Have you ever noticed that most times when you finish watching a movie at the theatre everyone just gets up and leaves? It is very rare nowadays that the audience is so moved by a show that they actually clap as the credits are running. Well, War Horse is one of those rarities. Not only did everyone clap, but many people were teary-eyed, including my mom who was sobbing beside me. Even my dad had moist eyes as we left the theatre. Now, don’t get me wrong – it has a very happy ending, but this is a movie that challenges all of your emotions and pulls at your heart strings! The acting is amazing and you come to love the characters like they are family, even the horses.
The end of the movie sees the end of WWI and the return of soldiers to their families. It’s funny, but I realized afterwards that I have never asked my mom what it was like when her dad returned from WWII. I have copies of letters they received from him during the war, but I never knew the details of his return. She explained that they all gathered in a large stadium in downtown Toronto and waited as the different regiments walked in. In all the excitement my mother ended up fainting! Then when my grandfather marched in, they were able to run to meet him, and my mother got crushed between her parents as they fell into each other’s arms. My mom was only about 11 at the time.
Anyway, I decided to try and find a picture to post today that reminded me of War Horse because it left such an impression on me. The movie revolves around a boy and his undying love for his horse which his father sells to a soldier to be used in the cavalry. It’s heart wrenching watching the boy and his horse, Joey, being split apart, but Joey finds a friend in another war horse, and they look out for each other throughout the war. To me, the horses in this photo look like the best of friends.
To all of my friends in the blogging world, I wish you a very happy and healthy 2012. Thank you for all the support and encouragement throughout the last few months!
photos from the loonybin 
Beautiful photo of horses. I can’t agree about War Horse. Very disappointing. I thought it was aimed at a General Audience rating. I’ll agree that the acting was good. And the details in scenes was very interesting. But Spielburg wants everything to be nice. Even horror.
I agree that the horrors of war were not emphasized, but to me it was the love and friendship stories that were so wonderful, like the love between the boy and the horse, the relationship between the French man and his granddaughter, and even how the two horses looked out for each other during the war. That was what moved me. You are right – there are many other movies that depict war much more graphically.
My wife and I went to see War Horse yesterday. She reacted much as you did, and I thought it was just a mediocre film. The scenery in England was amazing and I kept thinking of the ways I could capture the different scenes with my camera. But I found the story somewhat disjointed and thought it could have been told better.
See my reply to David’s comment above for more of my take on the film. Happy New Year to both of you by the way 🙂