War Horse

Unlike some critics and other film fans, I have not been looking forward to the release of War Horse. Why? Because I am a complete wimp when it comes to stories about animals. The merest touch of cruelty or bravery involving an animal and I'm crying like a baby. Add to that, the master manipulator that is director Steven Spielberg and a screenplay co-written by Richard 'tearjerker' Curtis, there was no chance that I'd make the screening without blubbing. Then you have the fantastic music of John Williams; it got to the point that even the trailer would bring a lump to my throat...

The story starts with a thoroughbred foal being born and as it grows older, it gains an admirer in Albert Narracott (Jeremy Irvine). When the horse comes up for sale at auction, Albert's father Ted (Peter Mullan), who was looking for a plough horse, gets into a bidding war with his landlord Lyons (David Thewlis).

Ted wins the bidding war, and faces the wrath of his wife, Rose (Emily Watson) who is furious that he has wasted the money on a horse that can't help them run their farm. Albert persuades her that he will train the horse to help plough the field, so they can plant turnips and pay the money they owe to Lyons.

Despite their best efforts, the weather destroys their crops and Ted is forced to sell Joey to the British Army who are looking for horses as World War One has been declared. The officer who buys Joey promises Albert that he will look after him and if he can, he will return him to Albert.

Joey goes into military training and becomes attached to Topthorn, another horse within the army. The horses are then sent off to France to participate in the war. During a calvary charge, the two horses are seized by German troops who use them to pull ambulance wagons.

The horses are later used by two young German soldiers to escape from the army. In order to allow the horses to rest, they hide in a windmill which is owned an elderly Frenchman (Niels Arestrup) who lives on the land with his granddaughter Emilie (Celine Buckens). The horses are discovered in the windmill by Emilie who tries to persuade her grandfather to allow her to ride them, which he refuses until her birthday.

On her birthday, Emilie is allowed to ride Joey and encounters German soldiers. The horses are captured by the soldiers, despite her Grandfather's pleas and used to move heavy artillery alongside other horses.

Meanwhile Albert has enlisted in the army and is serving in the trenches in France alongside best friend Andrew and is constantly trying to find Joey.

I'm not going to give anything further away as I really don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read the book or seen the play.

First of all, this is a masterclass in manipulation by Steven Spielberg. There are moments of joy, moments where you can't look at the screen and yes, there are moments where you sob. I found some of the scenes particularly difficult to watch as I genuinely don't like watching animals in pain (real or otherwise). The most difficult scene for me to watch was one which starts with Joey running through the battlefield (it's shown in the trailer).

That said, the film is good. It's very, very sentimental and the war is shown in a both a harsh and romanticised way. I particularly liked the way it showed that even in desperate circumstances, people (and animals) can do good.

As the film is a 12A, there is no bloodshed on screen and most of the violence is off camera. There were elements of Saving Private Ryan, in terms of showing the conditions that the soldiers and horses were operating in, but this was the extent of it.

The horses are the clear stars of the show, and they were truly magnificent. There's not much to say about the human actors as none of them are in it long enough to give a great performance. However Irvine was quite endearing as a very naive Albert and I was also taken by Arestrup's performance as the Grandfather, who for me, said one of the most moving lines in the film.

The music is gorgeous and has been brilliantly done by John Williams. The cinematography is very slick and there are some scenes which are spectacular and lay testament to the skills of the horse trainers.

One of the problems of this film is that as it is episodic, so you forget Albert and it is his and Joey's relationship that starts and finishes this film. War Horse is also very, very predictable. You know exactly who is going to survive and who isn't and that doesn't make the film any easier to watch in my opinion.

The ending is contrived, however the story leading up to the ending was actually very sweet and moving as it involves soldiers from opposite sides coming together for the sake of something else.

Verdict: A tad long and I wouldn't take anyone under the age of 12 to see it, but War Horse is a very sentimental, predictable film that will take you through the full gauntlet of emotions. The horses are the stars of the show and Spielberg used them to great effect. That combined with a heart-tugging score by John Williams makes this a real tearjerker. I'm glad I went to see it, but I don't think I will watch it again, not because it's not good, but because I found some of the scenes distressing to watch.

I should also point out that I stayed until the very end of the credits as I wanted to be sure that no animals had been harmed during the making of the film and I was pleased to see that the American Humane Society had been monitoring the filming to ensure the safety and well-being of the animals involved.