-By Frank Scheck
For movie details, please click here.
You won’t attend a horse race again with the same lighthearted
spirit after seeing
Saving America’s Horses: A Nation
Betrayed. This impassioned if somewhat overloaded documentary
by self-described “lifelong horsewoman” Katia Louise forcefully
exposes the frequently horrific fates suffered by horses both wild
and domestic, as well as burros, when they are no longer useful or
wanted.
Frequently slaughtered for consumption in Europe, their inhumane
treatment as revealed here will surely prompt outrage among animal
lovers as well as those concerned with health and environmental
issues.
Featuring ardent testimony from numerous concerned figures as well
as graphic footage that’s often painful to watch, the film takes no
prisoners in its damning indictment of the political, corporate and
government interests involved in the wholesale slaughter of the
creatures. Unlike with cattle and chickens, there are few
regulations over the process, with the result that the animals are
often severely mistreated. Humans don’t fare well either, with the
nefarious complications including the contamination of water and
land, and horsemeat, not generally intended for consumption,
frequently containing harmful chemicals.
Narrating the film herself, director Louise reveals her cinematic
inexperience with a sometimes jumbled presentation of information
overload including littering the screen with more text content than
even cable-television news broadcasts. She also indulges in
audience pandering via the inclusion of interviews with numerous
celebrities with sometimes tenuous connections to the issue. These
include Michael Blake, author of the book and screenplay
Dances
with Wolves, as well as Willie Nelson, Linda Gray, Tippi
Hedren, Ken Wahl and a teary-eyed Paul Sorvino.
Still, there’s no denying the film’s emotional impact, abetted by
the endlessly photogenic quality of its ill-fated equine subjects.
Even urban viewers who’ve never seen a wild horse in their lives
will find themselves wondering what will eventually become of the
handsome steed leading their carriage through Central Park.
—
The Hollywood Reporter
Film Review: Saving America's Horses: A Nation Betrayed
This impassioned if scattershot documentary highlights the dangers and moral failings in the slaughter of horses both wild and domestic.
Dec 4, 2012
-By Frank Scheck
For movie details, please click here.
You won’t attend a horse race again with the same lighthearted spirit after seeing
Saving America’s Horses: A Nation Betrayed. This impassioned if somewhat overloaded documentary by self-described “lifelong horsewoman” Katia Louise forcefully exposes the frequently horrific fates suffered by horses both wild and domestic, as well as burros, when they are no longer useful or wanted.
Frequently slaughtered for consumption in Europe, their inhumane treatment as revealed here will surely prompt outrage among animal lovers as well as those concerned with health and environmental issues.
Featuring ardent testimony from numerous concerned figures as well as graphic footage that’s often painful to watch, the film takes no prisoners in its damning indictment of the political, corporate and government interests involved in the wholesale slaughter of the creatures. Unlike with cattle and chickens, there are few regulations over the process, with the result that the animals are often severely mistreated. Humans don’t fare well either, with the nefarious complications including the contamination of water and land, and horsemeat, not generally intended for consumption, frequently containing harmful chemicals.
Narrating the film herself, director Louise reveals her cinematic inexperience with a sometimes jumbled presentation of information overload including littering the screen with more text content than even cable-television news broadcasts. She also indulges in audience pandering via the inclusion of interviews with numerous celebrities with sometimes tenuous connections to the issue. These include Michael Blake, author of the book and screenplay
Dances with Wolves, as well as Willie Nelson, Linda Gray, Tippi Hedren, Ken Wahl and a teary-eyed Paul Sorvino.
Still, there’s no denying the film’s emotional impact, abetted by the endlessly photogenic quality of its ill-fated equine subjects. Even urban viewers who’ve never seen a wild horse in their lives will find themselves wondering what will eventually become of the handsome steed leading their carriage through Central Park.
—
The Hollywood Reporter
