Spielberg’s equine First World War

Director Steven Spielberg Screenwriters Lee Hall, Richard Curtis, Michael Morpurgo (play) Cast Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Tom Hiddleston, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan

This is a true masterpiece. It’s certainly one of the most emotional films of recent times, with the last fifty minutes or so being a veritable rollercoaster of ups and downs. This is Spielberg at his absolute finest – so tearjerkingly perfect that I am quite sure there were no dry eyes in the cinema when I left. It was a difficult act to follow – Michael Morpurgo’s fiercely popular original novel was extremely highly rated, not to mention the theatrical production which is consistently awarded five stars and has been called “the play of the decade”. However, Spielberg’s portrayal of a wonderful story has set an extremely high standard for the rest of the films in 2012, as well as earning itself Golden Globe nominations for ‘Best Picture: Drama’ and ‘Best Original Score’.

Shot mostly in Devon, the film tells the tale of Joey, a thoroughbred horse, owned by a poor tenant farmer (Mullan) and loved by the farmer’s teenage son, Albert (Irvine). When World War I breaks out, the farmer is forced to sell Joey to a kind, keen young Army captain (Hiddleston), who takes Joey with him into battle. A heartbroken Albert promises Joey that they’ll see each other again some day – and eventually enlists in the army to embark on a search for his friend. The horse accompanies the captain into war, and from there crosses into enemy territory and embarks on a hazardous journey, culminating at the Battle of the Somme. His tale gives us a glimpse of many aspects of warfare – from those fighting in the front line to those left behind at home.

As proven in Saving Private Ryan, depicting warfare is one of Spielberg’s positive strengths. This film is packed with battle scenes, including a memorable suicidal cavalry charge, and not forgetting the Battle of the Somme itself. There are highly commended performances from Toby Kebbell as a brave Geordie corporal, and, in smaller roles, Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Marsan. But, it has to be said, the most memorable performance is by 21-year-old Irvine, who – despite a limited acting repertoire – portrayed young Arthur with sincerity. Of course, a mention must also be made to the fourteen horses that played Joey so convincingly, all the way from foal to adult horse. Considering no animals were harmed in the making, the terror of the horses is very realistically portrayed, and kudos must go to the film’s chief horse trainer Bobby Lovgren for that, as well as for managing a whopping 280 horses in a single scene.

Although the film is nearly two and a half hours long, you are never bored. The viewer is held gripped in Joey’s tale as he roves through the war – the beauty and tragedy enhanced by John Williams’ impressive score and Janusz Kaminski’s stirring cinematography. My only criticism is a slightly slow start for the first twenty minutes or so, but otherwise War Horse just cannot be faulted, and is as good a film as we’ve ever seen from the director – who is hailing this as one of his finest works.

The film is genuinely emotional, unflinchingly real, epic, and imaginative – an absolute must-see.