War Horse - 31st January 2012

Every now and again a play discovers a life outside out if it’s theatrical roots.Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris’s production of “War Horse” at the National Theatre in 2007 transferred to the New London theatre in 2009 where it has continued to delight audiences. Oddly, it didn’t triumph in the United Kingdom but it won Best Play at the 2011 Tony awards. It was only a matter of time before Hollywood came knocking in the forms of transatlantic film royalty Richard Curtis and Stephen Spielberg.
This should have immediately set off the “schmaltz” warning signs. The American is a good film-maker but occasionally over-indulges in saccharin emotions. Richard Curtis in recent years has also fallen on the wrong side of the acceptably emotionally manipulative fence.
It is still, however, a great and simple story (the best ones tend to be). A boy on a struggling farm befriends a horse and when he volunteers for the first World War, his horse is similarly (yet separately) shipped abroad.
They may have different war tales but you know there will eventually be an emotional reunion. This is all broken down into episodic adventures, some undoubtedly inserted for their cinematic qualities.
For all my concerns no-one directs war sequences as well as Spielberg. He also successfully treads that tricky path of not demonising either side. Neither army is perfect, their actions blamed on the consequences of war.
The act is of a reasonable level with some great British actors bringing as much to their roles as Richard Curtis and Lee Hall’s script will allow. The key role is Jeremy Irvine as Albert Narracott the young boy, but fortunately he is engaging so we are connected and keen to follow his story to its conclusion. John Williams score is generic but as ever the film is well shot (thanks to cinematographer Janusz Kaminiski), of over-long.
Overall, though this was an opportunity missed as this could have been a great cinematic epic but it’s failure opened up a clear run for “The Artist” to deservedly sweep this year’s Oscars.