War Horse is an epic film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is a beautiful, tender story about the love between a man and a horse and the love between two horses and the love between people, all during the horrors of World War I. The cinematography is breath taking in contrast to the scenes of war that were emotionally horrific. However, through out the movie, the common thread was how kindness and love can be found even during war. The film was an emotional roller coaster ride for the majority of the audience that was sitting near me. Spielberg truly touched the heart in a profound way as he is so well known to do. I would like to say that one of my favorite stars was Joey, the “almost” thoroughbred horse that was sold to the army saving the Narracott family’s farm. Albert Narracott played by Jeremy Irvine is the young son who was grief stricken when his cherished Joey left for war…a very convincing performance.
The film unfolds showing the experiences that Joey is confronted with during the war as a work horse for the English and German armies. The interwoven theme is how Joey touches the lives of soldiers and village people caught up in the terrors of war. I was very moved by a scene beautifully acted by a German and an English soldier who both wanted to help Joey. This book was a children’s novel but by no means is this only for children. It is a masterpiece that should be seen by all ages. This is definitely an Oscar contender.