmers and ranchers play in American’s every day lives is often times overlooked.  Film usually does not take the time to emphasize this fact, but instead dives into the idea that ranchers are perhaps lower than other people, socially and that they do not necessarily care about their land, animals, etc.  Or they focus on the more glamorous aspects of ranching, like rodeo.  This is where the Horse Whisperer differs. 

            When the characters based out of Montana are established, it is apparent that they have a deep connection with the land that they work.  It is centered on the Booker family and their cattle ranch.  This movie takes the unique approach towards showing what actually happens on a ranch.  Included is showing working in the mud, feeding in early hours and allowing a 9-year-old to drive the ranch truck.  Anybody who has lived the ranching life will agree that it is not easy, but it is possibly the most rewarding work any man can do.

            As well as correctly interpreting the work, this movie also accurately depicts the relationship between man and horse.  The bond between a rancher and their horse is like nothing else.  He is not just an animal, he is your constant and loyal companion.  When considering this delicate relationship, a man by the name of Buck Brannaman was brought in to oversee this representation.  It is about establishing a very intimate and trusting relationship with the animal and then striving to never violate that trust.

Photograph courtesy of Irinel Petreseu

“When it comes to the sequence for Pilgrim's accident, it is strictly the magic and illusion of filmmaking that will leave audiences thinking they have seen a harrowing crash. A representative of the American Humane Association (A.H.A.) was on the set every day that animals worked, both in New York and in Montana”. 

            The Horse Whisperer is an incredible landmark in filmmaking.  It explores all human emotion, while still managing to accurately interoperate what ranch life is really like.  From the family dynamic to the mud caked boots, this film does farmers justice, and plays an important role in bringing awareness to the importance that these families play in American society.  The Ohio State Extension highlighted a set of skills that an American farmer must posses.  "A farmer must possess skills in the following professions: welding, accounting, farm law, politician, wildlife officer, veterinarian, construction, finance, animal husbandry, corporate executive, marketing, entomologist, plant pathologist, good neighbor, plumber, electrician, research scientist and an eternal optimist, just to mention a few." 

            It is not very often when something produced in Hollywood does justice to how the working man lives.  The Horse Whisperer achieves this.  It not only shows how a rancher lives, but shows that there is great pride to be found in such work and that a man really can live and work simultaneously with this earth and her creatures.           

Citations

"The Horse Whisperer: About the Production." Film Scouts. Web.

"Avoid the Common Stereotypes of Farming." Ohio State Extension. Web.

The Horse Whisperer. Dir. Robert Redford. Perf. Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Scarlett Johansson. Touchstone Pictures, 1998.