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YoungArthur
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Casey's Shadow (1978)
03. Oct 2003 at 18:04
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Casey’s Shadow (1978) USA
Directed by Martin Ritt

Michael Hershewe is the boy Casey.  Also stars Walter Matthau.
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Everything you wanted to know about horse training and behind the scenes horse racing but were afraid to ask.  All right, that’s a bit unkind but sometimes I get annoyed with Martin Ritt films.

Walter Matthau is superb as a crusty (of course!) poor horse trainer with big dreams and often poor judgment.  He takes a gamble and purchases a mare of promising racing lineage who gives birth to a foal which his little son Casey falls in love with.  Dad has doubts about the colt’s racing potential but gives Casey much of the work in care and training of his new pal.

There are many affecting moments here but this is essentially a boy and his horse/man and his horse story with a gritty attitude.  The birth of the colt is a moving and awesome scene and there are some delightful scenes of the boy with the colt, guiding it through its development.  Michael Hershewe is one of the cutest and most endearing little boys I’ve seen in a film and has generous amounts of screen time.

‘Hud’ is the only other film by Martin Ritt that I really liked, mostly because of the power of its actors.  Why was I annoyed with ‘Casey’s Shadow’?  Local, behind the scenes color till its coming out your ears; lots of gratuitous crowd shots of ‘just folks’;  unnecessary telephoto shots intended, I guess, as a grab for a realistic feel - all of this with a disregard for composed frames.  

And, of course,  all of this irrelevant if your main interest is to enjoy watching a cute boy move and speak on the screen.    
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Casey witnessing the birth of the colt
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« Last Edit: 04. Jul 2008 at 17:25 by Zabladowski »  
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Sir Jacob
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Re: Casey's Shadow (1978)
Reply #1 - 03. Oct 2003 at 23:50
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Aaah, YoungArthur, you did a post about one of the loves of my life.   Grin

I loved Michael Hershewe after seeing this movie the first time, and I hear it's out on dvd now. Smiley

Thanks for reminding me!

Love,
Sir J
  
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Re: Casey's Shadow (1978)
Reply #2 - 06. Oct 2003 at 00:38
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Very nice caps...  Walter Matthau is always worth watching.  It's been a few years since I've seen this movie. Thanks for reminding us how cute master Hershewe is.

Oh YA, what is it about Martin Ritt that you find annoying?  ... just curious.  Smiley

he's got a pretty good resume and I've seen most of the films he's made. Maybe I should watch them from a different perspective.  Smiley

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« Last Edit: 04. Jul 2008 at 17:24 by Zabladowski »  
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YoungArthur
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Re: Casey's Shadow (1978)
Reply #3 - 06. Oct 2003 at 01:55
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quote author=cal
Oh YA, what is it about Martin Ritt that you find annoying?  ... just curious.  Smiley

he's got a pretty good resume and I've seen most of the films he's made. Maybe I should watch them from a different perspective.  Smiley


I listed the elements I disliked in Casey's Shadow and even they are not major crimes.  My mouth is still a bit sore and I was feeling grouchy.

In general, though, its hard to say, now that I've been asked.  Sometimes a filmmakers style rubs one the wrong way.  Except for the two mentioned, I found it hard to sit them out.  Pretentious? Boring? I don't know.  And several of his, including 'Norma Rae' I didn't bother seeing.  Just me.

I should also have listed 'Spy Who Came In From The Cold' as one of Ritt's that I enjoyed.  But that was a cast that included Richard Burton, Claire Bloom and Cyril Cusack (who always cracks me up).
  
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Re: Casey's Shadow (1978)
Reply #4 - 27. Mar 2004 at 15:14
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Hey, YoungArthur, I saw this one on one of of the cable channels again this week, and even though I was just trying to kill a few minutes before something else started that I wanted to watch, I couldn't leave Casey's Shadow after I started it.   Wink

It was even better than I'd remembered.   Grin

Love,
Sir J
  
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Re: Casey's Shadow (1978)
Reply #5 - 01. Nov 2006 at 12:56
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I love this movie - I think that Michael carried the film - even more that Walter M.!
  
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YoungArthur
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Re: Casey's Shadow (1978)
Reply #6 - 02. Nov 2006 at 03:12
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Its easy to agree with you on that, Hershewe_Gal. Nice to see you here. Be sure to read the IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT thread in the General Discussion section, if you want to continue visiting.
  
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