A young farming lad trains a beautiful colt that his father rashly buys at auction and creates a bond that surpasses his dreams, only to lose the horse in a forced sale to save the family farm. Sold to the cavalry in the Great War, the adventures for the horse
Movie review: War Horse
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However, it is an animal story after all and will bring tears and smiles to the young and gasps of surprise and amazement to the rest of us.
The narrative cleverly entwines the horrific crucible of war with the beauty and glorious courage of a horse without blood, but leaving the meaning clear with lightly veiled depictions of the violence. The idea to show horses being loved across enemy lines with the same passion is also an anti-war sentiment that is not lost and a special scene, rather like that famous Christmas Eve carol-singing across the trenches between German and British soldiers, adds a twist. Add to that the Gone With The Wind sunset-saturated moments of pure sentimentality, it is a mixed bag, but hugely appealing. For purists who love horses, and there are many of us, it is a fulfilling experience of heart-stopping moments and long sequences of equine indulgence.
War Horse
M, 146 minutes
Stars: 4/5