Touching
Wild Horses - 2002 - TV
Directed by Eleanor Lindo
Production credits: David
M. Perlmutter (executive producer)
Lewis Chesler (producer)
Frank Hübner (producer)
Chesler/Perlmutter Production Company
Writing credits: (WGA)
(written by) Murray McRae
Awards:
Best Feature for a Children's Audience at Cinemagic - the World Screen
Festival for Young People in Belfast in December
Coming out on DVD on Tuesday, September 21, 2004! Preorder yours today! Only $21.99!
Widescreen Theatrical Release: April 30, 2004 in Salt Lake City, UT -- larger release imminent; stay tuned for more information.
Read the
Official Press Release
View
the Movie
Trailer
From Danielle (Dani) Bouffard, who plays Megan Benton: "I had a lot of fun on the set. It was really nice of Jane to say that I looked cute, it made me feel so good when she said that! I think Jane is really nice and a good artist, too! She showed me a picture she drew of her twin boys as angels! It was very nice! I also had a lot of fun playing with Jane's boys too! ~ luv Dani"
Photos from the Set (images open in a new window):
 |
 |
 |
|
Setting
up the Car Crash
|
Dani
Bouffard and Mark Rendall
|
View
of the Sandbanks
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Jane and Dani
|
Dani, Mark, Kris and John
|
Dani & James McGowan
|
The "Benton Family"
|
The above photos are copyrighted by Danielle Bouffard's Club
 |
 |
 |
|
Jane
opens mail on the set
|
Jane
as Fiona
|
Director
Eleanore Lindo and Mark
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Fiona
and Thurgood disagree
|
Mark
Rendall and John (colt)
|
Fiona
and Mark on an ATV
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Steve
Danyluk and Jane on set
|
Fiona
and Mark in her hut
|
Jane
as Fiona
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Wilds
horses on the dunes
|
Mark
posing for the camera
|
Mark
and John (colt)
|
 |
 |
|
|
Mark
and John (motherless colt)
|
The
sun sets on the wild horses
|
The above photos are copyrighted by Chesler/Perlmutter Productions and Animal Tales Productions
Credited Cast / Credited Crew (crew profiles):
| Jane Seymour | .... | Fiona |
| Mark Rendall | .... | Mark Benton (nephew) |
| James McGowan | .... | John Benton (uncle) |
| Danielle Bouffard | .... | Megan Benton (niece) |
| Charles Martin Smith | .... | "Charlie" Thurgood - Ranger |
| coming soon! | .... | Social Worker |
| coming soon! | .... | Gail |
Plot Outline:
A touching drama about a reclusive scientist (Seymour, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman", "Live and Let Die", "Somewhere in Time") living on an island doing research on wild horses. Her nephew (Rendall, "Tales from the Neverending Story") comes to live with her after a major car accident that kills her sister's family, with the exception of the boy and her sister (Bouffard) who is in critical condition in the hospital. The movie shows how these two resistant participants find love and understanding in their attempt to live alone on an island.
Filmed at a local provincial park (equivilant to a state park) called Sandbanks, some scenes were filmed in the town of Belleville, but the majority of the movie takes place on a "remote" island of wild horses.
Plot Synopsis:
A drunken teenager behind the wheel of a car changed young Mark Benton's life forever. The car accident killed his father and little sister and left his mother in a coma. Mark now stands in the prow of a boat crossing the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean studiously avoiding the appraising eyes of his formidable Aunt Fiona, a researcher who has spent twenty years alone studying the wild horses which live on Sable Island.
Even before they land at Sable Island, a tiny sandbar 300 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia, Fiona lays out the ground rules of their relationship: she is not interested in family, she is not to be called 'aunt,' and she doesn't tolerate lies. She won't pretend she's happy to have him with her, and Mark will have to learn to do things her way or he'll be on the next boat back to the social worker. As they disembark and Mark takes in the desolate, haunting loneliness of his new home, Fiona tells him one more thing. The island is completely uninhabited except for a herd of wild ponies, which swam ashore from shipwrecks hundreds of years ago. They have lived there for hundreds of years and are completely self-sufficient. The final and most important rule: Never touch the wild horses.
Not surprisingly, Mark is quickly enchanted by the graceful, beautiful animals who appear and disappear in the fog almost supernaturally. But when a hurricane kills a mare, leaving her colt orphaned and doomed, Mark secretly breaks the cardinal rule and begins feeding and caring for the animal.
Meanwhile, Fiona teaches Mark, forcing him to concentrate and study. Initially rebellious, Mark becomes intrigued with learning almost in spite of himself and his educational journey begins to bring him close to Fiona. Mark discovers the tender heart which beats beneath her thorny exterior, and they both finally realize that most of their negative attitudes stem from experiences in their lives which need to be shared if they're to fully heal. Fiona's months with Mark have made her ready to stop hiding. They are both ready to begin their lives again.