Film: Black Stallion (1979)

Oscar: Sound Editing
Thursday, 8/14/2025
5:45 - 7:30
Potrero Meeting Room
Potrero

1616 20th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
United States

415-355-2822

Following a fiery shipwreck, ten-year-old Alec Ramsay and a black stallion survive on a deserted island. The cinematography is storytelling perfection. It chronicles the wordless development of trust between Alec Ramsay and The Black. The Oscar-nominated musical score accentuates the evolution of their relationship from tenuous fear and testing to the joyous abandonment into trust. With his arms raised and thunderous tides rushing underfoot, Alec riding The Black bareback is mesmerizing. After their rescue, the filming of Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney) astride a bale of hay, demonstrating jockeying technique to Alec, is motion picture mastery.

Popcorn served.

Director: Carroll Ballard

Stars: Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney and Teri Garr

G, 118 mins., 1979. Closed captions (CC) in English.

Film & Video

Watch party and film discussions. 

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

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