Horse Whisperer [Blu-ray]

Director: Robert Redford Robert Redford

Overview

Robert Redford directed himself for the first time in this romantic drama adapted from the 1995 best-seller by Nicholas Evans. Fourteen-year-old Grace MacLean (Scarlett Johansson of Manny & Lo) and her friend Judith go horseback riding in upstate New York on a winter morning, but their horses lose their footing on ice and slide onto a road, where Judith and her horse are killed by a jackknifing truck. Grace and her horse are also seriously injured -- doctors must amputate Grace's right leg -- and the frightening incident leaves a lasting trauma not only on Grace but also on her horse, Pilgrim. Grace's mother -- magazine editor Annie MacLean (Kristin Scott Thomas) -- seeking Grace's recovery, feels there's a link between her crippled, embittered daughter and Pilgrim's behavior. Learning about a horse trainer with a special gift, she takes Grace and Pilgrim to Montana where horse whisperer Tom Booker (Robert Redford) lives on a ranch with his younger brother Frank (Chris Cooper), Frank's wife Diane (Dianne Wiest) and their children. Tom's work with the horse also has a rejuvenating effect on the guilt-ridden Grace. Annie loses her magazine job, and the low-key romantic involvement between Annie and Tom develops during the summer, stifled by the unexpected arrival of Annie's husband, Robert MacLean (Sam Neill). Screenplay by Eric Roth and Richard LaGravenese (who adapted The Bridges of Madison County). Filmed in Montana and Saratoga Springs, New York.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/03/2012
UPC:	0786936824933
Original Release:	1998
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Touchstone / Disney
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:49:00
Sales rank:	9,227

Special Features

Production Featurette; Robert Redford Featurette; Buck Brannaman Featurette; Music Video

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Redford	Tom Booker
Kristin Scott Thomas	Annie MacLean
Scarlett Johansson	Grace MacLean
Sam Neill	Robert MacLean
Dianne Wiest	Diane Booker
Chris Cooper	Frank Booker
Cherry Jones	Liz Hammond,Ranch Hand
Ty Hillman	Joe Booker
Jeanette Nolan	Ellen Booker
Kate Bosworth	Judith
Don Edwards	Smokey
Austin Schwarz	Twin No. 1,Twin No. 2
Steve Frye	Hank,Actor
Jessalyn Gilsig	Lucy
William 'Buddy' Byrd	Lester Petersen
John Hogarty	Local Tracker
Mike La Londe	Park Ranger
C.J. Byrnes	Doctor
Kathy Baldwin Keenan	Nurse
Allison Moorer	Barn Dance Vocalist
George Sack Jr.	Truck Driver
Kelley Sweeney	Nurse No. 2,Nurse #2
Joelle Carter	Officer Worker No. 1
Sunny Chae	Office Worker No. 2
Anne Joyce	Office Worker No. 3
Tara Sobeck	Schoolgirl No. 1
Kristy Ann Servidio	Schoolgirl No. 2
Marie Engle	Neighbor
Curt Pate	Handsome Cowboy,Roper
Steven Brian Conard	Ranch Hand
Cliff Fleming	Pilot
Dirk Vahle	Pilot
Michel Lalonde	Park Ranger
Stephen Pearlman	David Gottschalk
Donnie Saylor	Rugged Cowboy
Gloria Lynne Henry	Member of Magazine Staff
Brian Vikander	Photographer
Ty Alan Hillman	Actor
Catherine Bosworth	Judith
Gwil Owen	Composer
Thomas Newman	Composer
John Barry	Composer

Technical Credits

Eric Roth

Richard LaGravenese

Nick Evans

Terry J. Leonard

Robert Redford	Director,Producer
Eric Roth	Screenwriter
Richard LaGravenese	Screenwriter
Patrick Markey	Producer
Ellen Chenoweth	Casting
Gary Combs	Stunts
Peter Crosman	Special Effects
Peter Donen	Special Effects
Rachel Pfeffer	Executive Producer,Producer
Gretchen Rennell	Casting
Neil Trifunovich	Special Effects
Julie Adair	Stunts
Nick Evans	Screenwriter
Terry J. Leonard	Screenwriter
Gretchen Rennell Court	Casting
Gary Rydstrom	Sound/Sound Designer
Steve Boeddeker	Sound/Sound Designer
Tod Maitland	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Robert Redford's follow-up to his masterful 1994 film Quiz Show is a tasteful and enveloping romance that recalls the days of lush widescreen melodramas, and their ability to win you over with their grand gestures. Similar in theme to Clint Eastwood's The Bridges of Madison County, another modern film that dared to present a love affair between two intelligent adults, The Horse Whisperer takes its time to unravel over the course of nearly three hours, but presents enough honest emotion and cinematic splendor that it all seems worth the effort. Director Redford ideally casts himself as the rugged horse trainer, and Kristin Scott Thomas is equally fine as his love interest. The novel from which it's based (by Nicholas Evans) took its main storyline as an excuse to create soapy sentiment, but Redford wisely eschews this for a more serene tale. In a bold use of cinematography, the film (when viewed in a theater) opens up to a larger screen ratio when its main female characters reach Montana, creating an effective contrast to the starkness of its initial New York City scenes. It is inclusions like this that make the film so memorable, with the ability to steal your heart if you're willing to let it.

All Movie Guide - Jason Clark