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War Horse
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War Horse
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- 2011
- Steven Spielberg
- 140 mins
- 12A
Summary
Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's First World War drama, starring Emily Watson, David Thewlis and Jeremy Irvine. Dartmoor, 1914: when Ted Narracott buys a thoroughbred horse for his farm, his son Albert soon bonds with the animal who he names Joey. However, when the harvest fails and war is declared on Germany, Ted is forced to sell Joey to the British Army. Albert enlists but can he and Joey survive the horrors of the Front to be reunited?
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IMDB
Review
A star rating of 4 out of 5.
Alan Jones
Although lacking the puppet theatricality of the critically acclaimed stage production, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel emerges as an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser thanks to the director's sure sense of storytelling and trademark visual flourishes. It's a moving odyssey that outlines the suffering of the First World War and the loss of life while remaining family-friendly. Sold to the cavalry, thoroughbred Joey is captured by Germans and hidden by a French peasant, while tracked by the Devon farmer's son (Jeremy Irvine) who trained and nurtured him. Full of stirring spectacle (including an epic charge through no-man's-land) and poignant moments (Joey's bolt through barbed wire, which brings two warring sides briefly together), this grandiose equine saga is lavish and gripping, if a little Disneyfied in places. Much of the story is knowingly designed to induce tears, especially the final scenes shot against a burnished sunset, but there's still no doubting Spielberg's sincerity.
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7.2/10
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Credits
Cast
rolenameRosie NarracottEmily WatsonLyonsDavid ThewlisAlbert NarracottJeremy IrvineTed NarracottPeter MullanGrandfatherNiels ArestrupCaptain Jim NichollsTom HiddlestonMajor StewartBenedict CumberbatchColinToby KebbellGuntherDavid KrossSergeant FryEddie MarsanSgt Sam PerkinsGeoff BellArmy doctorLiam CunninghamFrench auctioneerPhilippe NahonInfantry recruitment officerJohnny HarrisBase camp officerDavid Dencik
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Crew
rolenameDirectorSteven Spielberg
Details
Theatrical distributor
Walt Disney
Released on
2012-01-13
Languages
English | German
Guidance
Violence, some swearing
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
News & features about War Horse
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