The Phantom horse

Original title: Maboroshi no uma
Director: Koji Shima
Country and year: Japan / 1955
Genre: Drama

Cast: Bontarô Miyake, Ayako Wakao, Yukihiro Iwatare, Yoshiro Kitahara, Koreya Senda, Akihiko Yusa

Plot
The Phantom Horse travelled under the title Mabaroshi Nouma when it was first released in Japan. The protagonist is a young boy from a poor family, whose best friend is his horse. In the climax, the horse wins a local derby, providing financial security for the boy and his household. Strange that so much critical approval was bestowed upon this film at a time when no Hollywood producer would try to get away with so bromidic a plotline. Stranger still, the well-photographed but exceedingly derivative Phantom Horse was one of Japan's entries in the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide