Run Wild, Run Free (1969)

Young lad on the English moors, apparently an elective mute since he was five years old, is more fond of animals than people, something which gnaws away at his overprotective mother; a neighboring Colonel nurtures the boy's interest with a pet falcon, though the youngster has become obsessed with a wild albino colt roaming the countryside. Thin, melodramatic adaptation of David Rook's book "The White Colt" is noteworthy for Wilkie Cooper's beautiful cinematography and for David Whitaker's lush main theme, as well as John Mills' sturdy performance as the Colonel. Mark Lester, however, is exasperating in the lead; very popular at time after starring in 1968's "Oliver!", Lester isn't directed well, nor does he have enough material to build a character on (and after awhile, this anxious little boy just seems like a bad example). The child's deeply disappointed parents are uninteresting, creating an emotional roadblock within the film's structure, and the final scenes are pointlessly overextended and overwrought. *1/2 from ****