Ok, hand on
heart. You have to admit it, in the scheme of things; these fellas often get
missed out. Heck, they sometimes don’t even get a mention. Especially if we’re
talking about war. War is horrible, no
one wants it, and no matter which way you look at things, a lot of people end
up getting hurt and it is an absolute tragedy. Thing is, some of the “people”
getting hurt are actually animals. I was on Facebook the other day and saw a
very touching picture. A marine and his dog were standing in front of a
memorial for all the marine dogs that had lost their lives in battle. The
caption read “some heroes have four paws and fur”. I think it’s especially
heroic, not least because these animals don’t actually understand what they are
fighting for. They trust us. They go along with it. They do their best,
sometimes to the bitter end. I think this is the reason films like War Horse is
important. Let’s remember our animal friends. Let’s remember their sacrifices
too…
Albert
Naracott leads a tough life. He lives on a poor farm with his mother and his
father, a rather embittered veteran of the Boer wars. His pride and joy is
Joey, a beautiful thoroughbred horse his father purchased more on a whim than
anything else. At the time, nobody thought anyone could get a day’s farm work
out of Joey. But Albert knows he’s special, and so is their friendship. The
couple are inseparable, that is, until the First World War Breaks out. The army
needs everything, and “everything” includes horses. The family needs money.
Albert is heartbroken but Joey is sold to the army. So begins the adventure of
Joey. We follow him all through the horrors of the First World War, and thanks
to him and the people whose lives he enters; we witness human stories on both
sides of the trenches. The horror and fear in the Germans and the British as
they prepare to fight each other to the death. The French civilians as they
desperately try to survive the horrors ravaging their country. And the animals
who are clinging on to dear life just as firmly as the humans…
Now, there
are two ways of looking at this film. I could, potentially, be quite mean about
it if I wanted to. I mean, this film is the latest incarnation of a genre that
my generation has grown up with and lovingly giggled at later on in life. I am
talking about films like Lassie, or Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. Joey is
wonderful, his antics, the way he interacts with other horses and his ever
varying tirade of owners brings tears to the eyes… However… I mean I have never
owned a horse but seriously… It gets to the point that you begin to expect him
to rise up on his hind legs and speak English. Or eat his hay with a knife and
fork. I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the film isn’t adorable.
(I mean heck, I loved Skippy the bush kangaroo so much, I WANTED a pet
kangaroo, just ask my mom if you don’t believe me). But realistic, it
definitely ain’t… And I mean, while we’re on the subject of realism, every
single filmic cliché is successfully crammed into one film through Joey’s
constant changing of hands. I mean, again, since we are talking about a master
like Spielberg here, it is all very tastefully done and very well blended but
still… A touch of originality now and then would not have hurt. At all.
But, on the
other hand, as I said at the beginning of this post, this film makes an
excellent point. Animals fought – and still fight – just as much as humans in
the wars. They suffered and they died. They changed hands as if they were
furniture (which is another subtle point made in the story of Joey) without any
consideration for their feelings at all. If nothing else, this story helps us
remember them. So go ahead. Watch it. Add some chocolate. Or a glass of wine.
And tissues. This film will probably not change your world, it is more goo than
anything else, but as they say, a little goo now and then is cherished by the
wisest men… I think that’s how that quote went anyway… J
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