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FeedMovie Review: War Horse
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Thirteen years after Saving Private Ryan and six after Munich, Steven Spielberg presents a new wartime epic, the WWI-era War Horse. Based on the 1982 children's novel by Michael Morpurgo (recently adapted into a Tony Award-winning stage play), the title deceives in terms of explaining the true subject of the work. While we do follow Joey the horse from birth to the savage conditions of the Great War, he is merely the lynchpin connecting us to a myriad of other narratives. Eventually fighting on both the British and the German sides, this horse becomes a miracle beast signifying hope for all. Seemingly invincible, compassionate to friends, and as magnificent as initial owner Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan) imagines when buying him for thirty guineas, Joey's experiences on the battlefield and beyond serve as a riveting return to form for Spielberg.
Screenwriters Lee Hall and Richard Curtis orchestrate the two and half hour runtime brilliantly, and a sweeping, emotionally manipulative score from John Williams works its usual magic. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski evokes his masterful sequence on the shores of Normandy from Ryan with a stunning pan through no man's land that serves as War Horse's cornerstone vignette. But as spectacular as this pan is, scenes of farmland and dusk sun of Southwestern England, peaceful bookends for the horrors elsewhere in the film, are equally eloquent.
Ted Narracott is sent to find a strong beast able to haul a plow through a field covered in rocks, and is captivated by Joey, buying him despite the efforts of villainous landlord Lyons (David Thewlis) who is only half-trying to buy the animal for son David (Robert Emms). Rose Narracott (Emily Watson) can't believe her eyes when her husband brings the useless horse home, but their son Albert (Jeremy Irvine) is in heaven.
Albert teaches Joey to wear a harness, answer to a whistle's call, and cultivate a never-quit attitude—all things eventually proving crucial to life on the battlefield. Joey's ownership changes hands often as he is swept into war, but the horse never finds himself in a situation the audience can't fully believe—which is key to the success of the film.
The horses that play Joey could seriously earn Oscar nominations—you do need to believe in Joey's magnificence to appreciate any other character in the film. We watch with a smile as the wide-eyed Captain Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston) assuages Albert's sadness, promising to return Joey after the war. We then see troops mowed down, civilian land pillaged by foreign enemy forces, and the brutal working conditions of horse-drawn artillery, with animals as continuous casualties.
In one of several narratives revolving around Joey, two teenage Germans, Gunther (David Kross) and Michael (Leonhard Carow), use Joey and another equine hero, Tophorn, as a means of escaping the front lines. Another involves a young French girl Emilie (Celine Buckens) and her grandfather (Niels Arestrup) surviving the best they can alone. In a compelling scene, Joey's heart and spirit that compel a British soldier (Toby Kebbell) to accept the help of a German with wire-cutters in order to free an animal worth saving. We experience just as much life and joy in War Horse as we do death. And throughout, Albert Narracott does what he can to find his lost friend.
Despite its healthy—and typically Spielbergian—dose of schmaltz, War Horse is an all-encompassing, invigorating experience. We can't help pulling for the reunion of boy and horse. As war destroys and self-genocide threatens—as it has done so many times before—Spielberg somehow succeeds in making the portrayal of hope and the desire for good believable.
War Horse 8/10 | ★ ★ ★
photography:
[1] Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse Joey are featured in this scene from DreamWorks Pictures' 'War Horse', director Steven Spielberg's epic adventure for audiences of all ages, and an unforgettable odyssey through courage, friendship, discovery and wonder. Ph: Andrew Cooper, SMPSP. © DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.
[2] Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and his Mum (Emily Watson) with Joey are featured in this scene from DreamWorks Pictures' 'War Horse', director Steven Spielberg's epic adventure for audiences of all ages, and an unforgettable odyssey through courage, friendship, discovery and wonder. Ph: Andrew Cooper, SMPSP. © DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.
