''Kentucky Pride'' is a 1925 American silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

from

Fox Film The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox. It was the corporate successor to his earlier Greater Ne ...

about the life of a horse breeder and racer, directed by the famed film director

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

and starring Henry B. Walthall (who had previously played the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's controversial 1915 film ''

The Birth of a Nation ''The Birth of a Nation'' is a 1915 American Silent film, silent Epic film, epic Drama (film and television), drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. The screenplay is adapted from Thomas Dixon Jr.'s 1905 novel and ...

''). It is among Ford's lesser-known works, but has been praised for sweetness and charm and its beautiful depiction of the life of horses and the relationship between the protagonist and his daughter. Several well-known

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racehorses appear in the film, including the legendary Man o' War. A print of ''Kentucky Pride'' is in the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

film archive.

Plot

The plot concerns Beaumont, a horse breeder with a penchant for gambling, who is down on his luck. After losing at poker and being forced to give up several of his horses to cover his losses, Beaumont bets it all and loses again when his horse, Virginia's Future, suddenly falls and breaks a leg while leading the pack in a critical race.Wollstein, Hans J., "Kentucky Pride (1925)", Rovi, ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' web site. Accessed January 9, 2015. Beaumont's selfish wife tells the horse's trainer, Mike Donovan, to kill the injured horse, and abandons Beaumont for Greve Carter, a well-to-do neighbor. Beaumont also loses his relationship with Virginia, his daughter from his previous marriage. Beaumont and Donovan manage to save Virginia's Future, and she births a colt (or a filly) named Confederacy, but his financial troubles force him to sell off both the colt and the mare. Confederacy is mistreated by his new owner, a foreign junk dealer, and Virginia's Future is forced into hard labor as a pack horse. But when Confederacy is later entered to run in the Futurity, ridden by Mike Donovan's son Danny, Beaumont gathers everything he can and bets it all again. This time he wins. He is reunited with his daughter and buys back the colt, giving it a good life in the pasture.

Cast

* Gertrude Astor as Mrs. Beaumont, the selfish second wife of Mr. Beaumont * Peaches Jackson as Beaumont's daughter Virginia * J. Farrell MacDonald as Mike Donovan, horse trainer * Winston Miller as Mike Donovan's son Danny * Belle Stoddard as Mrs. Donovan * Malcolm Waite as the neighbor Greve Carter * Henry B. Walthall as Mr. Beaumont, the protagonist horse breeder * George H. Reed * Sayre Dearing as Racetrack Spectator (uncredited) Several notable horses appeared in the film, includingProgressive Silent Film List: ''Kentucky Pride''
at silentera.com. * Man o' War, widely considered one of the greatest racehorses of all time, winner of the

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held annually on Armed Forces Day, the third Saturday in May at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland (except in 2026 when it will move to Laurel Park (race track), Laurel Park dur ...

and

Belmont Stakes The Belmont Stakes is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds run at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is run over the worldwide classic distance of . Colt (horseracing), Colt ...

and many other prominent races (not entered in the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

) * Fair Play, sire of Man o' War and several other renowned thoroughbreds, progeny including Display, Mad Play, Ladkin, Mad Hatter,

Chance Play Chance Play (foaled 1923) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and Champion sire. In a career which lasted from 1925 to 1928 he ran in thirty-nine races and won sixteen of them. Although he was successful in his early career over spri ...

, Chance Shot, and Fairmount * Negofol, French-bred winner of the 1909 Prix de Guiche, sire of several famed horses including

Coventry Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...

, Hourless, and Vito *

The Finn The Finn (1912–1925) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse that is best remembered as the winner of the 1915 Belmont Stakes. He won six other stakes races that year and was retroactively recognized as the American Champion three-year-old colt. ...

, winner of the 1915

and sire of Zev and

Flying Ebony Flying Ebony (1922–1943) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1925 Kentucky Derby. Background Flying Ebony was a dark bay or brown horse bred by John E. Madden, who had already bred four Kentucky Derby winner ...

* Morvich, winner of the 1922

(the first California-bred racehorse to win the Derby)

Reception

The ''

'' failed to review the film at the time of its release. In later critical commentary, Joseph McBride said the film has "unexpected sweetness and charm", and Shigehiko Hasumi praised it for its beautiful depiction of the life of horses and the relationship between the protagonist and his daughter. Hasumi, Shigehiko
''Touching the Glossy Coat of a Horse – John Ford's Kentucky Pride''
", International Federation of Film Critics web site, 2009. Accessed January 9, 2015.

Scott Eyman Scott Eyman (born March 2, 1951) is an American author, and former book editor and art critic of ''The Palm Beach Post''. He is a frequent book reviewer for ''The Wall Street Journal'' and ''Film Comment,'' and was a contributor for ''The New York ...

said "''Kentucky Pride'' remains a shameless – shamelessly effective – film".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kentucky Pride 1925 films 1925 drama films 1920s American films 1920s English-language films 1920s sports drama films American black-and-white films American horse racing films American silent feature films American sports drama films Articles containing video clips English-language sports drama films Films directed by John Ford Films with screenplays by Dorothy Yost Fox Film films Silent American sports drama films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links