Michael Morpurgo’s acclaimed novel War Horse seems like an odd choice for a stage adaptation, but in 2007, that is exactly what happened. The 1982 British novel became a successful stage production that ran consistently for twelve years and then sporadically since. Considering the vastness of this story and the scope of the war, it would be interesting to see how it was adapted to the stage. Two years after the play debuted, DreamWorks Pictures acquired the film rights, and Steven Spielberg was announced shortly afterwards as the director. Spielberg had directed several films by this time that dealt with World War II and was eager to tackle the First World War instead. But this wouldn’t be a traditional war movie. This movie would look at the war from the perspective of a horse, sold into the army and forced into battle. While this film does have moments that take place away from the horse, the bulk of the narrative is following him, giving us a unique view of war-torn Europe in the late 1910s.
The film opens in 1912 with the birth of a bay Irish Hunter horse being born in Devon, England. When the horse is brought to auction, farmer Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan), there to purchase a good plow horse for his struggling farm, takes a liking to the newborn, despite it being the wrong type of horse for his needs. He outbids his landlord, Lyons (David Thewlis), overpaying by thrice and brings his new horse home to a delighted son, Albert (Jeremy Irvine), and his disapproving wife, Rose (Emily Watson). By buying the horse for such an inflated price, he has put the farm in danger, and when Lyons comes for his mortgage payment, Ted doesn’t have enough. He promises that when the crops start coming in, he will make up the shortage, but Lyons doesn’t believe this Irish Hunter will be able to handle the workload of a plow. Albert insists he can train the horse to do the work, and eventually, he proves that it can be done.
When war breaks out, soldiers come to town in search of horses. A flood has damaged Ted’s crops, and he reluctantly sells his new horse, now named Joey, to Captain James Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston). This devastates Albert, who promises to find Joey again and bring him home after the war. Before too long, Captain Nicholls is killed in action, and Joey ends up in the hands of the Germans. Joey will then change hands several more times, finally ending back in possession of the British. Meanwhile, once Albert has come of age, he enlists in the war and sees his own share of battles. In the end, through some circuitous circumstances, Joey and Albert are finally reunited just as the war is coming to a close.
When War Horse was released to theaters, it was mostly well received by critics and audiences alike. It didn’t take long, though, before some cracks began to appear, and suddenly people were tearing it down, calling it sentimental garbage, pandering, and glossing over the true horrors of The Great War. It was compared to earlier war movies by Spielberg, who had gone for a grittier, more realistic, ascetic, and people found that they didn’t like the shift in tone from those earlier pictures. War Horse is meant to be more of an uplifting, family film. It’s rated PG-13 and avoids all the bloody gore and violence of Saving Private Ryan or Schindler’s List. This isn’t a movie about the war, and therefore, it doesn’t take a close look at the true horrors of it. That doesn’t mean there aren’t well-directed battle scenes. The initial cavalry charge that sees Captain Nicholls killed, while not bloody, is well staged and gets the message across adequately. The same can be said for the scenes in the trench when Andrew, a friend of Albert’s, is killed by a gas bomb. We don’t need to see the grizzly details to get the point.
Steven Spielberg has been accused from time to time of being overly sentimental, as if that was a crime against cinema. War Horse is overly sentimental, but it works for this picture. This is meant to be an uplifting tale of a young man being reunited with his horse despite all odds being against them. I could feel the strings being pulled throughout the entire running time, manipulating my emotions, but I didn’t really care. I’m not an animal person, least of all any animal bigger than myself. I have refrained from riding on horses for most of my life and do not see that changing in my lifetime. For me, I will never grow attached to any animal, be it a dog, cat, goldfish, or even a horse. But that doesn’t mean I am incapable of understanding people who do get attached like that. I’ve known people who just fall apart when a beloved pet dies, and while I don’t feel it like they do, I understand it. To them, it is no different than if one of their children had died, and that is something I can feel. If one of my kids were off fighting the war, I would do whatever I could to be reunited with them. Spielberg gets that attachment and he manipulates it in such a way as to tug at the heartstrings of people even like me. When Albert and Joey are reunited, I didn’t cry, but I felt a lump in my throat, and my eyes did feel a bit watery.
Some people just couldn’t go on the ride Mr. Spielberg was presenting. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that; everyone has different tastes in movies. War Horse seemed to tap into extremes, though with most people either loving it or hating it. I have never understood this extreme reaction to what amounts to a harmless sentimental story of love during war. Spielberg had already told his dark and depressing war stories; now it was time for him to go back to his roots and give us something lighter again. For me, it was a welcome change of pace and a refreshing bit of nostalgia. War Horse may be far from the best of the best that Spielberg has to offer, but it’s nowhere near the bottom rung, either.
By putting so much of the story in the perspective of Joey, it becomes absolutely imperative that we are able to follow what is going on with him at all times. This is not just the circumstances he is in but his mindset as well. This isn’t always easy to do with animal performers without going full-on anthropomorphic with them. Spielberg doesn’t go that far, but there are moments where it borders on that, especially after a fellow horse, Topthorn, dies of exhaustion. Prior to that moment, Joey seems to understand that Topthorn is too badly injured to pull the cannons for the Germans and steps forward to take his place. This helps for a while, but ultimately, Topthorn succumbs to his illness and dies. Joey mourns the passing of his friend in a near-human way before breaking free of his German captors and fleeing through no man’s land, an area between the two enemy trenches lined with razor wire. This moment becomes one of the most interesting moments of the entire film.
Tangled up in all the razor wire, Joey falls and is unable to move anymore. A British soldier waves a white flag and steps out into no man’s land to try and untangle Joey from the wire. Soon, a German soldier joins him with some wire cutters, and the two work together to free Joey. It’s interesting to think that these two men on opposite sides of the war think more on the well-being of a horse than they do for the well-being of their fellow humans. That says a lot about people in general. One need only look at websites like doesthedogdie.com to realize that people have no problem seeing other people die in movies, but if an animal dies, they react very negatively.
The machinations that fall into place to put Joey back in the care of Albert are fantastical, utterly unbelievable. But that doesn’t really matter. This is, after all, a fantasy. It may look realistic, and Spielberg’s usual DP Janusz Kamiński shot it in such a way as to accentuate the real world around everyone, but the way the story is told is akin to a fantasy tale where everyone will end up back where they started, older and wiser. This includes the grandfather of Emilie, who, for a short time, possessed Joey and Topthorn before losing them to the German army. After the war is over, Joey is to be sold as per the army’s orders. The grandfather buys Joey out from under Albert, easily outbidding him. Emilie has died since we last saw them, and he wants Joey back as a tie to his lost granddaughter. But when he sees that Joey is attached to Albert, he relents and gives him back. It’s a touching moment that would feel out of place in a more realistic film.
War Horse isn’t for everyone. If you want another serious war film like Saving Private Ryan, then this is not for you. This is a war film aimed at families. The themes are easily digestible and fairly straightforward. It’s a beautiful-looking film, emphasizing the beauty of the land in the early scenes as well as the darkness of the man-made trenches and war-torn battlegrounds. We get a good sense of the beauties of nature ravaged by man. We also see the differences between those who take pity on the animals and those who just see them as something to use up and cast away. We see both kinds of people on both sides of the war. This is a fantastical film with a feel-good ending, and if that is something that you cannot get behind, then there are plenty of pessimistic war films to sink your teeth into instead. For me, this is enjoyable on a different level than the likes of Saving Private Ryan or The Thin Red Line. This is more magical and uplifting, and sometimes we need a little more of that in our lives.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture: Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy
Best Art Direction: Rick Carter and Lee Sandales
Best Cinematography: Janusz Kamiński
Best Original Score: John Williams
Best Sound Editing: Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
Best Sound Mixing: Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, and Stuart Wilson
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Release Date: December 25, 2011
Running Time: 146 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Starring: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, and Jeremy Irving
Directed By: Steven Spielberg
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