War Horse – Review

War Horse – Review

I overheard someone last week say they saw Steven Spielberg’s latest film “War Horse” twice the week it opened in theatres. It made me curious about a film with a horse during World War I that could resonate so much. There’s a lot in the film, more than
one particular theme, to pin it on.

“War Horse” is based on a hit play which is based on an early eighties young adult novel about a ruggedly independent horse named Joey. The animal is bought at an auction by a stubborn drunken father to work on a farm that he rents from an overbearing jerk
of a landlord (played by David Thewlis). The horse isn’t interested in ploughing fields and the son Albert (played by Jeremy Irvine) vows to teach the horse to take commands.

Just as Albert has made headway Joey is sold to the British Calvary as war breaks out. What follows is the journey of Joey across battle lines to the German infantry, into the home of a French jam maker and his ailing daughter and back into the hands of
the Germans pulling artillery in the mud.

Most horses didn’t survive the war’s brutality and “War Horse” does well at depict that while maintaining a family film rating. Horses, with British soldiers on their backs, drive headlong into murderous German machine guns. It’s a ghastly scene that’s left
to the imagination and rightly so. When Joey breaks free from the Germans it runs headlong into battle only to become entrapped in a mesh of barbed wire. This moment leads to an interesting scene between a British and German soldier, adding juxtaposed compassion
and levity.

“War Horse” is a war drama told from numerous vantage points – the land owners, the citizens, the soldiers and the animals used (and destroyed) in the war effort. It isn’t just about a horse. It also holds a mirror up to humanity, illustrating its caring
nature and its self-serving habits.

It’s not Hollywood Oscar-baiting nor is it strictly a family drama. Its visual landscape is also a pastiche of cinema’s past depending on what scenes are in play. Trench warfare scenes recall Stanley Kubrick’s “Paths of Glory” and 1930’s “All Quiet on the
Western Front” as well as Spielberg’s own “Saving Private Ryan.” The family home front is layered thick with orange and black like “The Searchers” and Joey’s interactions with others throughout the film is a nod to “Black Beauty” and “National Velvet.”

The film’s real charm is that it has no major stars save for Thewlis and Emily Watson. The relatively unknown and lesser known character actors bring poise to a story that could have been blighted by the baggage of popular actors. A real stand out is Niels
Arestrup as the French grandfather and David Kross (“The Reader”) as a young German soldier.

“War Horse” is sentimental and Spielberg knows where to push buttons and create heightened moments for effect. Cynics will likely deride the film as Spielbergian, wrought with crafted moments of drama and visual textures. It’s hard to imagine now, but during
the late 80’s Spielberg caught flack for making films (“The Color Purple,” “Empire of the Sun”) that weren’t about Indiana Jones or featured aliens. Today can lend his artistry to history (“Munich,” the upcoming “Lincoln”), animation (“Tintin”), summer fare
(“Minority Report”) and dramas (“Catch Me if You Can”). No matter, “War Horse” is fine work from a grand storyteller. It’s also one of the year’s best films.

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Posted by Fahad Zafar on Feb 11 2012. Filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry