Horsing Around

Hello Everyone :-)

I saw trailers and pictures for this towards the end of last year, thought it looked really pretty and was quite obviously Oscar bait (a premonition that has predictably come to fruition). With a stellar cast and some very enthusiastic reviews I was chomping at the bit (sorry!) to see what all the fuss was about and treated my Nan to a cinema trip to see ‘War Horse’.

‘War Horse’ is an adaptation of a book (which was subsequently turned into a play)
 by Michael Morpurgo. It is told from the point of view of Joey a thoroughbred horse that is born in Devon, raised by farm boy Albert Narracott before being sold to a young Army Captain (Tom Hiddleston) at the start of the First World War. The action follows Joey during his time at War, the people he meets and how the war affects them, all the while Joey is trying to get home to Albert.

Ultimately, the success of the film hinges on Joey being a proper character and not ‘just a horse’ and in that respect it works. Cynic that I am, I was very surprised with how invested I became in the story of Joey.  I was welling up when Topthorn lay down in the mud and when poor Joey got caught in barbed wire in no-mans land. Rationalist and cynical I may be, but it’d take a heart of pure stone not to feel anything in those moments.

Another achievement is that, considering Joey changes hands (geddit??? HANDS! As in the measurement used for horses…No? Oh…ok…) no fewer than five times during the 146 minute running time, I thought all the human characters were pretty believable. Hats off to Tom Hiddleston who A) is BREATHTAKINGLY beautiful, so gorgeous I actually gasped when I saw his face on screen and B) gives a really lovely performance in the small amount of time he’s given. Captain Nicholls isn’t in the film for very long but Hiddleston manages to deliver a very honest portrayal of an inwardly nervous army officer. Just as an aside, I’m super pleased Hiddleston isn’t being type-cast as bad guys after his awesome performance in ‘Thor’… he’s far too good for that.  
Toby Kebbell also does very well. Again, his screen time is brief and his little sub plot is the most unrealistic of all of them but I actually really liked his character (although it’s hard not to warm to those with a Geordie accent).
I thought Jeremy Irvine was quite good as Albert. He’s a conduit through which the audience meet Joey and Irvine does that perfectly well. I also liked (not sure if ‘liked’ is the right word considering the context but you get what I mean) the bit where he’s at the Somme. It’s hard for anyone that’s seen Blackadder not conjure up images of the last episode in ‘Blackadder goes Fourth’ when presented with stuff like this but I think it’s done well. There’s a good emphasis on the insanity of the situation and just how bleak it was in those trenches, considering how short those scenes are.
Emily Watson, as ever, puts in a brief but brilliant turn as Albert’s mum. I love this woman, every time she is on screen in anything I get a lovely sense of calm because I know it’s all in safe hands.
Also a special mention should go to Benedict Cumberbatch’s moustache because it steals every scene it’s in…

It is an unashamedly sentimental movie; in fact it’s the kind of film from which I would ordinarily run a mile. However, for me there was only one moment where it properly spilled over into mawkish, unintentional hilarity. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t go into specifics, but there is a scene where a recently blinded Albert walks towards the camera as an assembled crowd part like the red sea to let him through… I did do a snort of laughter at this point, much to the disgust of my sobbing Nan and Cousin sat beside me. I couldn’t help it! But, as I said, I was surprised by just how much of its syrupy sweetness I could take.

There is nothing in ‘War Horse’ to suggest that this is a Steven Spielberg film which disappointed me. I thought Mr Spielberg had hit his directorial stride again after I enjoyed ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ so much, but I don’t think this is the best vehicle to showcase his talents. He’s tugged at our heartstrings before (I can’t watch ET without being reduced to a sobbing mess and don’t even get me started on A.I), but I think Spielberg does best within a Sci-Fi or Action Adventure story (I exclude ‘Indiana Jones Kingdom of Crystal Skull’ from this because I’m trying to forget it ever happened) and I just don’t think ‘War Epic’ is the best genre for him.

That said, from a technical point of view the film is practically flawless.  Not only is every single frame beautiful (especially the ones featuring Hiddleston’s lovely face) but there are some absolutely knock out set pieces. The scene with Captain Nicholls and his regiment  charging towards the Germans is brilliant but the scene where Joey is running away from a tank through no-mans land is unbelievable. There’s obviously a point where they use CGI to create the horse but could I find the join? Could I buggery and believe me… I tried to find it. That entire sequence is spectacular.

It’s safe to say that if you don’t like horses you won’t like this (although I’m not overly keen on most things equine and I got on with it ok). It is undeniably, visually stunning and there is a part of me that wonders if I like it more as a technical exercise than I do as a piece of narrative and I think the answer is yes. The performances are brief but I never felt short changed on human involvement. I’m not a neigh-sayer (I’m sorry … I couldn’t help myself!) but I don’t think it’s a ‘must see’ either. As for whether it deserves it’s Oscar nominations (it’s received 6 in total) well… it deserves them more than ‘Secretariat’ deserved theirs, lets’ just say that…

And now…

Reasons to be Cheerful :-)
1. ‘Martha Marcy May Marlene’ (that is definitely going to get on my nerves) is out this week. It was reviewed on last night’s ‘Film 2012’ and it sound like it’s good’un…

2. First image has been released for the new Bond film ‘Skyfall’ and… SHOCKHORROR it’s Daniel Craig holding a gun! Yeah, there’s not a lot to go on but still… it’s a lovely face isn’t it?

3. This ‘RTBC’ comes courtesy of Lesley aka @EnglishFolkfan. Nathan Stewart-Jarret is in a play that sounds mighty interesting. It sound a bit like it predicted the awfulness of shows like ‘I’m a Celebrity…” etc. Nathan Stewart-Jarret can next be seen on our screens in the fourth series of ‘Misfits’ or if you fancy it, go and see this!

If you have any ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’ tweet me and I’ll stick it in my next post!

That’s everything for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)
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