War Horse

I’ve seen the previews for the film adaptation of War Horse, and mostly I wasn’t that excited.  I love horses, but I’m not always sure I want to see a horse movie.  I read an article in the local paper that pretty much changed my mind by saying that it was a ‘film to watch out for’.

Oh, who am I kidding.  I’ll see it.

When I read it was based on a well loved children’s book, I decided that if I were going to see the film, perhaps I might want to read the book first.  Luckily, my local library has it, and there was no waiting list.

The ‘war horse’ of the title is Joey, a young British horse bought at auction by a small farmer with a drinking problem, who buys the horse simply to keep a town rival from getting him.  Luckily for Joey, the drunk farmer has a son, and the son has a way with horses, and the two quickly become best friends.  Of course, in a book titled War Horse, this horse is going to have to go to war.  Drunk farmer dad sells the horse to an army representative, who is scouring the countryside looking for horses to bring to the front in World War I, which is raging across Europe.  Albert, the son, is devastated by the news, and tries to enlist in the hopes of staying with his horse.  Alas, he is too young, and Joey goes off to war without him.

The rest of the book is Joey’s adventures in Europe.  He makes friends, both human and equine, and sees far more death than he would like.

I liked the story, but even more, I was fascinated to learn of the role horses played in the war.  I had no idea.  I had no idea that they might put a cavalry up against machine guns.  Luckily, that didn’t last long, and soon the horses were used instead to transport heavy machinery and carry wounded soldiers from the front lines.

This was a quick read, and an interesting one.  I’m not sure that there’s enough there for a film, but I’m sure Spielberg will fill it in with all kinds of stupidness that will make it feel like a long, drawn out spectacle.  I hope it’s good.