![]() ![]() ![]() Others may see the film's employment of this device as part of a greater manipulation on the heartstrings, but you would have to be extremely cynical to register that point. It effectively leaves the characters stones the audience anticipates to be turned over, but outside of fleshing out the appropriately brief 89-minute running time, this does not seem to serve any greater good. Perhaps the most offensive trait of the movie is its frustrating reliance on dramatic irony. Wild Hearts is not without its flaws, to be sure. While the nature of the proceedings (which some may label "formulaic") makes the movie more apt to be labeled one's "favorite" than "an outstanding piece of cinema", it truly does succeed in one of the most basic ways that film can, by hooking you in emotionally with tact, not force. They are all up to par, but not particularly worth singling out as integral to the film's skill. There is not too much that is exceptional about the script, direction, or efforts to convey Depression Era America. So, I'll keep those, most of which are foreshadowed plenty, unrevealed in the event that the reader has yet to see the movie and wants to celebrate as if they had no idea what was to happen next.Ī simple, low-key drama such as Wild Hearts which is designed to have you merely invest in characters and absorb yourself in their trials is hard to dislike when done right. Along the way, of course, there are triumphs, ones which rarely register as huge and which offer the most joy when experienced without foreknowledge. ![]() Meanwhile, there is a budding romance, a strained father/son relationship, tragedy, and more tragedy. Being structured as an inspirational story, there is little surprise that the likable protagonist does indeed secure a chance to shine, but this knowledge does not render her journey any less enjoyable for the viewer. What emerges more than just a typical individual-training-for-sport movie is an interesting human drama, one with an effectiveness that is hard to pinpoint and a magnetism that is undeniable. Meanwhile, on the downlow, Carver's good-looking, underappreciated son Al (Michael Schoeffling, best known as Jake Ryan of Sixteen Candles) begins training Sonora for the lead human role in the act, one already held by the semi-conceited Marie (Kathleen York). Sonora gets to be one of a handful people in Carver's party who follow the circus around to put on the unique show of an equine plunging into a pool of water from a high altitude platform. But Sonora's persistence proves too much for an altogether dismissal, and Carver hires her in an unglamorous assistant role. Carver (Cliff Robertson), turns her down as being too small and lacking what it takes, so to speak. Her plans hit a snag when the man filling the position, Dr. Like any good orphaned runaway in the olden days, Sonora finds her way to the circus, with her intention being to apply for the position of "horse diver" that she learned about from a magazine ad. Harboring a mutual sentiment, Sonora beats her aunt to the punch and runs away. A school suspension and sale of Lightning later, Aunt Helen (Lisa Norman) announces that she is ready to free herself from responsibility and turn Sonora over to the state. To stand up for herself, the only joy Sonora finds in her small town Texas life is from a horse named Lightning. Having an unfriendly aunt as her guardian, mean-spirited children as her schoolmates, and a strong will Disney's version begins in 1932, with the world in the midst of the Great Depression and an orphaned, seemingly teenaged Sonora (played by Gabrielle Anwar) experiencing an adolescence of little glee. Proving that real life can often be stranger and more compelling than fiction, Wild Hearts is actually based on the true story of Sonora Webster. Somehow, though, its restrained, inviting execution conquers most viewers in a more than satisfactory fashion. In fact, even by a lengthier account of its premise, this 1991 live action Disney film would not sound very appealing to most people, including myself. Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken is a movie which had it been condensed at the good-for-giggles website Movie-A-Minute would seem especially outlandish. Slater), Nancy Moore Atchison (Arnette Webster), Lisa Norman (Aunt Helen), Lorianne Collins (Clarabelle), Elizabeth Hayes (Miss Simpson) Carver), Dylan Kussman (Clifford), Kathleen York (Marie), Frank Renzulli (Mr. Theatrical Release: / Running Time: 89 Minutes / Rating: GĬast: Gabrielle Anwar (Sonora Webster), Michael Schoeffling (Al Carver), Cliff Robertson (Dr. ![]()
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