I drove into Poulsbo, where the closest decent multiplex theater is, today to see Steven Spielberg’s latest piece of Oscar bait. War Horse is a beautifully filmed old-fashioned cinema epic that does what most good films do, it entertains as it informs. As with Spielberg’s films, The Color Purple and Schindler’s List, it is also a real tear-jerker. War Horse is based on a well-known children’s book that was adapted into a hit stage play. Even though there is next to no real blood spilled in the movie, it is still filled with vivid enactments of the horrors of WWI; a war that was fought with mustard gas, machine guns, bayonets, and across fields, forests, and rat-infested trenches. Over 1 million horses gave their lives to fight the horror. The movie tells the tale of one of these horses, Joey.
If you hate war movies, as I do, you may want to sit this one out. But, if you love horses as much as I do, you will want to endure the war scenes to see a fine film that pays tribute to all the horses that died to aid the effort of such a living hell. War Horse has been compared to the old film, How Green Was My Valley, mostly because it shares the same type of locale as that film though, because of advancements in film making, it is visually far superior to that chestnut. Spielberg made a conscious decision to recreate that kind of film and if you are at all aware of the fact it colors your entire viewing experience. The film is more than just a period piece. It is a testament to the skill of modern film creators to recreate the look and feel of a lost era.
What the film is more like than the previously mentioned Oscar winner, in my opinion, is Black Beauty, a book/film that concerns itself with the travels and travails of another sturdy and admirable animal. You could do a lot worse with two and half hours of your time than watch this film. No, I would never classify it as one of the greats but, so much of it is so well done, it would be a real disservice to anyone who loves horses not to recommend it.
The two leads give each other a run for the money in the pretty boy department.
It is likely that this film will be nominated for the Oscar for Best Film and Best Director, but the category that it has the best chance of nabbing an award in is definitely Best Cinematography. It is the overall beauty of this film and the skill of Janusz Kaminski, Spielberg’s frequent collaborator, to capture that beauty that makes War Horse often exceptional.
On the other hand, the usually excellent scores of John Williams are not matched by his work on this film. I can only think of one term to describe his use of music in many scenes that don’t need any increased sonic dramatic tension, heavy-handed. The score treats the audience as if they are morons. It’s a real shame, but I suspect such musical bombast is present because Mr. Spielberg, for whatever reasons he may have had, requested it.
Centaurica 