8 Days of Oscars: War Horse

Steven Spielberg's latest war epic nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture centers upon an unusual main character. As the title implies, War Horse is indeed about a horse that touches the lives of many during World War I. The story was adapted from Michael Morpurgo's 1982 children's book that then went on to inspire the 2011 Tony Award winning play with the same title, written by Nick Stafford. However, Spielberg had his hands on the project even before the play took home the Tony and while this may seem to be his sweet spot, this is the first film he has done on World War I (he has done six on WWII) as well as the first time he has worked with horses in this great of a capacity, reportedly stating "I was really amazed at how expressive horses are and how much they can show what they're feeling." That being said, can a horse really carry a film? As this remarkable piece of storytelling shows, yes, he can.

The film started slowly I soon realized that was to gradually teach the audience the common language spoken by man and horse. Like a baby learning to talk or a colt learning to communicate we, too, had to be patient. Both the central human character Albert (Jeremy Irvine) and the main equine character Joey matured together and apart throughout the story, creating a unique bond that was far beyond horse and master. They were as perfectly suited for each other as any great on-screen pair could be. Joey's journey led him away from Albert into the arms of many others and in each case, he was a strong, beautiful, yet deeply feeling creature that better understood morality during a time when right and wrong were was so incredibly unclear. There was definitely a constant transference of this knowledge in which humans taught horses, horses taught humans, and horses learned from each other. One particularly memorable scene has Joey demonstrating how to wear a plow harness  the other main equine character Topthorn, essentially saving his friends life in the process. It is in beautiful moments like that throughout the film that the real story emerges.

Jeremy Irvine and "Joey"

Ironically, War Horse was one of the most humane war movies I have ever seen, as it exposed the inhumanity of war through the eyes of, well, a non-human. Through Spielberg's effortless storytelling, he was able to show us just how war effects more than just mankind. A particularly moving scene occurs after the first battle with the shot widening slowly to depict the battle's casualties; there are as many horses slain as there are men. Also, there was not a strong political or national affiliation as is common with many war films. Instead, as Joey situation changes, so does our natural affiliation until it happens so often that it no longer matters. English, German, French - to Joey there is no difference so instead, he is loyal to those who need him most. For most of the film, the people who do need him are lost, young victims of the war just like him. These were characters from all walks of life, played by an ensemble including Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Kross, Leonard Carow, Celine Buckens, and Toby Kebbell. Each performance was beautifully earned and maintained the story's high level of universal understanding.

In short, War Horse was magnificent and while I will not make my Best Picture prediction yet, it is definitely a worthy contender. Other noteworthy nominations are John Williams for Best Original Score and Janusz Kaminski for Best Cinematography. Addressing the former, I really felt that the music worked beautifully in tandem with the story's characters, especially the horses as a means of communication since linguistics was not afforded to them. Spielberg and Williams are probably the most celebrated Director/Composer dynamic duos Hollywood has ever scene and while this usually works out well for Williams (he has won 5 Oscars), he has not won since Schindler's List in 1994. As for the latter, Kaminski is another favorite of Spielberg and it is easy to see why when seeing this film in particular. The scenery was breathtaking and used as yet another character in the story. Kaminski's last win was in 1999 with Saving Private Ryan and the race is tight with Hugo and The Tree of Life also nominated. However, he did win the Critic's Choice Award this year which makes this all the more exciting. Be sure to check out the nominees and tune in to the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday, February 26th at 7e/4p!