Spielberg doesn't do quite so well, spending more time than necessary establishing Albert's relationship with Joey, and Joey's experiences with a jam-making grandfather (Niels Arestrup) and his spirited granddaughter Emile (Celine Buckens). Screenwriters Lee Hall and Richard Curtis have cleverly weaved together different strands of what is an exhausting story, with Joey the thread uniting different perspectives on the war.

Ridden into battle by an English officer, Joey finds himself in the hands of the Germans, and a French farmer and his daughter, among others. The film follows Joey from his home in Devon where he has been trained to work the land by young Albert (Irvine) who is devastated when Joey is conscripted into the army and sent to France. Though Spielberg tones down the action in comparison to his Saving Private Ryan, impressive battle scenes make the point that war was hell for horses as well as soldiers. Photo / SuppliedĪn unashamedly old-fashioned romp through World War I on the back of a horse named Joey, Stephen Spielberg's interpretation of Michael Morpurgo's novel is part sentimental family film and part brutal and grisly war epic.Īdapted into an award-winning stage play in 2007, War Horse in the hands of Spielberg is a restrained epic shot in a rich, dense palette, featuring deliberate performances that struggle to make an emotional impact.

Albert, played by Jeremy Irvine, with his horse Joey in War Horse.

Michael morpurgo saving private ryan