The Black Stallion (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)

This remarkable adaptation of Walter Farley's classic children's novel by Carroll Ballard (Fly Away Home), in which an American boy is rescued after a shipwreck off the coast of North Africa by a seemingly untamable wild horse - is a cinematic tour de force. From the crystalline shores of a deserted island in the Arabian Sea to the green grass and dusty roads of 1930s suburban New York, Ballard and director of photography Caleb Deschanel (The Right Stuff) create a film of consistent visual invention and purity, also featuring a winning supporting performance by Mickey Rooney (National Velvet) as a retired jockey and a gorgeous score by Carmine Coppola (The Godfather Part II).

Starring: Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr, Terry Garr, Clarence Muse, Hoyt Axton, Michael Higgins, Ed McNamara, Doghmi Larbi, John Burton, John Buchanan, Kristen Vigard, Fausto Tozzi, Leopoldo Trieste, Marne Maitland, Tom Dahlgren