“War Horse”: The story of the friendship between a horse and a young man, the reason why master director Spielberg was fascinated by it

Operation of cavalry in modern warfare

World War I resulted in the largest number of casualties in recorded history. War Horse is a bromance film about the friendship between a young man, Albert, and his horse, Joey, but it can also be highly praised as a war film that depicts the chaos of World War I.

As mentioned above, the opening of the film depicts the Narracott family's poverty and Joey's mental strength, creating a magnificent prologue. The film depicts the English countryside spread across the majestic hills, captivating the audience with its overwhelming and awe-inspiring visual beauty. Joey cultivates the wilderness and saves the Narracott family from their predicament, but the footsteps of war are drawing ever closer.

During World War I, Britain requisitioned over one million horses for military use. When we think of military horses, we imagine cavalry troops carrying men into battle, but many military horses were apparently used behind the scenes to pull artillery, transport supplies, and perform other functions that required mobility.

"War Horse" (c) Photofest / Getty Images

Many of the war horses were originally kept as livestock by British farmers. Joey, who appears in the film, is conscripted into the military as soon as the war breaks out, and is caught up in the flames of World War I as a cavalry unit. In Japan, the most famous cavalry unit is the Takeda cavalry corps from the Sengoku period, which may seem a bit old-fashioned to us today, but in the Middle East, they still function as an important fighting force.

That being said, the last war in which cavalry enjoyed a prominent position was probably World War I. The Italian army's Savoy Cavalry Regiment is well known for World War II, but by that time, modern conveniences such as tanks and fighter planes had become the main force, and the importance of cavalry had already faded.

However, as mentioned above, they are still in use in the Middle East, and there are records of Green Berets riding military horses during the Afghanistan conflict in 2001. This anecdote is written in the non-fiction novel " Horse Soldiers " (published by Hayakawa Publishing) written by American journalist Dan Stanton. The book has also been made into a movie produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, so please take a look.

Now, Joey, who has become a war horse, leaves Albert and is taken in by Captain Nichols (Tom Hiddleston) of the British army. From there, he is passed around to German brothers, a French girl, and a German artilleryman, and the film depicts with great richness the many people who live strong lives in the midst of war.

The people who come into contact with Joey show a glimpse of the inherent conscience and kindness of humans. Joey also shares a moment with the many people he meets on the battlefield, and simply runs obediently across the battlefield. It is rare to see a film that depicts the relationship between horses and humans so sincerely. It is unlikely that a story of friendship that surpasses this film will be produced anytime soon.

Text: Hayato Otsuki

Born in May 1993 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Writer, editor. He started his writing career in 2016 and currently contributes columns, movie reviews, etc. to various media. By reading the creator's Arrival from a bird's-eye view, we incisively analyze and explain the original intention of the work. His writing publications include "THE RIVER", "IGN Japan", and "Real Sound Movie Club". My specialty is action and fantasy.

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(c) Photofest / Getty Images