I can't take any more of this horse whispering. I mean, get a glass of water, or rest your voice or something. It just gets annoying, listening to some hag cough and weeze all movie, just cuz she screamed at a baseball game. She could have had the decency to speak normally. Otherwise, It generally was okee dokee.

Redford does his usual great job of creating a character. Beautifully photographed. The scenery is breathtaking, best enjoyed on the big screen. Even the fact that the writers & director obviously didn't know much about horses or riding doesn't spoil it, tho, to a horsewoman, it strains ones belief at times. People who don't know a whole lot about horses or the sport of riding won't notice. Its a nice movie about good people caught up in tragic circumstances. How they get through it can help restore your faith in the basic "goodness" of people.

"The Horse Whisperer" can be summed up in a quick statement: it's "The Bridges of Madison County" without the heart-tugging emotion. Yet Robert Redford's adaption of the bestselling novel by Robert Evans still has a lot going for it: a good story, decent characterization and a performance by an up and coming star.

No, I'm not talking about the horse, I'm talking about the young daughter Grace, played with winning charm by Scarlett Johansen ("Manny and Lo"). Her Grace has been in a truck accident where her leg was severed (and amputated), and the horse she was riding on was severly hurt.

Instead of putting the horse down, Grace and her mother, Annie (Kristin Scott Thomas) decide to travel to Montana to visit a "horse whisperer", a man who apparently can heal horses. The man is Tom Booker, played with the usual, balsa wood flavor of Redford, who still looks great after all these years, but can't handle a serious role like the one he is directing himself in. And Annie is in love with Tom too! Redford and Thomas' love story seems second handed, almost a subplot. It is not at all developed. I didn't really care what happened to them.

I was more interested with Grace and her rehabilitation. She goes from snippy and cold to caring, with sheer believeability. I cared more about what happened to her, whether she would just collapse into a state of dread or not. And Johannson is a gifted actress. Every scene she effectively blends sadness and spirit; I was reminded of the powerful performance by Sarah Polley in "The Sweet Hereafter", where she too was going through a rehab after a bus accident.

Despite the flaws persistent in this 169 minute drama, "The Horse Whisperer" is still a memorable entertainment.

Grade: B

Tech Review:

Picture: 4 The entire picture (flat and scope) is good, however a lot of scenes have too much grain and dirt on it (not a problem with the projection). Many scenes in Montana looked bright and fuzzy, but that was because those scenes were shot with a soft lens. The 1.85:1 scenes look too dark and not real.

Sound: 5 This is a fine Dolby Digital soundtrack, however try to watch the movie in a dts or, better yet, an SDDS theatre. The DD soundtrack is sure to please, too. There is relentless bass in the truck accident scene, and the music score shines powerfully in the front channels.

Photography: 3 (Reels 1 and 2), 5 (reels onward): An odd choice of Mr. Redford, to have the first forty minutes (the city scenes) in wide 1.85:1, then expand the image to full 2.35:1 Panavision for the rest of the length. (This is not a problem with the projection; if it was, reels one and two would have been terribly stretched and the 1.85:1 masking bars would have been been showing on the top and bottom of the frame, resulting in a ration of about 2.98:1) I don't understand the use, since reels one and two had annoying thick black bars on the side. Perhaps to show that the city is all cramped and the Montana country is wide and open. This use of multiple widescreen is not necessary, the buildings in New York can show us that the city is cramped, not the cropping. When the film is in Panavision, there are sometruly jaw-dropping shots, including sky high frames and panoramic shots of the Montana landscape. The 1.85:1 scenes suffer too much from the cropping on the sides; the cinematography in these scenes are too distracting because of the black area.

Length: 169 minutes. Touchstone Pictures. jwhyte2@hotmail.com

ICQ# 4339199

By now most of you know the plot of this movie. Grace, played by Scarlette Johansson, is an accomplished rider who while riding her horse, Pilgrim, is gravely injured as is Pilgrim. Grace's mother is Annie, played by Kristen Scott Thomas. Annie is a high-powered, take charge, magazine editor who is also going through some personal life trials related to her career. Grace's father, Robert, is a very successful lawyer played by Sam Neill.

To make a long story short, Annie doesn't allow Pilgrim, to be "put down". Pilgrim has been severely traumatized by the accident and that is where Tom, the horse whisper, Booker comes in. Tom Booker is played by Robert Redford. As he puts it he "helps horses with people problems". Grace also becomes embittered and withdrawn as result of the accident and her subsequent injuries. So the journey to Montana to have Tom look at Pilgrim is also to be a chance for Grace to heal. Incidently this journey is made without Robert who can't use conference calling to do his job, unlike Annie. Although, I don't wish to give the movie away, this physical and emotional separation from her husband gives Annie a chance to build a close relationship with Tom.

There are many reasons why I like this movie. The photography is stunning and the use of light to create visual effects create an emotional feeling is very well done. Although, at times I did wish they would turn on some lights because it did seem too dark.

All of the characters in this movie were well developed and well done. The 2 stand out performances are that of Scarlette Johansson and Sam Neill, in my opinion. Scarlette's portrayal of Grace is filled with much emotion but isn't melodramatic. I think we will see more of her in future roles. Sam Neill's character, Robert, is absent much of the movie but his performance is the one thatillicited most tearful response from the women in the audience. If this movie were closer to Oscar time, I'm confident it would be nominated several times over

One other performance I think that deserves mentioning is that of Pilgrim. Although, I reject the concept of anthropomorphism of animals. I do believe animals feel and react to emotions such as fear. And the efforts of the animal trainers are clearly present in this movie in producing a realistic reaction to the kind of trauma that an accident would have to a horse that survived it.

Robert Redford has done it again, as he did in "A River Runs Through It". He has shown us that strong emotion can be expressed tastefully without graphic scenes that make movie going so awkward. He once again shows the viewer his utmost respect in leaving so much unsaid ...we are able to understand much more than most movie makers give us credit for. Thank you Robert Redford for this sensitive adaptation of this book. And special credit must go to Kristin Thomas for her crisp portrayal of the mother. And, as a horse person, I felt very comfortable with the movie as a whole. And the scenery....I feel that he is a prophet, Mr. Redford, leading us all to an understanding of what Nature's grandeur can do for our psyche.

I was pleasantly surprised at how exceptionally good this movie was. It was nothing like the ads. I thought it was going to be a soap opera love story, but it wasn't. The whole audience reacted in tandem throughout the movie. Everyone enjoyed it. It's an emotional rollercoaster worth the ride!

I heard a reviewer say that the scenery has to be good when you put Robert Redford in it and you look past him to the mountains. AND he is right. The scenery is beautiful. However, so is the scenery of relationships in this film: not just what was suppose to be the central focus, between Kirsten Scott Thomas character and Robert Redford (Tom Booker), but watch the relationship between Booker's brother (John Sayles) and wife, their children (Bookers' nephews), the interaction between the horse (Pilgrim) and Booker, between Grace and Booker, between Booker's world and Booker. I was most touched by the relationship between the horse and Booker. I was not able to restrain my tears watching the process through which the injured, traumatized animal is brought back into the world of people and purpose. Some of my friends focused on the relationship between the injured girl and Booker, the girl and the horse ... and that's probably one of the strengths of this film: it gives you so many opportunities as individuals to uniquely experiences its story. But the story is about pain and the process we each choose to journey through it to the other side. If you forget your kleenex, better grab an extra napkin when you buy that popcorn.

P.S. I did not read the book. I intentionally chose this as a film vs a book. I also know very little about horses and riding. If it takes a little ignorance of reality to enjoy a beauty of a story, I'm glad I am ignorant in this case.

\"The Horse Whisperer\" is another wonderful film by Robert Redford, who knows how to make a great movie. Kristin Scott Thomas plays a writer, whose horse was injured and it\'s up to Redford to make the horse well again.