War Horse (2011) Rated PG-13, for intense sequences of war violence. Dir: Steven Spielberg
This film is currently playing in theaters everywhere.
Based on a children’s novel written by British author Michael Morpurgo, the story follows a horse named Joey, owned by an old farmer Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan), his wife Rose (Emily Watson), and his son Albert (Jeremy Irvine), who develops a close bond with the horse. The story is set during World War I, and Joey is soon drafted by the army (along with many other horses) to be used in the war effort by the English against the Germans. The horse encounters various trials and owners along the way—a young British officer, two German deserters, a little girl in France, and various others.
The first thing one must realize when watching this film is that this is based on a children’s novel. This essentially means that the sentimental aspects may be laid on rather thickly at times. The film isn't very cynical and the characters can have a tendency to be (mostly) decent, earnest, and at times, not too complex. The film has many parallels to a traditional story about “a boy and his dog,” but of course in this case, it’s about a boy and his horse. As expected, it follows the oft-used conventions of that genre. We feel the deep connection between the two characters (the boy and the horse), see their struggles, and some great acting from animals along the way. The first 1/5 of the film plays out rather conventionally, with beautiful scenery, soft music, and is expectedly sentimental. The pacing suffers as a result, and some adults may find it a tad lethargic. The film, however, picks up in a big way once the war starts.
The fact that this story takes place during World War I is what separates this film from the rest. Think The Black Stallion meets Saving Private Ryan (sans the gore). The war scenes are very intense, explosive, and quite beautifully shot. The original novel was based on the research Michael Morpurgo made about the loss of human life and the millions of horses that were killed in the war effort. These horses were used for cavalry and as draught animals, pulling guns, ambulances, and other vehicles on the rough terrain. Throughout the film, we see the events and various characters of the war through the eyes of Joey, the “war horse” of the title.
Jeremy Irvine does a competent job as Albert Narracott, even if he is not terribly complex, as well as the rest of the cast, who appear and disappear due to different and sometimes tragic circumstances. The film contains different scenerios all connected by this particular horse. The cinematography of the countryside is gorgeously colorful. I was surprised how the filmmakers were able to keep the camera on the horse so closely as he was galloping in full speed along the trenches lined by soldiers—a very complex-looking set. Meanwhile, the exciting, pumping musical score by John Williams is used to good effect. Admittedly, many of the characters we meet throughout the film aren’t terribly complex, and some of them were gone before I knew it. Consistently though, the horse appears to bring out the decency in people, both allies and enemies. The main actor, of course, is the horse himself. Through subtle movements and expressions, we can pretty much follow what he is thinking and feeling.
Steven Spielberg does a fine job with the material by adding much detail and humor that ultimately portray the dark side and the irony of war. Unlike Saving Private Ryan, this is a film parents could probably take their older children to introduce a bit of war history, although the film doesn’t go into detail about the politics of it. Overall, it is a fine, sentimental film that manages to look into the harsher realities of life, such as the effects of war, and commonalities that exist between very different people.
My Rating: *** out of **** stars.
Comments