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Clip description
Black Beauty’s good fortune as ‘Jack’ quickly vanishes when his kind master Jerry Barker catches cold and dies after waiting out in the snow for rich clients. His widow sells Black Beauty to Mr Skinner the baker who then mistreats him.
Curator’s notes
The character of Jerry Barker is wonderfully realised in this film. His kindness and principled nature shines through in his treatment of his horse as a friend and partner. This clip captures two of the key themes of the original story, showing how the greed and self-interest of the rich has detrimental consequences for both hard working but powerless poor people and their horses, and also further highlights the vulnerability of a horse’s wellbeing when it is totally dependent on how the owner treats it. This is exemplified in the dramatic contrast between the portrayal of Jerry Barker and the slimy, cruel Skinner as Black Beauty’s masters – including visual design and voice casting for these two characters.
