THE HORSE WHISPERER!

And now, the moment I have promised for week number 3 of "Friday Movie Suggestion Night". FMSN started off with a Drama featuring Paul Newman ("The Verdict"), then moved into a Drama/Comedy about a man undergoing a funny Mid-Life Crisis with the late Dudley Moore ("10"). With the most moving post I've ever done on a true life story here locally concerning a 16 year old girl who rescued a beautiful, albeit, blind Belgian horse, (see my post of 9/27/05) I decided after much thought to change what I had originally scheduled to bring you to a movie from 1998--an otherwise dull year for films released here in the United States: The Horse Whisperer, directed by Robert Redford.

It was Redruth, Cornwall, England that brought us the lovely and talented Kristin Scott-Thomas who Co-stars here. The all star cast features Sam Neill, Dianne Wiest, Kate Bosworth and a stand-out from then-newcomer Scarlett Johansson that will touch your heart boldly. Incidentally, Natalie Portman withdrew from this film to star in a Broadway production of "The Diary of Anne Frank".

The Plot: A devastating horse riding accident during the Winter season has left both a young girl and her beloved horse severely injured and emotionally traumatized. The girl's mother learns of a man called a "Horse Whisperer" and soon after, drives her daughter (with horse in tow) clear across the United States from New York to Montana. A trip that will change their lives forever. Buck Brannaman of Sheridan, Wyoming is the real-life "Horse Whisperer" who inspires Mr. Redfords portrayal in the film. Brannaman's personal life was infused with conflict and violence. What changed that? Listening to horses.

The term "Horse Whisperer" refers to the soft, gentle way one communicates with a horse. John Rarey was one of the first modern day horse-tamers who pioneered many of the principles you will see in this film (back in 1850). In an Equis magazine article, "Secrets of the Horse Tamers", Emily Kilby writes, "The man who would take up taming must have the delicacy of touch and feeling of a woman, the eye of an eagle, the courage of a lion, and the hang-on pluck of a bulldog". As many of you know, horses are most intuitive. They can help us face our fears, learn more about love, reveal self-defeating patterns and even add a spiritual dimension to our personal lives. In fact, there are equine-facilitated health programs to assist not only the physically challenged, as the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) does. But the Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA) has helped a great many plagued with Autism, Schizophrenia and Attention Deficit Disorder achieve positive results!

When this movie debuted, Redford, who is sensitive about each of us being good stewards of the environment insisted that the film only debut in select US cities--fearing that an onslaught of tourists might disrupt the beauty and solitude of portions of Montana, where the filming took place. Redford read the novel by first-time author Nicholas Evans and paid a hefty $3 million (US) for the rights to make the film. This is a superb cast and a powerful motion picture event! My young cousin, who attended my 1999 college graduation ceremony owned three horses and took me as a child with her to the stables often. She had read the book and knew of the film but succumbed to Cancer before she could see the film. I dedicate this post to her.

May you settle in sometime tonight or over the weekend and enjoy it!

Have a Wonderful Weekend, All!