Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

James Hitchcock "White Mane" was directed by the French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse, who also made the better-known "The Red Balloon" from three years later. The two films have several things in common, apart from the fact that both feature the name of a colour in their title. Both are very short ("White Mane", the longer of the two, only runs to forty-seven minutes) and have little in the way of dialogue. Both are centred upon the adventures of a young boy who finds an unusual playmate (a horse here, a seemingly- sentient balloon in the later film). Both are told in the form of a fable rather than of a realistic story, and have an enigmatic ending which can be interpreted symbolically.There are, however, also a number of differences. "The Red Balloon" was set in Belleville, a working-class district of Paris. It was filmed in colour, but the colours, apart from the red of the balloon itself, are dull and muted, in keeping with the gritty urban setting. "White Mane", by contrast, was shot in black-and-white on location in a remote rural area, the marshes of the Camargue in the South of France.The Camargue is noted for its herds of free-roaming wild horses, and the film tells the story of one of them, a white stallion called White Mane (Crin Blanc in French). A group of ranchers persistently try to capture him but White Mane, who distrusts men, always manages to escape. The only human who can tame him is a boy named Folco who lives in the marshes with his fisherman grandfather and younger brother.The story is a simple one and the film has always been popular with children. As with "The Red Balloon", however, there is plenty of symbolism for adult audiences who like that sort of thing. The wild horse becomes a symbol of freedom; he resists the ranchers, who try to capture him by force, but he will submit to Folco who captures him through love. There may also be a specifically religious meaning behind the films, which starts with the colour-references in the titles; in Christianity red is the colour of martyrdom and white that of purity. Religious symbolism can be attributed to the endings of both films; here White Mane takes Folco through the sea (the waters of baptism?) to an island where "horses and men can always be friends", a possible reference to an afterlife.Such attempts to attribute symbolic meanings to films, especially children's films, will always be controversial and there will always be ample grounds for disagreement about such matters. One area, however, which I suspect will give rise to little controversy is the film's visual impact. Lamorisse's clean, vibrant black-and-white photography is absolutely masterly, revealing the wild, lonely beauty of the marshes. It is the sort of film which one could, if one were in the mood, watch simply as a succession of striking images, without giving much thought either to the story or to its underlying meaning. In this respect I felt that "White Mane" excelled even the high standard of "The Red Balloon". 9/10

jacksflicks Here is a child-and-horse story that goes beyond Hollywood clichés. It's idyllic and untamed, with an undertone of menace.The somewhat artless execution is redeemed by the sublime theme and photography. And the ending blew me away.Then, there's the wonderful acting of the principles. The boy is beautiful and earnest, his little family achingly sweet. Notice the little sister. At very young ages they tend to be undisciplined. But this tot is fully into her part, doubtless thanks to director Albert Lamorisse, who later directed his masterpiece, The Red Balloon. Of course the old grandpa is completely natural. The herders are less convincing as actors, though spectacular as horsemen.The poignancy of the story reminds me of The Little Prince (book), also by a Frenchman. The French are very good at childhood themes. See Forbidden Games, War of the Buttons, the 400 Blows, the aforesaid Red Balloon, and Zero for Conduct, the masterpiece by Jean Vigo, whose eponymous prize White Mane won, as well as Cannes.

Michael_Elliott White Mane (1953) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Classic French film about a young boy (Alain Emery) who becomes fixated with an untamable white stallion. Even though the adults can't tame the horse, the young boy will stop at nothing to get the horse to notice him and eventually the boy breaks the horse. This is from the same director who made The Red Balloon and I must admit that I enjoyed this one a little bit more. Outside of one sequence, which I'll talk about later, this film is pretty flawless and at times downright beautiful. The cinematography is top-notch and really makes some great atmosphere especially the scenes in the pond. The pond sequence happens near the beginning of the film and it shows the boy putting a noose around the horse, trying to capture it, but then the horse takes off running and drags the boy through the water as well as the land. I'm not exactly sure how this was filmed but it was quite beautiful. Another great sequence happens at the end when the boy is finally able to get on the horse and a wild chase follows. The only rather disturbing scene is when the horse gets into a fight with another horse and this goes on for a good amount of time and it gets quite violent. The two horses are violently kicking one another and biting each other and these bites lead to some blood flowing and this scene is rather hard to watch.

Mike Unlike THE RED BALLOON, this movie lacks the emotional feel, but the same passion is still here. The only real difference between this and RED BALLOON, is that this is in black and white and in the countryside, not in the city. Both movies virtually have no dialogue at all. If you want to cry, see THE RED BALLOON.