War Horse **** (2011, Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Marsan, Toby Kebbell, David Kross, Peter Mullan) – Classic Movie Review 3048

Steven Spielberg’s solidly crafted 2011 British-American war drama War Horse is a guaranteed heart-tugger, with a decent screenplay by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis adapting Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 children’s novel set around World War One. It was turned into an award winning stage play in 2007, which Spielberg saw in London, inspiring to want to film it.

Beating off immense competition for the role, the 21-year-old Jeremy Irvine repays Spielberg’s faith in him and he is excellent in his feature film debut as the Devon, England, teenager Albert Narracott who witnesses the birth of a Bay Thoroughbred foal in 1912. His good-hearted father Ted (Peter Mullan) buys the colt for him at auction to his mother (Emily Watson)’s dismay – a plough horse is needed.

Albert trains the horse, calls him Joey, and the two become inseparable. But the harvest fails and the farmer has to sell Joey to the British cavalry fighting the Great War. He is shipped to France where, after a disastrous offensive, he is captured by the Germans and changes hands twice more before he is found, caught in the barbed wire in No Man’s Land. Albert is now a private in World War One.

The story is very old-fashioned and familiar, as it is evidently influenced by Black Beauty. But, nevertheless, it triumphs by wearing its lovely warm heart on its sleeve. It is Spielberg in adult Disney mode, and, though it is produced by his Amblin Entertainment and DreamWorks Pictures, it is appropriately released by Disney’s grown-up Touchstone Pictures.

It is a typically polished piece of crafted work by Spielberg, whose regular collaborators Janusz Kamiński, Michael Kahn, Rick Carter and John Williams work on the film as cinematographer, editor, production designer and composer.

The film’s cast also notably includes David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Marsan, Toby Kebbell and David Kross, all giving reliable turns.

War Horse was a box-office [$177.6 million box office on a $66 million budget] and critical success but an awards disappointment: nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, two Golden Globe Awards and five BAFTAs, it won absolutely none.

But the American Film Institute stuck its neck out and named it Film of the Year: ‘War Horse advances Steven Spielberg’s gallant charge into the history of American film. A masterpiece from foal to finish, the film is an epic odyssey of friendship against all odds. Marked by a driving intensity in each scene – from the plowing of a field to the battlefields of World War One – this is grand scale filmmaking in the tradition of John Ford and David Lean, but presented with a brave and bold emotion only imaginable from Spielberg and his talented team. War Horse is proof that miracles can happen.’ Much of this is true, but masterpiece is way over-stating it.

Spielberg said he sought an unknown actor for War Horse: ‘I looked at hundreds of actors and newcomers for Albert – mainly newcomers – and nobody had the heart, the spirit or the communication skills that Jeremy had.’

Irvine’s audition lasted for two months with Irvine auditioning several times a week. He read a section of the War Horse script on camera to check his West Country accent. Also he took up weight training and gained 14lb of muscle as well as taking two months of intensive horse riding.

The film’s equine star, Finder’s Key, was last ridden in a race by actor and professional jockey Kevin Mangold, finishing in fifth place at 77 to 1 odds.

Irvine went on to Now Is Good (2012), The Railway Man (2013), Beyond the Reach (2014) and The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2015) and Stonewall (2015).

German actor David Kross (born 4 July 1990) in 2008 won the starring role of Michael Berg in The Reader.

Spielberg said: ‘When I’m on an Indy movie, I’m watching Indiana Jones, not the horse he is riding. Suddenly I’m faced with the challenge of making a movie where I not only had to watch the horse, I had to compel the audience to watch it along with me. I had to pay attention to what it was doing and understand its feelings. It was a whole new experience for me.’

Kit Harington made his professional acting debut as Albert Narracott in the play War Horse at the National Theatre, London, where it premiered on 17 October 2007. It transferred to the West End’s Gillian Lynne Theatre, officially opening on 3 April 2009, with Harington as Albert. By the time it closed on 12 March 2016, it had played more than 3,000 performances.

The 12 October 2009 performance at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in Drury Lane was seen by the Queen and Prince Philip in their first private theatre visit in four years. They surprised theatre-goers by slipping in quietly just before curtain up.

The cast are Jeremy Irvine as Albert Narracott, Peter Mullan as Ted Narracott, Emily Watson as Rose Narracott, Niels Arestrup as Grandfather, David Thewlis as Lyons, Tom Hiddleston as Captain James Nicholls, Benedict Cumberbatch as Major Jamie Stewart, Céline Buckens as Emilie, Toby Kebbell as Colin, Patrick Kennedy as Lieutenant Charlie Waverly, Leonard Carow as Private Michael Schröder, David Kross as Private Gunther Schröder, Matt Milne as Andrew Easton, Robert Emms as David Lyons, Eddie Marsan as Sergeant Fry, Nicolas Bro as Private Friedrich Hengelmann, Rainer Bock as Brandt, Hinnerk Schönemann as Peter, Gary Lydon as Si Easton, Geoff Bell as Sergeant Sam Perkins, Liam Cunningham as British Army Doctor, Sebastian Hulk as German Officer at Darm, Gerard McSorley as Market Auctioneer, Tony Pitts as Sergeant Martin, Pip Torrens as Major Tompkins, Philippe Nahon as French Auctioneer, Jean-Claude Lecas as Butcher, Julian Wadham as British Captain in Trench, David Dencik as German Base Camp Officer, Edward Bennett as Cavalry Recruiting Officer, Johnny Harris as Infantry Recruiting Officer, Tam Dean Burn as British Medic in Trench, Maximilian Brückner as German Artillery Officer, Maggie Ollerenshaw as the Narracotts’ neighbour, and Roy Holder in his last film as Fred Goddard.

RIP Roy Holder, who died on 9 November 2021, at the age of 75. He enjoyed a tremendous film career from Whistle Down the Wind (1961) to War Horse (2011), via Loot (1970). 

On 13 November 2021, Jess Conrad tweeted: ‘Another dear friend gone; Roy Holder. Not only was he a very fine actor but he played charity golf & was a staunch member of my charity football team, Showbiz XI. A great loss to showbiz & to me personally.’

http://derekwinnert.com/dakota-fanning-jeremy-irvine-paddy-considine-olivia-williams-kaya-scodelario-joe-cole-josef-altin/

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 3048

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com