The Freestyle Digital Media May 11, 2018 theatrical release (and more recent VOD release) of the Mary Haverstick documentary "The Last Horsemen of New York" sheds light on the ongoing efforts of New York City mayor Bill deBlasio to fulfill his vehement campaign promise to ban horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.
The notes regarding this review relate to the nature of any documentary. It is important to remember that even propaganda that supports your side still is propaganda. It is equally important to remember that there is your view, the view of the other guy, and the truth.
The following YouTube clip of the "Horsemen" trailer terrifically capture the passion associated with the controversy.
The groups with known horses in the race are the owners and operators of the carriages and the group called NYClass that is organizing the effort to get the city council to pass the ban. The asserted basis for this campaign is that the horses are abused and work in an industry that is dangerous for them. An element of this is that it is highly probable that the involvement of at least the rank-and-file members reflects a sincere concern for the horses.
"Horsemen" showing that real estate developer/NYClass founder Steve Nislick has a horse in the race provides the main basis for the thesis of the film. This assertion is that Nislick is using the animal cruelty argument as a pretense for closing down the stables on prime Manhattan real estate that Nislick could greatly profit from developing. Neither Nislick nor any other representative of NYClass provides an interview for "Horsemen." The probable reasons are either that they were not invited or declined to participate out of a concern that Haverstick would inaccurately portray their statements.
The "straight from the horse's mouth" information comes from carriage operators Christina Hansen and Stephen Malone. Their denials of any mistreatment of the animals seem credible. Further, the horses seem content and in stable condition.
The star power comes via Liam Neeson, who is on the side of the operators. We see that his support extends to requesting that interviews on late-night talk shows include that topic.
The bigger and more dramatic picture relates to the apparent connection between the carriage trade and the 2013 mayoral election. Then-candidate Christine Quinn provides Haverstick her side of the story and produces an apparent smoking gun that shows that Nislick conditions his support of a candidate in that race on supporting the ban. de Blasio running on an (as yet unfulfilled) promise to ban the carriages on entering the office suggest that he succumbed to the nagging by the developer.
A strong indication of the propaganda aspect of "Horsemen" comes via footage of a New York City Council session in which that group hears testimony related to the ban. We see members of the staff of deBlasio unable to satisfactorily answer questions related to the issue. At the same time, we do not see proponents of the ban score any points. The nature of these proceedings is such that they almost never are as one-sided as indicated in this scene.
The objective viewpoint regarding all this is that NYClass is making apparently adequately credible assetrtions of animal abuse to have a legion of impassioned followers, and the carriage operators are just as vehemently denying these claims. Haverstick not presenting any tangible proof of horses being harmed either is attributable to there not being any or to her not presenting that side of the story. As in all things, folks who remain on the fence are best served further investigating the matter.
The even bigger picture reflects the value of "Horsemen." Presenting the topic in an interesting and compelling manner shines a spotlight on it and encourages right-thinking folks to conduct the aforementioned research.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Horseman" is strongly encouraged to email me; you also can connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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