Director Steven Spielberg released War Horse on Christmas Day, the second entry from Spielberg at the holiday box office alongside The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn. One of the most heartwarming stories of the year, War Horse, adapted from the children’s book by Michael Morpugo, tells the story of a young man named Albert and a horse named Joey that’s sold to the British Army to help soldiers fight the Great War of World War I. The film follows the amazing journey of the horse as he maneuvers his way through the First World War, changing and inspiring the lives of all he encounters, before a search begins to find Joey years later.
Ahead of the December 25 release of War Horse, starring Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Tom Hiddleston, David Kross, and David Thewlis, we put together the three reasons why you should see the film, which we believe is the “must watch” holiday movie of 2011.
Check out our 3 Reasons to see War Horse below:
World War I Untold
Although the Second World War has been a major backdrop in many of Steven Spielberg’s films, including 1941, the Indiana Jones franchise, Empire of the Sun, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan (also Band of Brothers and The Pacific), War Horse is the first exploration of World War I for Spielberg.
Unfortunately, World War I, one of the most horrific and brutal wars in history, often gets overlooked on the big screen. But through the horrors of war comes a heartwarming story that would be an untold memory for those who lived it unless Spielberg chose to tell a tale that needed to be told. What War Horse (and the memories that inspired the story) proves is that the good of hope can exist within the bloody terror of evil. That’s also translatable to our own lives as well when times are tough.
[*Editor's note: It was originally stated that World War I brought an end to horses as tools in warfare. Thanks to one hawk-eyed reader keeping us on our toes, we stand corrected given the many horses used on WWII.]
Horsepower
I mean, seriously, who doesn’t love a good horse movie? There’s something mysteriously intriguing and powerful about man and his connection to horses. Although penguins stole the warm and cosy spotlight from horses in recent years, there’s something special about our history with horses. It’s as if they know who we really are at our core, as if they can see right through us when we look into their eyes. It’s that special silent connection we’ve had with horses for centuries.
So when an innocent horse is taken from its home and sold into one of the bloodiest wars ever, we feel for it is if it were one of us. Oddly, what happens to the thoroughbred named Joey is exactly what happens to many young men who are drafted into war. It’s not only the power of a horse that we relate to but also the potential within ourselves to endure horrific events. And inside the muddy trenches of WWI, mortars exploding everywhere, bullets from all directions, Joey charges on through it all. Amazing stuff!
Jeremy Irvine and Steven Spielberg on War Horse
Steven Spielberg
Who better to adapt War Horse the proper way on film than the man who gave us E.T.? And really, when you think about it, is War Horse that much different than E.T. at its core? It’s about a young man and his special connection to a horse. Is that much different than a boy and his special connection to an alien from another planet? We’re all curious about man’s relationship with non-human creatures. Interestingly, it’s also about a non-human creature and its inspirational impact on humans, both sides of the war, that gives the character a higher purpose.
Steven Spielberg has a way of tapping into the human condition like no other filmmaker, to give us a vision of a better world and a deeper understanding of who we are and who we could be if only we had a collective sense of optimism. If if wasn’t for Steven Spielberg looking back at various elements of war through his films, we may not have an understanding or knowledge of our own history the way we do now. If anything, War Horse is a story of survival on so many levels, from the sale of Joey for the farmer’s own survival to what Joey endures in the war and how Albert survives to look for Joey.
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