Nowadays American women are more conscious than ever about what we put on our skin and in our hair. We read ingredient labels, Google the scientific names of things we don’t recognize, and ask lots of questions. We want to be beautiful, but not at the expense of our health. People are aware that many of the things that are available on the market are not necessarily healthy. In fact, many have not even been properly tested, or have not been proven to be safe on a long-term basis. So a lot of ingredients that used to be standard in beauty care products are now getting the cold shoulder from health-conscious consumers, and one of the substances in the hot seat is alcohol. The mere word seems to invoke fear, recalling images of drying, damaging, rubbing alcohol being applied before the dreaded booster shot. Not exactly an endearing memory. It’s true, we generally don’t want to find alcohol, which can be used as a cheap filler in some low-quality products, in our haircare and skincare, but all alcohol is not the same.

The most common alcohols the consumer comes across fall into the following three categories; grain alcohol, rubbing alcohol (ethyl, methyl, and isopropyl alcohols,) and fatty alcohols. It is a good idea to avoid products containing the very common type of alcohol known as SD-Alcohol, because that is the type that has a drying effect on your skin and hair. (SD stands for “specially denatured,” and refers to either grain or rubbing alcohol that has been treated with the super-bitter tasting substance denatonium benzoate to prevent people from drinking it.) It is the fatty ones that are getting an undeserved bad rap, and are the subject at hand. The most common fatty alcohols used in body care preparations are cetyl, stearyl, and cetearyl(also known as cetostearyl) alcohols.

According to Wikipedia, “Cetostearyl alcohol, cetearyl alcohol or cetylstearyl alcohol … is a mixture of fatty alcohols, consisting predominantly of cetyl and stearyl alcohols and is classified as a fatty alcohol. It is used as an emulsion stabilizer, opacifying agent, and foam boosting surfactant, as well as an aqueous and nonaqueous viscosity-increasing agent. It imparts an emollient feel to the skin and can be used in water-in-oil emulsions, oil-in-water emulsions, and anhydrous formulations. It is commonly used in hair conditioners and other hair products.”

In lay terms, that means that the cetyl and stearyl alcohols and their blends are often used to smooth, thicken, and stabilize mixtures containing oil and water. These alcohols are also used to condition the skin and hair.

Wikipedia further states, “It is not really an “alcohol”, such as rubbing alcohol, which would dry the skin, but it is an emulsifying wax, made by combining fatty alcohols from vegetable sources, such as coconut alcohol. It can also be made artificially. It is used in many cosmetics as an emollient, thickening agent, moisturizer, emulsifier, stabilizer, opacifier as well as a carrying agent for other ingredients. It is a substitute for making lotions if you don’t have emulsifying wax as well.”

Cetyl Alcohol in Powder Form

To understand the difference between cetyl alcohol and the more drying and damaging types of alcohol, seeing is believing. Very often, cetyl alcohol is available to formulators in the form of powder or waxy flakes, and seems totally unrelated to its ethyl cousin in all but name. It has been tested and approved by the FDA as a food safe and skin safe ingredient.

According to cosmeticsinfo.org, a database of cosmetics ingredients safety, usage, and composition information, “The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) includes synthetic fatty alcohols including Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol and Myristyl Alcohol on its list of food additives permitted for direct addition to food as multipurpose food additives. Synthetic fatty alcohols are also permited as indirect food additives as adjuvants and production aids. The safety of Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Isostearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol and Behenyl Alcohol has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that these fatty alcohols were safe for use as cosmetic ingredients. In 2005, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on Cetearyl Alcohol and the other fatty alcohols and reaffirmed the above conclusion.“

Cetyl Alcohol in Flake Form

“Where will I find the perfect foundation to match my skin tone now?“, many of my readers wondered aloud.
Well I’m here to let you know — the days of black skin finding limited matches in the drugstore or department stores are SO over. Sure, there are some brands that still stubbornly offer six shades of foundation, but there are others who go above and beyond to satisfy consumers of all skin tones. Here are some of my favorites.
MAC. Yes, obviously. But MAC’s Studio Fix is the go-to foundation for makeup artists for a specific reason. In a recent interview with celebrity makeup artist Tia Dantzler, she was able to look at my face and instantly tell me my MAC Studio Fix shade. I made it my business to run right out and buy it the next day!

Make Up For Ever – When I know I’m going to be out all night, I most often reach for Make Up For Ever’s HD Cover. It gives great coverage but still looks natural, and comes in a dazzling array for bellas all shades of beautiful.

Fashion Fair – Yes, I said Fashion Fair! The OG of black makeup is still around, and still providing the kind of colors and coverage women of color need. Recently I had the privilege of being matched by an artist, and the one-two punch of Fashion Fair stick foundation together with powder helped to match my exact skin tone.

Three Custom – If you’ve got specific skin tone needs, don’t sleep on Three Custom Color Specialists! This brand prides itself on offering re-created discontinued shades of makeup, and even coming up with unique shades to match you perfectly. The quality is superb, trust!

IMAN - Of course the brand owned by one of the most elegant supermodels of all time caters to a truly global array of skin color needs! IMAN is available on QVC, at ULTA and in drugstores too, and the stick foundation is just as good as any I’ve tried.

Black Opal – here’s what I love about Black Opal. They’re affordable. They’re stashed at the back of just about any drugstore cosmetics aisle you can find. And their products offer amazing quality for deeper skin tones! Many well known makeup artists secretly swear by Black Opal cosmetics to keep their clients of color looking flawless. Now the secret is out!

Beauties of color, I’d love to hear from you — what’s your favorite foundation on the market today?

Growing up my mother taught me that being black was a gem. It was part of being formed by God. Kissed by the golden sun.  The combination was unbeatable. I said to myself, If I am going to think black, I will think positive about it. Don’t think down on it, or think it is something in your way. And this way,when you really do want to stretch out, and express how beautiful black is, everybody will hear you. Enjoy the black beauties. Next up on a later post, I will explore this beauty in black men.

Aton Arjork (from Sudan)

Teiko Dorno, She is Ghanaian and fabulous:

Yasmin Warsame her look is considered too “haute couture”was discovered in Toronto
while she was five months’ pregnant with her son Hamzah.wow thats really amazing if you have potential no one can really take that away from you.

Oluchi Omwegba from Nigeria:

Rahma Mohamed. I believe she is of Somali heritage:

Laura Izibor, musician from Ireland:

Nigerian-Sierra Leonean beauty Di’Ja (Real name: Hadiza Blell) is a rising musician taking the Canadian music scene by storm:

More to come

I’m just loving the use of blurred photography these days, I think it adds the right amount of confusion and depth to a photograph. This is from Harper’s Bazaar UK November issue and features model Adama Diallo.

Styling: Alison Edmond

Photography By: Paola Kudacki

IMG|SOURCE: Models

Check out this open letter from Leonard Pitts a black man and Miami Herald writer in which he not only states that black women are beautiful but explains why:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

my Mr. Men and Little Miss calendar says 9 more days!!! it’s little miss naughty this month, she says ‘ALL THE BEST!’ haha!

anyways, im really worried for econsss~zzomg..alright, i shall not..everything’s gonna be over in a flash!

jiayouuuu~~

i really ♥ black beauty.

i wanna read the book again(:

One of the all-time great theme tunes this week, from the 1970s British kids’ drama The Adventures of Black Beauty.

The TV series ran for two seasons (52 half-hour episodes) between 1972 and 1974 and was repeated frequently for the better part of two decades.

Set in Victorian era England, it was inspired by Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel rather than an adaptation of it, envisaged as a continuation of sorts to the book.

The famous, awesome theme tune, called Galloping Home, was written by Denis King and performed by the London String Chorale.

Here are the original opening titles:

And here are the closing titles:

And here is the full version of the theme tune:

Wow…DWTS finishes another week, there was quite a tribute to the King of Pop,  and Olympic star Natalie Coughlin got sent packing…all in less time than it takes to say “what’s next?”

Did you vote for Peoples Choice Nominees? Who do you like …and who shouldn’t even be on the list? You tell us…and vote on the nominees today! Want to vote? Just click here.

And another thing…since we’re in the latter part of October, with you-know-what beloved holiday just around the corner, let’s focus our attention o something for the kids (in all of us). Here’s what I mean. This past weekend we watched Spike Jonze’s big screen adaptation of the classic childrens’ book Where The Wild Things Are triumph at the box office. It did well ($32 million),  and even though it may be a bit risky for the smaller kids, it certainly satisfied a lot of people who were craving a little slice of their childhood brought back to life in glorious color with incredible CGI effects. That said, here’s what I’m wondering, blogwise, today. Given the interest in childrens’  books, which beloved stories from your childhood got big-screen adaptations that YOU liked? (And if you didn’t like any of them, let us know that too). I pulled a few movies that had lots of childrens’ book cred who made it to the local cineplex. Of these four, why not voice your choice in today’s featured poll and tell us which movie based on a childrens’ book is your favorite?

1) Where The Wild Things Are

2) Black Beauty

3) Harry Potter

4) Charlie & The Chocolate Factory

I had been looking forward to seeing the film since I first discovered the trailer a few months ago. Overall I thought the film was funny and I commend his attempt. It is Chris Rock. His antics have long tickled me and the conversation of black hair has intrigued me for nearly a decade. In fact, my undergraduate thesis project attempted to tackle the topic.

An author for theybf, today’s top source for all black celebrity gossip, insinuated that the film showcases only “ghetto” hair salons and stylists—a term which has become the proverbial descriptor for all things unsavory and by extension black. Can we please retire that misused “adjective,” right along with n-word and bitch? Teresa Wiltz of The Root offered an insightful critique of the documentary, noting the film’s misogynistic undertones—its depiction of black women as overly-superficial, illustrating the lengths some go to in order to have “good hair”; $1,000 hair extensions, and thousands of dollars a year dedicated to hair maintenance. This comes as no surprise, I do remember feeling unsettled as a woman viewing Rock’s comedy specials, such as Bigger and Blacker and Never Scared.

Furthermore, I was perplexed by the lack of consideration given to particular components of the issue, considering its complex origin, consistent presence, and varied modalities. When interviewing black men, Rock never questions their hair preference. Did these men prefer natural hair or relaxed hair on black women? Did they like both? What did these men find attractive? Was this omittance due in part to Rock’s assumption that black men “naturally” prefer women with relaxed, straightened hair? As the film’s creator and writer, it is quite telling that he does not address the matter. I firmly believe that the majority of black men prefer straightened, relaxed hair (although that is changing).

Rock also did not address the negative depiction of women who choose not to relax their hair. As Wiltz noted, of the female celebrities Rock interviewed, Tracie Thoms was the only one who wore her hair visibly non-relaxed or straightened. Perhaps he believes there is truth to the idea that black women with natural hair are unattractive, militant, masculine, and unsophisticated. When he made his rounds promoting the film, he described Oprah Winfrey as a slave when seeing her childhood picture before her first relaxer. He also stated that she was delivering the “mean” news when seeing  footage of Oprah with an afro. (Clip 2)

These comments although made in jest are surely not those expected of one who desires to earnestly examine the complexities of black hair with sincerity and “compassion” to borrow Wiltz’s term.  Even though these comments were made in an offhanded  manner, the political implications of   black women’s coiffure are very much contemporary and relevant;  let us not forget the New Yorker’s depiction of Michelle Obama as a gun-toting extremist wearing an afro.

Unfortunately, in 2009 black women who wear their hair naturally are viewed as aggressive and unattractive by society as a whole and by a large amount of African-Americans, men and women alike. Chris Rock appears to follow suit.

___________

View a previous post on the film here.

The catwalk has been freed to swell with color and majestic graces of diversity.  Even though black people don’t realise this small changes, these are the “I have a dream” speeches coming true. Not only the presentation of blacks on runways but the equal appreciation of beauty in every color. It makes us relate and appreciate the dorned coutoure as a style that can be dynamically wearble regardless of race. Anyhow, although change is slow, at least it is gradual. That is fabulous.

Jourdan Dunn one of the colors paining the runway fabulous....

Welcome beauty lovers!
an introduction to hair

I absolutely LOVE all things beautiful. and despite popular belief, loving beauty does not make one shallow. self beauty is something that a lot of women struggle with, especially women of color. My favorite thing to talk and give advice about is HAIR. As all African-American women know, our hair defines us. I am in love with the array of hairstyles that can be achieved by our hair. but, like silk, it can be easily damaged. Most black women relax their hair, or straighten it in some type of way. Whether straightened or natural, I believe black hair is beautiful. I know this may sound cliche, but however cliche it may be, it is the truth.

This blog was created to discuss black hair, and to help black women learn how to take better care of their hair. I have found that most black women struggle with their hair, and do not know the basics of keeping a healthy head of hair. A lot of black women believe that their hair is healthy, but upon a closer look, discover it is not. Many things from the products used to the weather outside play a role in the health of our hair. And I’m here to explore them all, share the wealth, and then some.

Last Friday, Nikole Churchill became Hampton University’s first non-black homecoming queen and the second non-black homecoming queen of any historically black college or university. Her crowning, by five judges, has caused controversy, as students and alumni debate whether Churchill deserves the distinction.

The 22-year-old Churchill is Hawaiian, with an Italian mother and a father from Guam. According to WTKR, she was chosen out of 10 applicants in the competition and reportedly built her win on the platform of mentoring girls ages 11–14 on topics including "self-esteem, body image, teenage pregnancies and nutrition."

Click to read.

बॉलीवुड की हॉट एंड सेक्सी अभिनेत्री बिपाशा बसु ने हाल ही में एक टीवी शो के दीवाली स्पेशल में परफॉर्म करने से इसलिए इंकार कर दिया क्योंकि उन्हें लगता है कि टीवी पर फ्लॉप बॉलीवुड स्टार परफॉर्म करते है। अब तक बिपाशा के पास एक भी बॉलीवुड ब्लॉकबस्टर हिट नहीं है, उनकी कोई सोलो फिल्म भी ज्यादा कमाल नहीं दिखा पाई। हद तो तब हो गई जब बिपाशा ने टेलीविजन के इस शो के लिए आखिरी समय में मना कर दिया।
इस शो में बिपाशा अकेली बॉलीवुड स्टार थी और उनके साथ टीवी के कुछ स्टार परफॉर्म करने वाले थे। बिपाशा ने यह तक कह डाला कि टीवी पर वो बॉलीवुड स्टार परफॉर्म करते है जिन्हें बॉलीवुड में अपने करियर की चिंता होती हैं। इस शो में श्वेता गुलाटी और राजीव खंडेवाल परफॉर्म करेंगे, खबर ये भी है कि अजय देवगन अपनी फिल्म के प्रमोशन के लिए शो में शामिल होंगे।

The wonderful people at the Queensland Writers Centre have invited me to be a part of their blog tour, running from October until December 2009. I was a little surprised but also delighted to be considered part of the tour. The idea is that they ask me six questions and I answer them …

Where do your words come from?

Passion. Anything that I am passionate about eventually bubbles its way to the surface and wakes me in the middle of the night until I do something about it.

Where did you grow up and where do you live now?

I grew up on the north side of Brisbane. Last year we moved to Blackbutt, which is only two and a half hours north-west of Brisbane, yet because it is inland (rather than straight up the coast), somehow receives very few services. (We won’t, for example, be included in the mass government upgrade to internet services that’s on its way.) But we have six acres of land that we are steadily filling with four-legged furry children and that makes us happy.

What’s the first sentence/line of your latest work?

“There’s a moment when you know you’re going to fall off a horse.“

This is from my current work in progress, a YA novel set in the late 1950s in rural Australia.

What piece of writing do you wish you had written?

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. No one could read this book and not be touched by plight of horses and the overall themes of the need for compassion for every living being. And the character of Ginger’s story in particular… oh, it still makes me cry just thinking about it.

More recently, the Ingo series by Helen Dunmore. These are engrossing children’s fantasy books about our oceans and people’s responsibility towards them and their inhabitants.

(There’s a bit of an animal/environmental theme going on here…)

What are you currently working towards?

In writing, I am working towards a series of YA novels set across three time periods in rural Australia. In life in general, I am working towards feeling compassion and kindness to every living being (which is more difficult with the humans). Right now, I am setting up a new charity for the rescue and rehabilitation of abused, neglected and homeless horses.

Complete this sentence… the future of the book is…

enduring.

This post is part of the Queensland Writers Centre blog tour, happening October to December 2009. To follow the tour, visit Queensland Writers Centre’s blog The Empty Page.

See the tastefully done Serena Williams nude ESPN the Mgazine cover. Sorry fellas when I write tastefully I mean tastefully. Although Serena is completely nude a lot is left to the imagination. Use the link below to see the cover:

http://www.letstalkhonestly.com/blacknewsblackviews.html

Hi, I’m Tabitha. And I am a classy black lady. I want to give you a little background on why I’ve decided to start this blog and my website www.classyblacklady.com .

Let me just preface this by saying I’m a pretty girl. I’m a very young-looking lady in her thirties. Smart, intuitive, and I make my own money. I’m about 5′7 and 150 pounds, medium length hair, with smooth chocolate brown skin. I’m not a gold digger and I’m farrrrr from ghetto. Though it doesn’t matter much in today’s world, I went to a very good college and graduated. I love my family and I treat my loved ones like gold. I have a positive outlook on life.

But about a month ago, I was going through a bit of a depression. I had just ended yet another relationship and was starting to realize that men just aren’t the same as they were 10 years ago. Sad, but true.

Unfortunately, now many men treat ALL women like whores and trash to be thrown away when they’re done. They don’t appreciate or value class in a woman.

My “mistake” in my last few short relationships was being too proud to be treated like trash. I stood up for myself. I didn’t do anything that I didn’t want to do. I didn’t compromise my self-worth for these men and they responded with childish games. So I ended the relationships.

Years ago, telling a guy about himself and ending the relationship would cause the guy to get some “act right” as we black women sometimes like to call it.

But not anymore ladies! Now they just move on and find fast, silly girls with no morals who will do everything and anything they want. And I do mean ANYthing. In their minds, they’ve got it made. (By the way, I will talk about what eventually happens to these guys in another blog post–can you say “crazy baby’s momma?”, karma’s a b!)

So after this last breakup, I started to wonder if maybe I have the wrong approach. Maybe I should bend and fold to the every whim of the men I date. Maybe I should chase them, call them every day, and ask THEM out on dates. Maybe I should let my boobs pop out of my dress on dates. Maybe I should get on my knees (if you know what I mean) every day to prove how much I want the guy I’m with.

And for a hot minute, I was actually considering this approach. I’m not going to lie to you. I thought, obviously, what I’ve been doing so far hasn’t worked. I’ve been engaged but never married. I’ve never truly been in love. I don’t have guys lining up at my door like I did in college. So maybe it’s time for ME to change.

But before I had a chance to put this new “plan” in action, I caught a glimpse of one of my favorite black female role models, First Lady Michelle Obama, on television–looking stunning as usual.

I started to think about how she managed to maintain her integrity, stay classy, and snag a man who would one day be President. She’s also independent and strong, and people love that about her. She is valued and loved by many.

I took a deep breath and got back to my senses. I’m not going to stop being classy and smart for ANY body.

I printed up a few pictures of women who I thought were classy and posted them on my bedroom wall for motivation. Then I made a promise to myself (and I a promise to God) that I will not allow the world to change me into a classless, loose, desperate women who lacks morals.

So I’ve started this blog  and my website www.classyblacklady.com for 3 reasons:

1) To support classy black women and to say “you’re not crazy nor wrong.” Stay classy and don’t let anyone compromise your morals. We need more classy black women to combat the ignorant stereotypes of black women that are splashed across our television, computer, and movie screens.

2) To put trashy, easy women who are spoiling men everywhere on the spot and tell them why they must stop. Their tactics don’t work either. Start demanding respect from men and the media. At least you’ll have your dignity intact.

3) To encourage young black ladies who are coming up among disrespectful and ignorant young men to maintain their morals and stay classy.

My personal focus of course, as a black lady, is black women.

In my blog and on my website I will discuss a variety of issues and create a special community for classy black ladies, including:

* Dating & relationships

* Postings of news and photos about classy black female celebs (we need to build them up)

* Beauty tips and features

* Dressing with class not like trash

* History nuggets and profiles of strong black women

* Statistics about how powerful black women are to the community around us

* Polls to gauge your opinions on various issues

* Message boards encouraging discussions among black women who are proud to be classy and intelligent

* Personal mantras that we can adopt to keep us resilient even when the temptation to be trashy instead of classy is so strong

* Blogs and articles from married black women who found their husbands while maintaining their integrity and class

* Much more….

Stay tuned for my first editorial post regarding Chris Rock’s so called documentary “Good Hair” (some are now actually calling this a “mockumentary”), which will be released this Friday. Unfortunately, it looks like yet another pot shot at black women everywhere.

Don’t worry ladies, we will rise above!

Take care. God Bless Classy Black Ladies everywhere!

-T

The Black Beauty is one of the coolest movie cars ever produced! Originally built by Dean Jeffries for the TV Show, later found in a junkyard by George Barris and rebuilt, this lady of the small screen has been on task for years. And now, with a new film, she’s gonna be even nastier!

Only three days on this auction! It can be parked in your driveway, or on your shelf… whatever works. And I’m throwin’ in a free t-shirt!!!! And that just makes it plain cool.

Atlanta, GA October 5, 2009 – Professor Devin Robinson, an economics professor at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA and best-selling author of Taking it Back: How to Become a Successful Black Beauty Supply Store Owner, will lead a one week long boycott against Non- Black Owned Beauty Supply stores.

Robinson stated, "Blacks make up 96% of the consumers of these stores, yet represent less than 5% of the retail ownership." As a previous owner of 3 locations, Robinson understands the industry inside out and offers comprehensive solutions for Blacks to recapture this industry. "The problem is with the distributors. Distributors are mainly Non-Blacks and they handpick who they will distribute products to. This oftentimes leaves aspiring black owners disenfranchised", said Robinson.

Click to read more.

Visit Your Black World for Black News!

A horse is a horse.

Of course.

But a horse isn’t just a horse once you’ve glimpsed the immense sculpture that’s lately taken up residence smack in the middle of the Woodruff Arts Center’s Sifly Piazza.

A “re-imagining”, as they say in Hollywood, of a statue Leonardo Da Vinci planned but never completed to honor Francesco Sforza, the Duke of Milan, the stallion prances and preens, as if he knew his A-list heritage. Da Vinci worked 17 years on the piece, making numerous small sketches analyzing equine anatomy (apparently, he didn’t have a horse of his own, though Michelangelo did). It’s believed the animal was meant to be an Andalusian, a horse  with a notably thick arched neck because that was the breed favored by his patron.

Passing by it every day has put me in a horse-y frame of mind. Here are some movie suggestions to help your own inner equine soar.

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

In this animated feature (part hand-drawn, part CGI),  a spirited wild mustang finds friends and foes –and love — on the wide prairies of the Old West. Unlike  many other animated  characters, from Lady and the Tramp to Bambi,  these animals don’t talk. Rather, Matt Damon provides a folksy narration that’s reminiscent of  The Vanishing Prairie.  The animation is quite wonderful, including an out-of-control train hauling logs that’s as breathless as anything in an Indiana Jones movie. And it’s blessedly free of Shrek-ian jokiness and double entendres. If anyone asks, the model for Spirit was a three-year-old Kiger stallion named Donner.

White Mane

White Mane

Recently given a brief theatrical run as a companion piece to another unforgettable French short,  The Red Balloon, this lesser-known live-action film from the same director,  Albert  Lamorisse offers its own enchantments. Filmed in 1953 in the Camargue, it is a more rigorous movie than The Red Balloon, and considerably darker. A fisherman’s young son befriends a wild white stallion and tries to protect him from hunters. But as in Into the West, wild white stallions don’t come without risks.

The Man From Snowy River

Except for the occasional “mate” and mustangs called “brumbies,” you’d hardly  know this endearingly straightforward and unabashedly old-fashioned western was made in the ’80s in Australia instead of the ’30s in Hollywood. The name star is Kirk Douglas, double-cast as two feuding brothers (one bearded and one-legged; the other beardless and 2-legged). But the movie is really about an orphan’s coming-of-age in the Outback in the late 1800s. It’s a handsome movie with lots of fresh air atmosphere and a veritable tumult of horses streaming by the camera like a subway train with no brakes. Again and again. When was the last time you saw a movie in which a stallion actually reared on a cliff?  Spin and Marty couldn’t do it better.

Black Beauty

Black Beauty

A true beauty. This classy adaptation of Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel is a delight for animal lovers of all ages. An equine-eye view of a horse’s life in Victorian England, the movie follows Beauty from idyllic run-wild-run-free foalhood through a series of owners good, bad and indifferent. Some, like the poor but good-hearted cabbie played by Harry Potter’s David Thewlis, treat animals with kindness and respect. Others, like the spoiled society matron played by Eleanor Bron, willingly break the animal’s back, neck and spirit in the name of fashion. Screenwriter Caroline Thompson (everything from Edward Scissorhands to The Secret Garden) doubles as director, capturing both the period flavor and the non-human perspective of the book. And while horses may be less central to our lives these days, there’s a timelessness about Beauty’s story—along with the expected enchantment of horses running through a meadow. Parental guidance: some scenes of animal mistreatment may disturb the very young.

The Black Stallion

Like nothing you’ve ever seen and better than almost anything you have. This is a stunning movie whose unique appeal is rooted in the pure visual power of film itself. The plot: a boy (Kelly Reno) and a savage stallion survive a shipwreck, establish a mystical bond on an island paradise and return home to win the Big Race. However, a plot summary says nothing of the adventure and romance, the poetry and mystery which are what the movie is really about. A film to cherish. And see again.

Into the West

Imagine The Black Stallion with a mystic Celtic lilt and you’ll have some idea of the tone of this wondrous film. Directed by Mike Newell (Enchanted April) and written by Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot), the movie is about two young brothers who flee the appalling squalor of their Dublin tenement  and ride west on the back of a magical white horse. In pursuit are their dad, Gabriel Byrne, a sodden, embittered widower who’s forsaken his traveler’s roots; a gypsy tracker (Ellen Barkin) who cares for Byrne and his boys; a greedy businessman who wants the horse as a show jumper; and half the country’s police force. Superbly balanced between gritty realism and fantastical lyricism, the movie is both poignant and unexpectedly funny. And, as anyone who knows the legend of  the Kelpie, a bit chilling  This is NOT a kids-only picture. Treat yourself.

Eleanor Ringel Cater