War Horse

My son and I went to see War Horse on Christmas evening. I enjoyed the film but it didn't evoke the powerful feelings that watching the YouTube clips of the stage version did. It felt contrived in places and didn't always tie together. While the horse was the thread I never felt the film was actually about Joey but about war and what it does to us.

One of the most poignant scenes to me was Albert's Mum talking about his father's service in the Boer War - with understanding, pride and love of her man that, necessarily, is usually kept hidden behind a stern, common sense exterior.

Equally strong is the intercourse - sounding almost like youthful soccer field rivalry - between the Brit Colin and German Peter as they free Joey from the barbed wire. A glimpse of how wrong war is.

I was disappointed in not being able to find any information on the horse(s) acting the part of Joey.