War Horse (2011) Directed by Steven Spielberg. Written by: Lee Hall, Richard Curtis, and Michael Morpurgo (novel). Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson and David Thewlis. IMDB says: “Young Albert enlists to service in WWI after his beloved horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry. Albert’s hopeful journey takes him out of England and across Europe as the war rages on.”
A Hibernian sage once wrote that there are three things a man never forgets: The girl of his early youth, a devoted teacher, and a great horse. ~C.J.J. Mullen
War Horse is the story of a man who never did forget his horse. From the moment he first laid eyes on him, young Albert knew that there was something special about this horse. His father saw that subtle magnificence as well; he essentially put every dime he had on the line to purchase it. Albert raised the horse, taught it to come when called, taught it to plough a field (even though it wasn’t to be thought of as a plough horse), he even taught it to ride fast as the wind. The one thing he never did teach him was the horrors of war.
When Albert’s father can’t make the rent, he goes behind his young sons back to sell the horse to the Army to aid in the war effort. Albert finds out and tries to stop it but he’s too late. Knowing this, he tries to join the army himself, but he’s too young. And so Albert and his horse are separated, both following separate paths as World War I rages through Europe, perhaps, never to meet again.
This is a fantastically emotional film. The plot will grab you by the heart and pull you in harder than you thought possible. I’m traditionally not a huge fan of animal movies, in fact this is the first “horse movie” I could be bothered to see but I’ll admit it, I was pleasantly surprised. There just are not enough good things I can say about this film. It really does capture the simple realities of a young man going off to war. It captures the attachment and bond that forms behind a horse and his master. It paints a picture, a vivid one, of this boy’s life and it’s a picture that will touch you.
This is a Spielberg film so you can expect some of the visuals to be standard Spielberg fare. And they are… But they work for this movie. The cinematography is fantastic, from shooting the battlefields of World War I, to the simple agricultural lifestyle of the French denizens, it just works. The dialogue fits well too. Some of it may seem cheap or overly sentimental, but it really is believable and it all melds together to build a sense of emotional attachment – not only among the film’s characters, but also between the characters and the audience. I can see this movie having appeal to people of all ages, from old to young, and especially those of us fortunate enough to have that memory of a great horse.
