Family Classics / Fylmow Klassek rag Teyluyow
The Festival’s Family Classics are two of the best family films ever made – for adults and children. These screenings are free for children 10 and under. (The cinema requires the accompaniment of at least one adult per four children.)
Both screenings feature humans developing inspiring, even mysterious relationships with wildlife, and are made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Newquay Zoo.
The Black Stallion
Sat | 5 Nov | 9.35 | Screen 1 | Book Tickets
Dir. Carroll Ballard | USA 1979 | U | 119min
Legendary film critic Pauline Kael once said that The Black Stallion “may be the greatest children's movie ever made.” This beautifully mounted adaptation of Walter Farley's story for children tells the tale of Alec (Kelly Reno), a young boy touring the world with his adventurous salesman father (Hoyt Axton). While travelling back to the United States by ship, Alec discovers a wild, beautiful Arabian stallion being brought along in the cargo hold. When disaster strikes at sea, the ship sinks, and Alec and the stallion are the only survivors. Alone together on a nearby island, the boy and the horse develop a relationship; wary of each other at first, they learn to trust each other, and they become close friends. When a rescue party finally finds Alec, he refuses to leave the island without the stallion, and the horse goes with Alec to the small town that is his home. Alec's mother (Teri Garr) is at a loss about what to do with this remarkable but difficult animal. Henry Dailey (Mickey Rooney), an elderly horse trainer who lives in the neighbourhood, senses a special connection between the boy and his horse; he's soon convinced that with the right training, and the boy as his jockey, the horse could be a champion on the race course.
First-time director Carroll Ballard captures the mysterious relationship between humans and animals, treating the stallion with the same intelligence and respect as the rest of his cast; he also draws fine, understated performances from Kelly Reno and Mickey Rooney, and Caleb Deschanel's photography makes this a feast for the eyes. The Black Stallion is that rare family film that will fascinate adults as much as their kids, if not more so. – Mark Deming, Rovi
“A magnificently well-crafted movie.” – Time Out London“The Black Stallion is a wonderful experience at the movies . . . [It] is rated G simply because it has no nudity, profanity or violence – but it does have terrific energy, beauty and excitement. It’s not a children’s movie; it’s for adults and for kids.” – Roger Ebert’s Four-Star Reviews—1967-2007
Fly Away Home
Sun | 6 Nov | 14.15 | Screen 3 | Book Tickets
Dir. Carroll Ballard | USA 1996 | U | 106min
After the accidental death of her beloved mother in New Zealand, 13- year-old Amy (Anna Paquin) is bundled off to live with her estranged father (Jeff Daniels) and his girlfriend (Dana Delaney). While struggling to adjust to her new life, Amy stumbles upon a nest of orphaned goose eggs and, after nurturing them until they hatch, becomes the Mother Goose. The geese thrive under Amy's loving care until a wildlife officer informs her father that it is illegal to raise wild geese without clipping their wings. Amy and her father cannot bear to ground the flock. Instead, they must teach the flock to fly using a hang-gliders and modest flying skills and lead the birds to a new home.
Director Carroll Ballard used the true-life experiences of scientist Bill Lishman as his inspiration. Lishman's life's work has been devoted to saving endangered species of birds, and the migration experiment shown in the film is drawn from trips that actually happened. Lishman openly wondered whether geese and similar birds could be taught new migration patterns by following ultralight aircraft onto which they had been imprinted. In 1993, after several years of logistical and bureaucratic setbacks, Lishman successfully led a flock of Canada geese on a winter migration from Ontario, Canada, to northern Virginia. Ballard uses this as the backdrop for a warm drama that's more about love and trust between a father and daughter than inter-species connections.
“The tender beauty of Carroll Ballard's Fly Away Home goes well beyond what might be expected from a movie about things that hatch. Rekindling the delicacy and invigorating naturalness he brought to The Black Stallion . . . Mr. Ballard turns a potentially treacly children's film into an exhilarating 90's fable.” – Janet Maslin, The New York Times
