War Horse

Steven Spielberg's epic, emotionally triumphant adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel War Horse is set in rural England and Europe during WWI. The story begins as a colt is born in the Devon countryside and later purchased at auction by Ted Narracott (Peter Mullan), a drunk, foolhardy tenant-farmer. As his long-suffering wife (Emily Watson) points out, what they really need is a plow horse, not a thoroughbred, a sentiment echoed by their sneering, insensitive, overbearing landlord (David Thewlis). But their teenage son Albert (Jeremy Irvine) falls in love with the bay with four white stockings and a white cross on his forehead, naming him Joey. When England goes to war with Germany, Joey is conscripted and turned over to cavalry Capt. Nicholls (Tom Hiddleston). Tenaciously determined to bring his cherished horse home, Albert eventually enlists, and discovers that Joey is now behind enemy lines, where he's sheltered by a French farmer (Niels Arestrup) and his granddaughter (Celine Buckens), before becoming entrapped on a “no-man's-land” battleground. Historically, between one and two million British horses were sent to the frontlines during WWI; only about 65,000 came back. In 2007, Nick Stafford's stage adaptation became a sensation on London's West End, presenting Joey as a fantastic, life-size puppet. Superbly stirring and sentimental, War Horse joins Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List in issuing a universal plea for peace. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “The Look” production featurette (7 min.) and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is “A Filmmaking Journey” behind-the-scenes documentary with Steven Spielberg (65 min.), “The Journey Home” roundtable discussion with cast and crew including Spielberg (20 min.), a segment on “Editing & Scoring” (9 min.) “The Sounds of War Horse” with sound designer Gary Rydstrom (7 min.), “Through the Producer's Lens” photos by Kathleen Kennedy (4 min.), “An Extra's Point of View” segment (3 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package—on Blu-ray—for this Best Picture nominee.] (S. Granger)