As well as huge battle sequences that vividly portray the ugliness of war, the film is bathed in a warm glow that gives the story a hopeful, if at times rather sentimental, feel.Įxposing the ghastly reality of armed conflict has long been a preoccupation among filmmakers, but rarely has it been done quite as successfully as in 1930's All Quiet on the Western Front. After his beloved horse, Joey, is sold to the cavalry, Albert lies about his age to fight in the war, in the desperate hope that it will reunite him with the animal. A contender for Oscar success, the film's arrival is a reminder that the First World War may occasionally be overlooked by history, but it has inspired some unforgettable cinema.īased on the children's novel by Michael Morpurgo, the movie tells the story of Albert, an English country lad, played by the newcomer Jeremy Irvine. With Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg has done more to remind us of the horrors of the Second World War than almost any other director, but with his latest work, War Horse, he has finally focused his camera on its predecessor.

They called it 'the war to end all wars', but, in perhaps the greatest irony of the 20th century, the 1914-18 conflict merely set the stage for a bigger, bloodier encounter.

Michael morpurgo saving private ryan