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Customer Reviews of The Red Pony

Red pony with white blaze makes boy blue...
In an effort to connect with his son, Fred Tiflin (Louis Calhern) buys him a pony: A fantastic cinnamon red colored pony with a white blaze and a flowing creamy mane and tail. Fred is dismayed when young Tom (Peter Miles) turns to the ranch-hand (Robert Mitchum) instead of him for help in training the unbroken gelding and gets even more fed up when the pony, named Gabilan, becomes Tom's singular obsession. Drama and tragedy take center stage, but there is plenty of pony for fans of the Welsh breed. This movie was remade for TV in 1978, but somebody got the definition of "pony" confused with "foal" and a Thoroughbred colt was cast as Gabilan. Based on a short story called The Promise in a collection entitled The Red Pony by John Steinbeck. <
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Poor transfer
Even though the box claims a digital transfer, the source elements must be poor. Sections of the film are too dark, and it is noisy and grainy throughout. This film needs a more serious restoration than provided here.

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Steinbeck's sensitivie and imaginative story of childhood
Lewis Milestone's adaptation of John Steinbeck's "The Red Pony," which has the surprising virtue of a screenplay by the author, tells the story of the love of Tom Tifling (Peter Miles) for his pony Galiban. The film was shot mainly on location in the coastal range mountains on the western edge of the Salinas Valley. The ranch belongs to Tom's maternal grandfather (Louis Calhern), a talkative old geezer who longs for the old days of the Wild West. Fred (Shepperd Strudwick), Tom's father, came from the city to live on the ranch where his wife Alice (Myrna Loy, looking decidedly out of place out on the farm) grew up. Fred is trying to come to terms with whether or not he has a future being a rancher, but also with the fact that his son feels closer to the ranch's trusted hand Billy Buck (Robert Mitchum). Billy is a real cowboy and figures largely in Tom's imagination: there is a wonderful scene where Tom imagines himself leading a magical processing along the country road. When Tom gets his pony Galiban, he learns a lot about responsibility; in time, he will also learn about loss as well. The climax of the film contains a cruel and terrifying scene that threatens to destroy the overall pastoral mood of the film. "The Red Pony" also features a score by Aaron Copland, which certainly helps elevate the tone of the film. Steinbeck's novel has long been a staple of Junior High English classes and this film version is a decent albeit dated effort. Note: Look for a young Beau Bridges playing "Beau" in this film.