The Horse Whisperer movie storyline. It is a cold winter night. Grace and her best friend Judith go for a ride with their horses, but a terrible accident changes her life forever. A truck hits them, Judith and her horse are killed, while Grace and her horse Pilgrim are seriously injured, both physically and mentally.
In an attempt to bring Pilgrim back from his now savage condition, Grace’s mother Annie takes them to Montana in search for Tom Booker. Tom is a “horse whisperer”, a cowboy with the ability to “communicate” with horses. In the land of the Wild West Annie will change the way she sees life forever, as the wise cowboy slowly heals the souls of Pilgrim and Grace…
The Horse Whisperer is a 1998 American drama film directed by and starring Robert Redford, based on the 1995 novel The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans. Redford plays the title role, a talented trainer with a remarkable gift for understanding horses, who is hired to help an injured teenager (played by Scarlett Johansson) and her horse back to health following a tragic accident.
The main character, according to writer Nicholas Evans, is modeled after horse whisperers Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt and, in particular, their younger disciple Buck Brannaman. Brannaman also doubled for Robert Redford in the film and served as the consultant. Evans himself said, “Others have claimed to be the inspiration for Tom Booker in The Horse Whisperer. The one who truly inspired me was Buck Brannaman. His skill, understanding and his gentle, loving heart have parted the clouds for countless troubled creatures. Buck is the Zen master of the horse world.”
About the Story
Teenager Grace MacLean (Scarlett Johansson) and her best friend Judith (Kate Bosworth) go out early one winter’s morning to ride their horses, Pilgrim and Gulliver. As they ride up an icy slope, Gulliver slips and hits Pilgrim. Both horses fall, dragging the girls onto a road and colliding with a truck. Judith and Gulliver are killed, while Grace and Pilgrim are both severely injured.
Grace, left with a partially amputated right leg, is bitter and withdrawn after the accident. Meanwhile, Pilgrim is traumatized and uncontrollable to the extent that it is suggested he be put down. Grace’s mother, Annie (Kristin Scott Thomas), a strong-minded and workaholic magazine editor, refuses to allow Pilgrim to be put down, sensing that somehow Grace’s recovery is linked with Pilgrim’s.
Desperate for a way to heal both Grace and Pilgrim, Annie tracks down a “horse whisperer”, Tom Booker (Robert Redford), in the remote Montana mountains. Tom agrees to help, but only if Grace also takes part in the process. Grace reluctantly agrees, and she and Annie go to stay at the Booker ranch where Tom lives with his brother and his brother’s family. As Pilgrim and Grace slowly overcome their trauma,
Annie and Tom begin to develop a mutual attraction. However, they are both reluctant to act on these feelings – Annie is married and Tom had his heart broken before, when his wife left him because she belonged to the city, not the ranch. Tom also asks Grace to tell him about what happened with her and Pilgrim in order to find out what Pilgrim is thinking. At first, Grace is reluctant, but eventually gathers up her courage, and tearfully tells him about the accident.
The status quo between Annie and Tom is broken when Robert MacLean (Sam Neill), Grace’s father and Annie’s husband, unexpectedly shows up at the ranch. Annie is increasingly torn by her feelings for Tom and her love for her family. Soon, with Tom’s help, Grace finally takes the last step to heal herself and Pilgrim – riding Pilgrim again. As the MacLeans get ready to leave the Booker ranch, Robert tells Annie that he knew he was in love with her more than she loved him, and that if he could be a better father, husband or lawyer then it didn’t matter, he did it all for the love he had for her.
The Horse Whisperer (1998)
Directed by: Robert Redford
Starring: Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Dianne Wiest, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Cooper, Jessalyn Gilsig, Cherry Jones, Kate Bosworth
Screenplay by: Eric Roth, Richard LaGravenese
Production Design by: Jon Hutman
Cinematography by: Robert Richardson
Film Editing by: Hank Corwin, Freeman A. Davies, Tom Rolf
Costume Design by: Judy L. Ruskin
Set Decoration by: Gretchen Rau, Hilton Rosemarin
Art Direction by: W. Steven Graham
Music by: Thomas Newman, Gwil Owen
KHAA Daüirg: PG-13 for a disturbing accident scene.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: May 15, 1998
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