John Steinbeck's Salinas Valley is a busy place; this story seemingly takes place over a hill from the farm of Of Mice and Men, perhaps 40 years before. The Tiflin family is doing reasonably well, but mother Alice suffers quietly at the disharmony in the house. Her husband is unhappy, and she has little choice but to wait him out. Dependable Billy Buck takes care of most of the major work and tutors young Tom in barnyard skills, but Alice's vain father won't stop talking about the good old pioneer days, until Fred loses his patience.

The big note of happiness is Tom's new pony, a beauty that he curries and combs in anticipation of Thanksgiving, when he'll be able to ride it. It's a source of pride and status with his friends, but Tom really isn't ready for the responsibility. He makes unreasonable demands of Billy Buck, exacting promises for things nobody can predict.

The Yearling is about a dreamy nature-boy learning hard lessons as he grows out of his childhood. His stylized adventures in an idealized forest verge on fantasy. The Red Pony stays firmly rooted in the real, and Tom is an ordinary day-dreaming kid seeking self-importance. His pony is pretty, but it isn't presented as any wonderment of nature; it's just an object on which Tom has projected all of his immature hopes. The trouble that unfolds is nobody's fault, a fact that Tom can't accept. When his dream pony's life is endangered, Tom loses perspective, freaks out, and blames those who love him.

Steinbeck's story is a little lesson in life, about putting all of one's hopes on one pony, so to speak. Or maybe it's a tale of misplaced priorities, as in the first episode of The Decalogue. Tom places his Pony above everything and everybody; it's an unhealthy, perspective-warping influence.

The Red Pony makes simple events consistently engaging. The father has his own problem, a feeling of alienation from his role as a rancher. It is resolved with a minimum of dramatic upheaval, but is affecting just the same.

The direction and acting are excellent. The actors are submerged in roles which require them to withhold big displays of emotion. In addition to the surprise of the animal violence, 1949 audiences probably expected a touch of romance to develop between the two stars, but that never even hints at happening. While remaining faithful to his own story, Steinbeck should have dropped Tom's literally-visualized daydreams of being a circus horsemaster, and riding with Robert Mitchum as knights on horseback, etc.. Besides not being done very well, they're a confusing, fanciful element out of keeping with the overall realistic tone of the show.

Aaron Copland's dynamic score at first seems too big, and intrudes on quiet moments. But it sneaks up on us, and by the time the big scenes hit, it's right in sync with our emotions. The Red Pony is a quality drama about family life, that deserved greater success.

Artisan's DVD of The Red Pony is another no-frills budget disc of a notable but forgotten gem. The transfer is an excellent example of the problems studios have with Technicolor films. Because they are so dense, it's not a good idea to use an original Technicolor release print for a film-to-tape transfer. With a good level set for the lighter areas of the frame, the dark parts 'clog up', and detail is lost.

The Red Pony on DVD is perfectly intact, with slightly pale colors, but the contrast scheme is off because of the Technicolor origins of the movie. The transfer would appear to be from an Eastmancolor composite, with the same contrast problems built-in. Hence the film looks good, but not great.

Aaron Copland's vibrant score, still available in classical music sections, is well-represented on the disc's clear mono track. Indicative of the film's prestige at the time is the fact that top assistant director Robert Aldrich is on the crew; he always got his choice of projects and ended up assisting many top directors, even Charlie Chaplin. One of the pesky neighbor kids, Beau, is played by little Beau Bridges.

On a scale of Excellent, Good, Fair, and Poor, The Red Pony rates:
Movie: Very Good
Video: Good - -
Sound: Good
Supplements: none
Packaging: Keep case
Reviewed: August 23, 2003