08 Jun War Horse
War Horse, WWI Movie by Steven Spielberg
(2011) As World War I breaks out, a young English farmboy’s life is turned upside down when the horse he loves is taken by the cavalry. This Steven Spielberg/Kathleen Kennedy film is based on the 1982 children’s novel War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. The book was also brought to life on the London stage, using life-sized puppets of horses.
Of course, it’s all about the horse named Joey. And because this was originally a children’s book it’s definitely a movie for children. The “scary” parts don’t last long and are actually an important part of World War I history. Even though I had a hard time following what was happening during the fighting, I knew enough. Spielberg did his homework. The cavalry was amazing, as were the trenches.
In fact, my favorite scene was the one in the desolate “No Man’s Land” between the British and the German trenches. Not to give it away, it had the feeling of Joyeux Noel, a short respite from the agony of war.
My friend Jean was quick to explain to me that the suffering of the horses was not real. I was happy to read that the Humane Society had a presence in every bit of the shooting. The safety of the animals was paramount in everyone’s minds. If a horse limped he was trained to do so.
There were three times during the movie, Spielberg explained, when real horses weren’t used. An “animotronic horse” was used for one sequence. If you want to know more, the production notes from the DreamWorks Studio site details how the horses were handled. Go halfway down to “THE EQUINE CAST (AND THEIR TRAINERS.)” As happens so often, the behind the scenes story is almost as good as the film.
So many nominations and awards … even with all the War Horse Hype I was not disappointed.
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