Movie Review: Spielberg's 'War Horse' a warm but bitter tale
Submitted by admin on Tue, 01/03/2012 - 4:35pm
Direcor-producer Steven Spielberg's film "War Horse," currently showing at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City and elsewhere, is fine movie making, with a splendid cast. If it sinks into sentimentality at times, bear with it because the story, from a British children's book of 1982.
In pre-WWI Britain, Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine, well cast) is out to buy a plow horse for his father's farm but winds up with a stallion of beauty and intelligence. Albert teaches the horse, named Joey by Albert, to comae when he hoots a signal.
Albert's father Ted (the excellent Peter Mullan) is a lame war veteran who is angry with Albert for buying Joey. But Albert breaks Joey to pulling a plow and prepares his dad's field for planting turnips. But rains come and ruin the turnips and Dad sells Joey to the British cavalry before Albert can protest. But the British major who buys Joey promises to take care of the horse.
The story continues with Joey and another horse used in a cavalry charge which faces German machine guns which cut down the cavalry charge mercilessly. Joey winds up in German hands, pulling artillery about.
Albert is drafted and winds up in the 1918 Battle of the Somme. Joey is there too and in a panic after having been cornered by German tank rushes into the battlefield, becoming entangled in the barbed wire. A British Geordie (Toby Kebbell) as Colin goes out under a white flag to free Joey as does a soldier from the German side. Eventually, Joey and Albert return to the farm.
I've skipped a lot of development here, such as Celine Buckens as Emily, a French girl and her grandfather Niels Arestrup. The scenes with the pair and Joey are rich and warming --- Celine is a picture of young beauty. And there is Albert's mother, Emily Watson, who with her mobile face and clear emotion lifts the picture up a notch or more. She is mature beauty personified.
Some scenes --- the charge of the cavalry with swords against machine guns, is awesome --- all those horses full out. And the battlefield moments, complete with rats in the trenches, are horror recreated.
Spielberg is in firm control here and his masterful touch is at work throughout. The whole film holds together beautifully. Yes, some sentimentality, but a lot of clear emotion well displayed. It's a family film starring a lot of beautiful horseflesh, but above all, Joey. No child could help loving such a magnificent beast.
I dunno, family movies seem to be getting better, or is it just that there are no car chases in them?
--- Sam Bauman
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Produced by Steven Spielberg
Kathleen Kennedy
Screenplay by Richard Curtis,
Lee Hall Based on War Horse by
Michael Morpurgo
Music by John Williams
Cinematography Janusz Kamiński
Editing by Michael Kahn Studio DreamWorks Pictures
Running time 146 minutes, rated PG-13
Cast
• Jeremy Irvine as Albert Narracott
• Emily Watson as Mum, Rose Narracott
• Peter Mullan as Dad, Ted Narracott
• Tom Hiddleston as Captain Nicholls
• David Thewlis as Lyons
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Major Stewart
• Toby Kebbell as Colin, the Geordie soldier
• Eddie Marsan as Sgt. Fry
• Geoff Bell as Sgt. Sam Perkins
• Patrick Kennedy as Lieutenant Waverly
• Niels Arestrup as Grandfather
• Celine Buckens as Emilie
• David Kross as Gunther
• Rainer Bock as Brandt
• Nicolas Bro as Friedrich
• Leonard Carow as Michael
• Robert Emms as David Lyons
• Matt Milne as Andrew Easton
• Liam Cunningham as Army Doctor
• David Dencik as Base Camp Officer
