War Horse Movie Trailer

MPAA Rating: PG-13, for intense sequences of war violence
Genre: Drama
Runtime:
Starring: Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Peter Mullan, Niels Arestrup, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irvine, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Kebbell
Studio: DreamWorks Pictures
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release Date: December 25, 2011

War Horse - Official Synopsis

From director Steven Spielberg comes War Horse, an epic adventure for audiences of all ages.

Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land.

The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. War Horse is one of the great stories of friendship and war— a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is arriving on Broadway next year. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

War Horse - About the Movie and the Book

The novel War Horse, by Michael Morpurgo, presents the trials of WWI through the eyes of a remarkable horse as he is passed from owner to owner and used by both sides in the terrible war.

While the story sweeps through many harsh and heartbreaking situations within the war and the life of the brave horse, it is appropriate for and probably captivating to kids from about age 8 and up. Focusing on the horse's strength and the powerful relationships he forges with caring people, the thought provoking story allows kids to read about the tragedies of war without graphic descriptions that would be too heavy and horrific for kids to read.

The book became more well known when it was adapted into a stage play. The acclaimed stage play War Horse uses remarkable puppets instead of real animals to tell the story, and won a Special Tony Award for Artistic Achievement for the masterful puppetry.

The movie, on the other hand, portrays war visually, making it hard to hide the horrors of battle. Rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of war violence," this film is aimed at an older age group than the book. However, in the production notes, a quote from Steven Spielberg relates:

I thought the story was absolutely fascinating, and I was transported. In my mind it was a very honest story. I saw it as a movie for families—the journey of a boy and a horse who were once so close and whose destinies drive them apart. I hope this story will bring people together through this shared experience; its heart can be felt in every country.

Thus, they created a movie that is PG-13 instead of going all out with the blood and guts and making it R. Spielberg had a desire to make it more accessible to families with tweens or teens who are mature enough to handle the more violent scenes, which is a good thing because it can retain the heartwarming message and poignant yet not too harsh reflection on war that the book aptly put forth.