In the south of France, in a vast plain region called La Camargue, lives White Mane, a magnificent stallion and the leader of a herd of wild horses too proud to let themselves be broken in by humans. Only Folco, a young fisherman, manages to tame him. A strong friendship grows between the boy and the horse, as the two go looking for the freedom that the world of men won’t allow them. Long unavailable in the U.S., this extraordinarily shot wonder from Albert Lamorisse, the director of The Red Balloon, is a work of technical sophistication and immense natural beauty. —The Criterion Collection
French filmmaker, screenwriter and producer, Albert Lamorisse was born January 13, 1922 in Paris, France. He is best remembered for making the exquisite short The Red Balloon(1956), starring his son Pascal. It is a whimsical fantasy in which a French boy is befriended by a magical red balloon. The short earned him both a grand prize at Cannes and an American Oscar. Lamorisse started out as a photographer and began making short films in the late 1940s. The poetic simplicity of his short- and medium-length films gained him an international reputation. His 1952 short, White Mane, an account of how a young boy gentles an untameable wild white stallion, also took top prizes at Cannes and the American Oscars. He unsuccessfully tried his hand at feature-length films in the early ‘60s and then returned to making short documentaries. Tragically, while making The Lover’s Wind (1970) in Tehran, Lamorisse was killed in a helicopter crash. Using his production notes, the film was edited and released… read more
Une sorte de western archaïque, quasiment muet, ou la lumière écrasante du Nevada serait remplacé par l'éclat de la Camargue. D'une pureté incroyable.
White Mane (Albert Lamorisse, 1953)
It seems that now the audience is too demanding for over the top stunts and animals that are able to move their limps and talk through the use of CGI graphics… read review
(Some spoilers) “White Mane” follows Folco, a boy fisherman living in the marshes of France. He spots a striking white stallion while working and tries to approach the horse. White Mane, a leader of… read review
The titular steed of this famed French short is a tempestuous beast, breaking free of his wranglers and stomping around the marshes of Camargue with contempt for a race that wants to contain his free… read review