Melissa Gilbert in Sylvester (1985)

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Sylvester, directed by Tim Hunter (who did some of his best work directing such television series as Central Park West and Chicago Hope.) is yet another entry into the 1980s Horse-Flick genre, although it stands out in a number of ways.

First of all, the story is at least a bit different from such films as Black Beauty and The Black Stallion. First of all, the lead character, “Sylvester the Horse,” isn’t black. That’s a start…

Second of all, the plot, which revolves around the standard down-on-her-luck orphaned teen, played by the incredibly talented Melissa Gilbert, is actually engaging and semi-interesting, even for a film suitably aimed at the “family” audience. There’s no shortage of interesting plot developments and dynamic characters from start to finish, making for quite the engaging story. Kudos to writer Carol Sobieski.

The acting was also above par but then again, it’s easy to expect that with Gilbert and the late, great Richard Farnsworth in the cast. Most movies in this particular genre are simply “walked through” by their respective casts but once again, Gilbert runs away with the film, completely immersing herself in the character at hand. It’s not surprising in the least and has come to be expected, at least from us.

That all being said, the movie does feature the happy-sappy ending requisite of all such films but that comes as no real shock to the viewer. You know precisely what you’re in for going into the movie; a nice, heartwarming tale about “overcoming the odds” and coming of age. Sylvester makes no bones about its premise, nor does it make any excuses for the end result. Nor should it. It’s 1980s, dated entertainment in its purest form. Enjoy it for what it is. B+.

Nudity Report: Gilbert flashes quite a brief look at her breasts while being attacked in a pretty daring pseudo-rape scene. Not too shabby, considering the movie is rated PG!

IMDb Summary: 5.2/10


Written by: Vance Moravian