War Horse Review: Spielberg’s Surreal Epic

The songs of birds in the distance and their flight over the the beautiful pristine moorlands of Dartmoor, England, circa 1900 will be the first things you’ll hear and see. Once you land, you’ll witness a foal’s fragile first moments of life: the first breath, the rippling shiver across his body that shakes off the blood, before it takes stand on it’s hooves, ready to set about the journey within Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse.”

Based on the novel of the same name written by Michael Morpurgo, the picture guises itself as a movie about a horse, his beloved boy and their journey to reunite in the midst of the first World War. However, Spielberg’s film profoundly explores the inexplicable bond between man and animal, the strength of courage, all the while bears out the futility of war.

Unlike Rupert Wyatt’s film “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” which employed actors in blue suits to create the dramatic computer generated monkeys for the movie, Spielberg casts real horses. With Janus Kaminski as the cinematographer, who previously worked with Spielberg to bring alive dinosaurs in “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”, Spielberg is successful to beget every horse with noble, fearless, compassionate traits, that along with strong performances by actors new and old, make this movie remarkable.

Newcomer Jeremy Irvine plays the lead part of Albert Narracott, a kind hearted, hard-working, handsome young man with Duke blue eyes that tie your heart lines to every one of his selfless acts. Albert comes upon the horse, who he names Joey, after his madcap father, Ted Narracott, played by the artisan actor Peter Mullan, spends more money than he could afford on an impulsive supposition that Joey was special. However, to pay for his gamble and their rent, the Narracotts must break the young Joey in so they can plow the stone filled field to seed the land in time for the October harvest.

When Albert first attempts to feed Joey you will witness the phenomenal powers Spielberg has over the medium to move us. With a pail full of feed in his hand Albert’s attempt is rejected as the young horse refuses to eat. Albert turns his back around and places the pail behind him. With his back turned he speaks to the young horse, “This is your first time by yourself, isn’t it?” A glimmer in the horses eyes, the body language, the movement of the horse, an intricate theatrical ballet that conveys the horse understands every word and ultimately have you eating from Spielberg’s palms.

After a series of bad luck, that work to build a brotherly bond between Albert and Joey, the elder Narracott sells Joey to the Army to make rent. The tears, the pleas, the sobs that ensue from Albert will turn any heart turn into that of a child’s.

Thomas Hiddleston plays the gentle, bright, admirable young soldier Captain Nicholls. Nicholls the first of a many to own Joey, shows endearment to the weepy Albert and promises to return the horse after the war is over.

After successful efforts to tell the stories of the second Great War, “War Horse” is Spielberg’s first directorial chance to take us to the evolution of warfare in the trenches of the first World War. With Joey’s enlistment into the British Army on the precipice of the first World War Spielberg must have drooled all over the chance to adapt this Tony award winner for his first major directorial effort in three years.

Spielberg takes you inside the British Army base, where soldiers are filled with confidence, gusto, and pride. We watch as Captain Nicholls trains alongside the proper Major Steward, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, galloping through the beautiful British emerald green grasslands. However, the allure to a Spielberg film–especially one about war, regardless it’s World War II or “War of The Worlds”–is the remarkable execution of the battle scenes to make one feel as if they were right there.

In the first battle you are one of three hundred British soldiers riding their horses at a completely surprised German camp. At first, you can sense an easy victory for the troops, as the original musical score conducted by five-time Oscar winner John Williams leads the cavalry forward. But as the German troops run to the forest, Spielberg reveals the artillery machine guns hidden behind bushes. Williams slows down his music, Spielberg slows down his film, as the bullets rifle out towards the dashing chic-clad soldier, then close up to Nicholls as he rides, eyes wide open, to his last breath of air.

Spielberg does not cloak death by any means in “War Horse.” On his journey to reunite with Albert, Joey meets many admirable men from both sides of the war, as well as one beautiful young girl, who will steal your heart. Each with their different shade of blue eyes will force you to let your heart go, and each and every time your heart will be pounded with pain as they are executed outside of a mill, killed in the battlefield, or just taken away from you altogether.

This picture owes a great deal to Andrew Ackland-Snow, the senior art director, Lee Sandales, the set director and Joanna Johnston, lead costume designer, for their meticulous attention to details, stunning execution, evident in every frame of the film.

“War Horse” will continue Spielberg’s reputation as the master story-teller of this generation.His film about a boy, a horse and a war, will make you believe that even with the most insurmountable odds against you there is always courage in hope.