Black Beauty

Last Update: 09 November 2000 (You need a browser capable of viewing tables to see this page properly)

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"The story of my life is the story of the people in it," reminisces an elderly stallion from his pastoral retirement. It's the first of many axioms - "Kind treatment makes fine horses", "Good people make good homes" - with which, over the years, he has fended off human unkindness. A succession of owners is played by a dream-team of British actors: Sean Bean, Peter Davison, Peter Cook, Eleanor Bron and David Thewlis. Sean appears as Farmer Grey in the first fifteen minutes of the film.

Director Caroline Thompson evokes a mid-Victorian era in which the period detail is wonderfully unerring. She avoids the niceties of other, somewhat romantic treatments of Black Beauty, and lives up to Anna Sewell's message that, however happy an ending, for horses there is pain and heartache between birth and death. Black Beauty was filmed between August and October 1993 in Buckinghamshire and at Pinewood Studios in London. Look for Sharpe's Lyndon Davies as a Groom, and, as the voice of Black Beauty, Alan Cumming - GoldenEye's "invincible" computer wiz, Boris.

Location Notes: The bustle of 19th century steet life was recreated in the courtyard of Blenheim Palace, near Oxford. The house of the kindly Squire was Hall Barn, a 17th century house in Buckinghamshire. The home of Lord and Lady Wexmire was Ditchley, an 18th century house not far from Blenheim Palace. The grand room where Black Beauty had to pose for Lady Wexmire was shot at Stratfield Saye house in Hampshire. Additional scenes were filmed in Black Park, part of the Langley Park estate of the Duke of Marlborough. (From On location - The Film Fan's Guide to Britain & Ireland by Brian Pendreigh)

Trivia: The actor originally cast to provide the voice of Black Beauty was Daragh O'Malley, Harper in the Sharpe series, starring Sean Bean.

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PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: Alan Cumming Sean Bean David Thewlis Jim Carter Peter Davison Alan Armstrong John McEnery Eleanor Bron Peter Cook Adrian Ross Magenty Lyndon Davies Georgina Armstrong Gemma Paternoster Anthony Walters Rosalind Ayres Andrew Knott

Voice of Black Beauty Farmer Grey Jerry Barker John Manly Squire Gordon Reuben Smith Mr. York Lady Wexmire Lord Wexmire Lord George Head Groom Jessica Gordon Molly Gordon Alfred Gordon Mistress Gordon Joe Green

PRODUCTION CREDITS: Produced by Directed by Screenplay From the novel by Cinematography Production Design Costume Design Film Editor Music by Running time Release dates

Peter MacGregor-Scott Robert Shapiro Caroline Thompson Caroline Thompson Anna Sewell Alex Thomson John Box Jenny Bevan Claire Simpson Danny Elfman 88 minutes 29 July 1994 (US) 17 February 1995 (UK)

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