I was fortunate to be invited to a screening of War Horse on December 2nd. However, all reviews were embargoed until today.
I was of course aware of the book by Michael Morpurgo – I haven’t been living in a cave for the last couple of years – however I hadn’t read it, or see the play – which, by the way does looks amazing with those animatronic/puppet horses. So, although I was familiar with the story matter I had no knowledge of the story and plot direction itself. Which to be honest I was glad, as it meant I was experiencing the film anew.
As is my style I won’t be giving away any spoilers here but will allude to a few things that will become apparent when you watch the film.
If you are not familiar with War Horse, it’s the story of a Young Albert Narracott’s and his horse Joey, whom he has raises from a foal. However, with the outbreak of World War 1 Joey is sold to the Cavalry and so begins an amazing journey across Europe and the unimaginable horrors of war.
Firstly a bit about the cast. Jeremy Irvine is amazing as Albert Narracott, for Spielberg to cast an unknown with very little screen experience in such a challenging role is testament to the talent of Irvine, add the fact that this is his movie debut, makes it all the more impressive. Irvine plays the sensitive teenage son of an alcoholic father Ted Narracott played by Peter Mullan and his long suffering wife Rose (Emily Watson). Mullan & Watson work off each other wonderfully, portraying a couple that love each other deeply, yet struggle with the day to day hardships of running a farm, the internal conflict of love and desperation within both of them is clear to see.
Then of course there is Joey, or more accurately the fourteen different horses used as the main horse character, eight of them portraying him as an adult animal, four as a colt and two as foals. Now I’m not sure if there are any equine acting awards, but if there are you can bet that Joey would be up for best Horse in a starring role. I don’t know how but Spielberg even seems to be able to draw the best out of a horse.
The opening of the movie is set on location in the beautiful Dartmoor countryside, with its wide camera angles and sweeping arial shots it is clear from the outset that War Horse is going to be a grand statement. The lush scenery is a picturesque backdrop for the bonding of a young lad and his horse, developed over time you can feel the trust between them and truly feel the bonds that tie them together. When Joey leaves to join the Calvary, I defy anybody to not feel a little twang of pain for a lost friendship.
Once Joey joins the war the premise of the movie becomes apparent, this isn’t just about the survival of a horse against what seem impossible odds (approximately 6 million horses served in WWI. Only 62,000 returned home), it’s also several shorter stories of how Joey enters the lives of others and touches them in a very profound way. As Joey journeys through Europe his “ownership” moves from friend to foe and innocent bystander, each showing a very different perspective of the war.
War Horse is a visually stunning film, the cinematography from Janusz Kamiński is gorgeous, shifting from the natural beauty of the rolling countryside to the devastation of war in a heartbeat, the use of distinct vibrant colours in one scene and muted dull tones of another really emphasise the duality of life and death.
John Williams returns to score the movie, once again creating a wonderful companion to Spielberg’s visuals, setting the mood, driving the action and underpinning the emotion, its John Williams at his finest. I also have to commend the sound department, the first time you see and hear Joey galloping at full tilt actually sent a tingle down my spine, wonderful stuff.
War Horse is deeply emotional, visually striking and very sentimental film with some wonderful dialogue and many rousing moments. It would be impossible to choose a favourite scene but I would like to mention 2 that stood out for me. The first is when we see Joey go into the thick of battle with the English Cavalry for the first time, a powerful heart in your mouth, hold your breath stand out piece of cinematography. The second is during a quite period in the trenches when no shells are falling and no guns are being fired, two men, one English and one German are untied with a single goal. It’s very funny, very touching and very moving, it is a reflection on the absurdness of war and how by uncontrollable situations, we find ourselves opposed to our fellow man.
When it comes to war Spielberg seems to have an unnatural ability to move from barbarity to the beauty within moments of each other, sometimes even within the same scene, this is evident when watching Saving Private Ryan or Schindler’s List and it is also very evident in War Horse, with one very distinct difference, War Horse sheds no blood. That’s not to say there isn’t death, there is, but you won’t see a splash of claret anywhere, it’s clear Spielberg wanted to make a film that portrayed war and all its brutality, against a backdrop of hope, human spirit and the ultimate friendship. Something he has most certainly achieved.
