Colin Farrell and ‘Athansor’ in ‘Winter’s Tale’/Photo © David C. Lee/Warner Bros.
“Winter’s Tale” opens on Valentine’s Day, bringing to life a mystical vision of New York City, a century-spanning love story and a character readers have adored for decades: an otherworldly white horse named Athansor, who gallops higher than clouds and beyond time itself.
More than a mere sidekick in Mark Helprin’s novel, Athansor is “a gorgeous, airborne, aspiration-gratifying steed” that acts as a guardian angel to Peter Lake, a burglar striving to reconnect with his lost love. By the look of the trailer, the film’s writer-director Akiva Goldsman holds the same affection for Athansor as does Peter (Colin Farrell).
Horses have long held writers and readers (me included) in thrall. Mythology gave us the winged horse Pegasus; Westerns and adventures have loyal but scrappy mounts with names like Silver and Trigger. Horses evoke speed, danger, and freedom. They add mystery, majesty, and enchantment to stories from fantasies to fairy tales. They’re trusted companions, even when part of the comedy in films such as “Duck Soup,” “Cat Ballou” and “Blazing Saddles.”
I pick some of my favorite cinematic steeds from adapted works here.