Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

White Mane Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 17, 2023

Albert Lamorisse's "Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage" a.k.a. "White Mane" (1953) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with Pascal Lamorisse and two archival programs with Albert Lamorisse. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Note: The text below was initially used in our review of Network Releasing's Blu-ray release of The Red Balloon/White Mane from 2010.

They meet on the streets of Paris. At first, he seems a bit shy, but then warms up and goes for a walk with the young boy (Pascal Lamorisse). At school, the other kids are impressed with the boy’s new friend. He likes them too, but not as much as he likes the boy. Now the boy must go to class, but he would wait for him. Perhaps later on they could go for another walk and the boy would show him the neighborhood.

The boy invites his new friend to his place, but his grandmother immediately throws him out. Oh, well, if she won’t let him in through the door, he would let him in through the window. He is harmless -- why is she so mean to him?

On the following day, the boy is late for school. This gets him in trouble with one of the school officials, an elderly man, but then the elderly man gets in trouble with his new friend. The boy loves it. This is the type of friend he always wanted to have. They should have met earlier.

On the way back home, several kids attempt to steal his friend. They run away and try to hide, but lose each other. Later on, they meet again, but a kid throws a stone at his friend and hurts him badly. His friend falls, then quietly dies. The boy is heartbroken. He was the best friend he ever had, and it did not matter that he was just a giant red balloon.

Albert Lamorisse cast his son to play the young Pascal in Le ballon rouge, and he delivered an unforgettable performance. The unique chemistry between the boy and the balloon is indeed what makes this film so special. As strange as it may sound, for a while it does seem like they were meant to be together.

The special effects are excellent. The balloon’s moves are captured in a truly unique manner -- especially on the day after the boy befriends the balloon, and they play for the first time -- and in quite a few scenes it truly feels like the balloon is alive.

Cinematographer Edmond Sechan captures perfectly the timeless allure of the City of Lights, too. The gray cobblestone streets, the dark alleys, and the pastry shops are all shot in a way that makes one believe that miracles can happen. Maurice Leroux's music score is also an integral part of the magic as well.

The second film included on this release is Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage a.k.a. White Mane, which was shot by director Lamorisse a couple of years before Le ballon rouge. It is about a young boy, Folco (Alain Emery), who lives in the Camarque region in the South of France, where he befriends a beautiful white-haired wild horse. Their friendship is tested by a group of ranchers.

Similar to Le ballon rouge, Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage is an incredibly beautiful and gentle film with only a few lines of dialog. It is also filled with symbolism that forces one to think about friendship, sacrifice, and peace.

In 1953, Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage won the Grand Prize at Cannes Film Festival and the Prix Jean Vigo for Best Short Film. In 1956, Le ballon rouge won the prestigious Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. A year later, the film won an Oscar for Best Screenplay.

White Mane Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, White Mane arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The release introduces a new 4K restoration of White Mane, which was approved by Pascal Lamorisse. It is included in The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse, a two-disc set.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this release:

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this release:

"These new digital masters (for all films in the two-disc set) were created from the 35mm original camera negatives, which were scanned in 4K resolution at Eclair Classics, in Paris, and approved by Pascal Lamorisse. The original monaural soundtracks were remastered from the 35mm oprical soundtrack negatives.

Color grading: Jean-Michel Petit and Thibaud Caquot/Films Montsouris Visuals.
Digital restoration: Prassad Corporation; Jean-Michel Petit and Thibaud Caquot/Films Montsouris Visuals.
Disc mastering: NexSpec."

White Mane transitioned to Blu-ray with this release from British label Network Releasing back in 2010. It is the only release of the film that I have in my library.

The new 4K makeover delivers an all-around superior presentation of White Mane. I did only a few quick comparisons with the other release of the film that I have because there are sizeable improvements in every single area we address in our reviews. This time, even the framing is done correctly, so the border lines that were visible on the previous presentation are gone. Delineation, clarity, and depth are usually very pleasing. However, trained eyes will notice that there are traces of light denoising adjustments. This is unfortunate because in the most beautiful panoramic shots some fine detail is lost. The grayscale is terrific. There are no stability issues. From start to finish, the film looks immaculate as well. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

White Mane Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0 and English Dolby Digital 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio track is very healthy. Even if you turn up the volume a lot, the upper register does not reveal any traces of aging. On the older release of White Mane that I have in my library, light background hiss is very easy to hear, plus occasionally there is unevenness. The narration and dialog are very clear.

White Mane Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Pascal Lamorisse - in this new program, Pascal Lamorisse, son of director Albert Lamorisse, discusses his father's background and cinematic legacy, as well as his own contribution to several of his films. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Albert Lamorisse 1957 - presented here is a segment from the French television program Pile ou face featuring Albert Lamorisse discussing The Red Balloon, White Mane, and his directing methods before a group of young students. In French, with English subtitles. (9 min).

• Albert Lamorisse 1959 - presented here is a segment from the French television program Le criterium du film in which Albert Lamorisse discusses The Red Balloon and White Mane. In French, with English subtitles. (7 min).

• Booklet - a 26-page illustrated booklet featuring critic David Cairns' essay "Head in the Clouds", film descriptions, and technical credits.

White Mane Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Like The Red Balloon, White Mane is a simple yet strikingly beautiful and poignant film that should not be missed. It has been recently restored in 4K and now looks very good. I suspect that this will remain its definitive presentation. It is included in The Red Balloon and Other Stories: Five Films by Albert Lamorisse, a two-disc set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.