War Horse

My family and I went to see this movie yesterday. We found it to be a film of incredible beauty and pathos. It shows, in a unique way, the suffering that millions endured during WWI, including, not least, the infantrymen who fought in the trenches of France, like C. S. Lewis.

The story is based upon a children’s book, later turned into a stage-play, written by British author, Michael Morpurgo. According to Wikipedia, “After meeting a World War I veteran who drank in his local pub Iddesleigh and who had been in the Devon Yeomanry working with horses, Morpurgo began to think of telling the story of the universal suffering of the Great War through a horse’s viewpoint, but was unsure that he could do it. He also met another villager, Captain Budgett, who had been in the Cavalry in the Great War, and a third villager who remembered the army coming to the village to buy horses. Morpurgo thanks the three men in the dedication of the book, naming them as Albert Weeks, Wilfred Ellis and Captain Budgett.”

The movie depicts with, I think, incredible accuracy the descent into hell that was The Great War. However, at the same time, the film presents many moments of courage and hope amidst the darkness. Seldom, if ever, have I been moved to tears while watching a motion picture. However, this movie had that affect on me. At the same time, I wanted to stand up and cheer by the end.

The film includes gorgeous cinematography true to the beautiful landscape of Devon as well as other places in England where it was filmed. There is also a moving score provided by John Williams and some splendid acting by some newcomers as well as some well-known craftsmen of the British stage and screen.

The movie may be too slow, at the beginning, for those who prefer more action. However, I deeply appreciated a great filmmaker like Spielberg being willing to tell a story in a manner true to its time-period. I felt like I was there in the England and France of 1914-1918.

All this is said to urge my readers to do one simple thing: see War Horse.

Comments

tonyburgess1969 said…

My grandfather who hasn't been in a cinema in decades has said he would love to see this movie. I hope we can take him to see it after he gets out of the hospital.

1:33 PM

Will Vaus said…

I too hope you can take your grandfather to see the movie, or show it to him on DVD when it comes out. It is a movie that needs to be seen by people of almost all ages. It has parts in it that would be too frightening for young children. However, my twelve year old watched it with profit and joy.

3:09 PM

Ruth Douthitt said…

I absolutely LOVED this movie! I found it to be a cinematic beauty as well as a chilling depiction of war. Spielberg at his best! I do warn people that if they can't take seeing animals suffer, they may want to skip it.

Thank you for the insight. I had heard it was based off a children's book, but had no idea the history.

7:50 PM

Will Vaus said…

I agree Ruth. And yes, the scenes of animal suffering were excruciating to watch, though it is good to know that no animals were harmed in the course of making the movie. Still, it gets the point across that millions of horses suffered in WWI as well as humans.

8:12 PM

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