War Horse [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

I tried not to read the reviews or hype about this film as I wanted to experience it without any bias.From the opening scene of the lush fields of an English country-side, the idealic stone farmhouse- the flushed cheeks and blue eyes of our young hero,Jeremy Irvine and the sleek chestnut tones and velvet black eyes of the main protagonist Joey- everything glowed with the technicolour of days gone past.
Spielberg and Williams are a match made in cinema heaven - for each shot that has an emotional charge, the score will take you by the hand to get you there-to those emotional highs and lows. Remember the days of Star Wars , Raiders of the Last Ark, ET; beloved films that are permanently etched onto our frontal lobe, with a great composer and a great director, being the artists who put them there.
War Horse has that kind of magic. Originating from a Michael Morpugo book,whose narratives always seem to hover around those sentimental heart strings and the dynamic duo are now a trio. For those nay-sayers , pounding your little fists and shouting, 'manipulative film-making'- News Flash! All film-making is supposed to and designed to have an impact on the viewer and most filmakers try very hard to achieve this- it's just that Spielberg does it so much better.
There is plenty to sink your teeth into with this wonderful film including a marvelous ensemble cast. Take the family or just yourself- and bring the tissues.

I want to give this 4.5/5, but I can't. After reading the book, learning about it in English lessons, seeing the West End play, I knew straight away I had to see this. I loved War Horse in every format, especially the film. Like the title says, it is Visually Stunning, and will be stunning on Blu-ray. The acting is amazing, it's really enjoyable and you will certainly feel the pain of the horse. I especially love War Horse because you get to see what it's like on both sides of the war and it's not biased at all. I believe to have ranked it 3rd in my top films of 2012 so far. 4.5/5 stars

UPDATE: As of 24/12/12, it's 9th on my Top 10 of 2012.

More recently Steven Spielberg has become known as a producer, in fact his directing credits are becoming less common.

In the past year he has produced the brillant Super 8, one of my favorites, directed by JJ Abrams, the creator, writer and occasional director of Lost, and the recent Star trek. Super 8 is a great nostalgia piece evoking the early eighties, and an homage to Spielberg's earliest movies. Spielberg also produced Cowboys and Aliens, a somewhat weird meshing of two genres.

Now with War Horse Spielberg directs, and shows his masterful touches throughout. In fact, if you are like me you can see traces of many great movies of the past. The early portions of the movies showing English countryside scenes, and the musical soundtrack of John Williams are reminiscent of John Ford's The Quiet Man. Trench warfare scenes are reminiscent of that all time classic All Quiet on the Western Front. Incidents relating to deserting soldiers are thematically reminiscent of Kubrick's Paths of Glory.

War, as bad as it is, somehow seems worse when an innocent animal is involved, which ultimately makes War Horse the ultimate anti war polemic. And we have a love story between a young boy Albert, and a horse named Joey. As the movie begins we see the horse being born.

Later Albert's alcoholic father instead of buying a proper plough horse, foolishly pits himself agaainst his own landlord in bidding for the flash horse Joey, instead of a huge Clydesdale, making his tenancy precarious, and imperiling his families limited fortunes. Joey faces many trials and tribulations adjusting to the plough. Here we have a wonderful perforamnce from Emily Watson as the mother, cruelly snubbed during award season.

When the war happens the father impulsively sells the horse to the military, despite Albert's protests. Albert, understandably distressed, too young to join the military, vows to be reunited with Joey. Meanwhile Joey goes to the front, and we have a poignant scene with his new owner. He and another horse escape the war briefly, and are adopted by a teenage girl. It's not long before the war interferes again, and Joey has a series of adventures. My favorite scene is when he gets trapped in No Mans land, and both sides have to cooperate to free him. I loved the wire clippers flying scene. I also loved the sub story about the two young German brothers, and the parallel structure about how the British deal with a similar situation.

Ultimately the horse is a silent witness to the horror of war, becoming an effective storytelling metaphor.

Later in the movie one scene I thought was a little overdone, the moment of blindfold recognition. I like to feel emotions in a movie, but not to have them evoked in a contrived way.

Warhorse certainly deserves to be nominated for Best Picture and Best Cinematography, yet I cannot help thinking that actors who vote for awards would prefer as I do to have the story centered around a human character. Nevetheless, when I was a child or young teen I loved watching movies like this, particularly Lassie Goes to war.

Another movie I recommend if you don't mind subtitles is the French movie A Very Long Engagement - 2 Disc Edition [DVD], starring Audrey Tautou, and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard. A girl seeks her boyfriend believed killed by being sent over the trench deliberately into no mans land for breaking military regulations. It has huge parallels with War Horse except the protagonists are human, and also operates as a polemic. A beautifully filmed touching love story set against the war.

I think you will love it, and I hope this was helpful.