Movie Review: War Horse

Tonight, I was able to participate in a special preview of Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg's flick about a thoroughbred during the First World War (1914-1918).  The film is based upon a novel by Michael Murpurgo and an adapted play by Nick Stafford.  It was written to provide a telling of the war through the eyes of a horse.  Needless to say, it was not what I was expecting.  There was very little about the great war, whose armistice we still commemorate on November 11.  Furthermore, the thought that a horse could survive more than a few months in the war, get caught in No Man's Land and not be mercifully put down is ridiculous.  I know this is not based on a true story, and causes the premise to be delusional.

The acting, there was very little of it, seemed contrived.  The horse was a good looking animal, and it reminded me that I failed to witness even one race this season save the Derby on television.

The best aspect of the film is that it attempted to bring several  perspectives to what the Great War was like for the brave soldiers and nurses who fought for God, nation and family as well as the poor farmers and families around whom the battles were fought.  I was also pleasantly surprised by how exacting some elements of trench warfare were portrayed and the amount of death made visible, considering this film was produced by Disney and most likely marketed towards a youthful demographic.

Soldiers' Memorial, Saint Louis, Missouri

Hopefully, for the commemoration of World War I's centennial, a better film or films will be produced and perhaps by Spielberg.  If they need stories, I suggest they look to the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of the Holy Roman Empire, the Rape of Belgium, the Battle of the Somme, the Christmas party in No Man's Land, the reluctance of America to enter the war, unrestricted submarine warfare, the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the continuation of a secret war by the Allies against the Communists after the war, the treaty of Paris, etc.  There is so much that can be considered and so much that can be done.  In fact, I suggest that Hollywood look to the original Upstairs, Downstairs and Ken Follett's newest novel for how some of this material has been previously treated.  In fact, the aforementioned British television drama, which captivated millions in the mid-1970s, was one of the first programs to treat the psychological effects of the war, shell shock and propaganda.

Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri

For further exploration of these and other World War I related topics, I suggest you travel to the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City and to the Soldiers' Memorial in downtown Saint Louis.

How do you think we, as a people, should commemorate this centennial?  Has anyone participated in any of the events surrounding the Civil War's sesquicentennial?