Phar Lap Movie Review (1983)

You may have heard of The Black Stallion and Seabiscuit, but have you ever heard of Phar Lap? I hadn’t, but his life-story is just as interesting in this sweet film.

I am always a fan of watching movies that I’ve never heard of before and this one was a recommendation by a friend. I’ve watched a few horse-centered films in my time and this ranks up there with with a few other family-friendly films.

Phar Lap tells the story of real-life New Zealand-born racehorse Phar Lap, a champion who was only gaining steam before his premature and somewhat mysterious death. Originally hard to wrangle and undisciplined, with the help of his trainer Harry and his strapper Tommy, Phar Lap became a horse who wanted to win his races no matter the cost to his own body.

Phar Lap has no major movie stars or familiar faces, other than one (Ron Leibman, who played Rachel Green’s father on Friends). This could go either way, but in this film I saw it as a bonus. Instead of being distracted by someone you know from a red carpet or an interview, you’re wholly focused on the story – and the horse is (and should) be the star.

The film begins with the death of Phar Lap, which is still a mystery, followed by his beginnings, and his rise to the top of his game. It seems that while studies have indicated that he could have been poisoned with arsenic, he may have also died from a digestive-tract infection. There is still debate about this today and there is an entire rabbit hole for you to go down if you start researching.

There is a lot of innocence and sweetness about this movie. It is set in the 1920s and early 1930s, giving it a tone very similar to the movie Annie in the same wholesome way. There is uplifting music, you like most of the characters, and even the antagonist has his own reasons for doing what he does (rather than being mean just for the sake of it).

This is an older film, so the quality is a little muted, the budget feels low, and it’s a very simple story. All the same, it is a great family-film and it is notable that it’s based on a true story. You will leave your viewing feeling uplifted and happy. It’s hard not to while watching people love a beautiful animal.

Runtime: 113 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: PG

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes, it’s very sweet

Did I Cry? No, but I had lots of hopeful emotion

My Rating: 3.25/5 Stars

Available: free on Youtube (if this changes, please let me know)