www.warhorsemovie.co.uk

Spielberg has brought us an unashamedly indulgent piece of epic cinema which will be adored and lambasted in equal measures. War Horse is a sumptious production, rich in colours and complimented beautifully by, at times, a light-hearted score by John Williams. The film is the third medium for this story, being initiated by the book written by Michael Morpurgo in 1982, after which it was adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford in 2007 to international acclaim. Spielberg offers his audience a classicly theatrical viewing of the story, with scenarios and shots reminiscent of Gone with the Wind, this works well until the final cringe worthy crescendo when the curtain falls. However, this only serves to remind us that we have experienced an epic tale told on an epic scale. War horse benefits from the time that Spielberg takes to tell the story, as always he allows us to become familiar with his characters not just through dialogue but through experience, through observation and facial expression. The script is steady, the delivery is excellent. Newcomer Jeremy Irvine maintains and matures his character of Albert well, and is supported by the expected high peformances of David Thewlis and Emily Watson, who leads the credits on the film. There are many vignettes of characters, the most enjoyable of which is provided by Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays the archetypical British Army Major, a role which could have easily become a stereotype, but Cumberbatch dispatches perfectly. However, War Horse failed to credit the most powerful performance of the film, that of the horse who played 'Joey', the wilful, intelligent and loyal friend of Albert. In one highly climatic scene towards the end of the film, Joey registers a tour de force performance which is as spectacular to watch as it is sickening. Spielberg delivers World War I as brutally as he did World War II in Saving Private Ryan, but he brings nothing new to what we already know of this most inhumane of human making. War Horse blends comedy with human tragedy on both an individual and a national scale and ultimately the film reminds the us all about what divides people and yet what brings us together. The award season is fast approaching and War Horse is a strong contender, if not indeed a front runner.