"War Horse"
I don't quite know how director
Steven Spielberg does it. Love him or hate him, let's give credit where
credit is due. The man knows how to make a movie. He is a master at
what he does. Spielberg has had an interesting career with the art form
of filmmaking. Some of his films
will remain forever vivid in all our heads and have their own place in cinema
history. Films like Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. The
Extraterrestrial, and Schindler's List; just to name a few.
Yes, it's hard to believe that those four monumental features were directed by
one man. Those of course are some of Mr. Spielberg's more popular
titles. Let's not forget 1941, Always, A.I. Artificial
Intelligence, and The Terminal. Like any major A-list
director's career their filmography is going to consist of some good ones, some
mediocre ones, some forgettable ones, and the occasional masterpiece. I'd
say over the past decade or so Spielberg has put out some decent pieces of work
but nothing that particularly stands out. In fact the last film of his
that I thought had something to say was Munich, and that was six years
ago. Spielberg's latest undertaking is War Horse, a film based on
the Tony award winning play which in turn is based on the novel. In regards
to the director's impressive career, I would put War Horse somewhere in
the middle.
War Horse takes place on
the eve of World War I. The story centers around a young horse named Joey
who is strong, but by no means built like a plow horse. That's what he
needs to be though for Albert (Jeremy Irvine,) one of many people Joey will
encounter in his life. Albert is to train Joey into becoming a mighty
plow horse so his mother and father (Emily Watson and Peter Mullan) can
keep their farm from being taken away by their landlord (David Thewlis.)
A strong bond is developed between Joey and Albert, much like a boy and his
dog. But as the film likes to points out, let's not forget, horses are
not like dogs, they're just animals.
Soon after Joey's agricultural
success, he is taken away from Albert and sold to Capt. James Nicholls (Tom
Hiddleston.) Joey is in the army now and England is at war. This doesn’t take place until
a good hour into the film. And for the latter 90 minutes we see Joey
change hands many times and meet lots of other characters. Eventually Albert enlists in to army in hopes of reuniting with his faithful steed someday.
I liked War Horse, but it
wasn't quite what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be about a
boy and his horse throughout the entirety of the film. I didn't realize
that all these other characters were going to pop in and out of Joey's life and
not even stay for any prolonged period of time. Albert's character is
fleshed out and I was able to really care about the relationship he had with
Joey. All the other characters though come and go so quickly it makes me
wonder why story decided to take that route. Much of the supporting cast
is dispensed with in way another, although when any of them do have
screen time it is not wasted. Their performances are good; it's just that
I wanted to spend more time with each of them. I can see where this might
translate better to the stage, opposed to the silver screen. The film
does boast a respectable ensemble cast and I'm sure they were all thrilled
to work with the great Steven Spielberg, but their entrances and their exits
leave something to be desired.
I will say this though; Spielberg
always has the best crews working with him. The aesthetics of War
Horse are top notch,
as one would expect them to be. From the meticulous art direction, to the commanding sound design, and of course the arresting photography, War Horse is a beautifully mounted production. The relationship that Spielberg has had
with Director of Photography, Janusz Kaminski, since the two collaborated
together so long ago on Schindler's List is truly extraordinary. I
can tell in every sequence, every scene, and every frame that Kaminski
shoots there is a certain level of unspoken communication and trust between him
and Spielberg. The images in War Horse are staggering. I
knew from the trailer that this film was going to be magnificently shot.
I know that WWI and WWII were
different from each in many ways, one being that WWI was primarily trench war
fare. I will say this though, there is an intensely choreographed battle
sequence in the film that I felt had shades of Saving Private Ryan.
There were times where even though I didn't find the story particularly interesting,
Mr. Kaminski's gorgeous photography was still affecting me. I think that
in itself is something that should be appreciated because after all film is a
visual medium and Spielberg's frames are still saying something powerful.
Light in character development
resulting in a story that should have been more engaging than the end result,
War Horse is problematic throughout its second act. There are however
several choice scenes that are put together exceptionally well do to Spielberg's expert
direction. There are distinct trademark qualities that all of
Spielberg's film have. With this film, it's a little harder to discern
them. To go into War Horse expecting another Schindler's List or
Saving Private Ryan is unfair and not the right kind of mind set.
I think what's there is good but at the same time is flawed with definite room for improvement.
In the end though, I believe that Spielberg is still at the top of his game and
shows no signs of slowing down. This
was different and challenging project for him. But he still knows how to adeptly tell us a
story. The man is skilled at his trade and deservedly earns his
paycheck. War Horse at times gallops with a full head of steam but for the most part stays at a canter.
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