Be brave! Be a Horse!

A thing of beauty is never permanently owned.  At times auctions are held to decide the owner. Sometimes it is just snatched away. At times it is owned through love and friendship. There have been wars over owning Helen! Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal, but he perished. The Uttar Pradesh Government owns it now.

This warhorse too, a thing of beauty and courage, is owned by several owners at different stages of his life. Some owners give him compassion and love. Others take pride owning the horse. Some just employ him in pulling artillery and torture him! But Joey (the warhorse) keeps looking forward during its struggling phase.

This movie has been rightfully nominated for best cinematography, art direction, original score. The landscapes of England have been wonderfully covered by the cinematographer. The background score generates the emotion in your heart and it ends as a tear in your eye. Emotion is the silent character throughout the movie.

This is one of the masterpiece movies that does not care about box-office. It has its fair share of humor, however it keeps focus on the main protagonist, the Warhorse and his journey. The brilliance of a director like Spielberg reflects during the war scenes. What amazes me is the perfection with which they shot the scene where Joey gets entangled in the barbed wire. Directing excellence, one must say! Watch out for some exceptional dialogues on Bravery! The costumes and the settings transport you back to the war-zone that existed a 100 years ago!

Saving Private Ryan is one of the greatest war movies ever made, this is because of its star-cast! WarHorse does not have a cast to depend on. This in a way becomes its only drawback. Its more like a documentary on the Horse’s life at various stages rather than a movie involving characters. Maybe it was meant to be that way. This leaves a sense of incompleteness in this Spielberg movie.

Miracle horse found in the battle front re-unites with his master.
Bottom-line : Karma can be lenient on Hardworking Horses!

–Varun Mannava Gowtham