War Horse

I saw War Horse today with Kim and Gen. If you are a horse owner or a lover of horses you must see the movie with other horse lovers. Otherwise no one will understand why you are blubbering throughout the movie.

A couple of comments up front:

• Homo sapiens are the dumbest species on this planet.
• Horses are far more noble than we can ever hope to be.

I got through the movie with only three tissues. However, they were shredded and I actually could have used twice that many. Horse owners will recognize the scenes revealing horse nature. Spielberg, whose wife and daughter ride, absorbed some knowledge of equines. The horse that won't be caught? Face plant over a jump? Been there, done that. Velvety muzzle searching for treats, horse head using you as a scratching post? Ditto.

Even though I suspected there would be a happy ending, it was the dickens getting there. If you've read Black Beauty you will recognize a couple of events in the movie.

And there was one heck of a battle scene that made me wonder what in the world is wrong with humans. World War I was the transition from the "chivalrous" form of warfare with cavalry charges to the mechanical type of warfare we implement today. Young men thought they were going off on a grand adventure to protect England. They came home maimed and broken from artillery shells and mustard gas. As for the horses and dogs used in the war effort, they had no idea what they were getting into. Over a million horses were used in World War I, but only 60,000+ survived, and many of them ended up feeding the starving people who lived through the conflict.

War Horse is a favorite for an Academy Award nomination. I hope they have a special Oscar for Finders Key, the California bred thoroughbred who portrayed Joey through much of the move.

So -- if you decide to see War Horse, bring plenty of tissues and be prepared to be emotionally exhausted at the end. Horse owners will undoubtedly bring extra treats for equine partners on the next visit to the barn.