The relationship between war and the film industry needs little explanation. The war film has long been a favourite and was often Sunday afternoon entertainment on the telly – even if we did watch a film for the tenth time! With titles like ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ and ‘A Bridge Too Far’ they have covered, and documented, most wars. From The American Indian Wars with epics like ‘Custer’s Last Stand’ and one of my favourites ‘Dances with Wolves’ to modern-day conflicts in Somalia with ‘Black Hawk Down’ – each film portrays a different aspect of conflict but more importantly, the people involved in a conflict.
My favourite? May be ‘The Longest Day’ as it is more of a documentary than a film, and it covers one one my favourite battlefield tours; Normandy which stars an old friend Richard Todd.
But ‘Saving Private Ryan’ is sitting up there, and anyone who has joined me in Normandy will know why the open scenes of ‘Saving Private Ryan’ are possibly the most accurate footage to be filmed to date.
But this may have all changed. As only Steven Spielberg could, we have a new film which I believe is about to rock our war film world. War Horse. Described as
” … a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and … 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 .. before the story reaches its … climax in the heart of No Man’s Land …”
With an introduction like this and seeing the publicity clips, I think War Horse will be an Oscar-winning film and is set to be listed as a classic war film, It will make us look at World War One, the people and the animals who fought there, in a different light.