War Horse
War Horse is a 2011 war drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay written by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis. It is based on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel of the same name and its 2007 stage adaptation. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup, Jeremy Irvine (in his feature film debut), David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch. Set before and during World War I, its plot follows Joey, a bay Irish Hunter horse raised by English teenager Albert as he is bought by the British Army, leading him to encounter various people throughout Europe, in the midst of the war and its tragedies.
Plot
In 1912, a bay Irish Hunter is born in Devon, England. At an auction, farmer Ted Narracott outbids his landlord Lyons for the colt, to the dismay of his wife Rose, because the family needs a working horse that can plough the field, not an Irish Hunter. Their son Albert, accompanied by his best friend Andrew, names the colt Joey, and teaches him to come when he imitates an owl's call. The pair form a close bond. Against all odds, the horse and boy plough a rocky field, which lets them grow turnips and thus saving the family's farm.
Awards
Cast
- Anian Zollner
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Celine Buckens
- David Dencik
- David Kross
- David Thewlis
- Eddie Marsan
- Edward Bennett
- Emily Watson
- Geoff Bell
- Gerard McSorley
- Hannes Wegener
- Hinnerk Schönemann
- Jean-Claude Lecas
- Jeremy Irvine
- Johnny Harris
- Julian Wadham
- Leonard Carow
- Liam Cunningham
- Maggie Ollerenshaw
- Markus Tomczyk
- Matt Milne
- Maximilian Brückner
- Michael Kranz
- Nicolas Bro
- Niels Arestrup
- Patrick Kennedy
- Peter Benedict
- Peter Mullan
- Philippe Nahon
- Pip Torrens
- Rainer Bock
- Robert Emms
- Sebastian Hülk
- Stephen Graham
- Tam Dean Burn
- Toby Kebbell
- Tom Hiddleston
- Tony Pitts
- Trystan Pütter