tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33030424.post3809930204901920099..comments2023-10-03T03:29:55.382-07:00Comments on Tassoula's Movie Review Blog: War HorseTassoulahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08299776334729730828noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33030424.post-25486114132260296572012-01-28T11:56:15.369-08:002012-01-28T11:56:15.369-08:00A good friend of mine gave the perfect summation a...A good friend of mine gave the perfect summation after seeing WAR HORSE. He said, "I'm not sure if it's a great film, but it definitely counts as great filmmaking." He went on to say that there are too many whopping coincidences in the plot to be taken at face value, but because the story is told with such emotional power, the viewer cannot help but be taken in by it.<br /><br />As a side note, did you know that Steven Spielberg watches four films before shooting a feature of his own? They are: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, SEVEN SAMURAI, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, and THE SEARCHERS. In WAR HORSE, a couple of shots in the horse auction scenes are lifted directly from the Damascus Arab conference scene in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. The scene in which Emily rides Joey over a hill and into an area where a German army unit has set up camp is borrowed from a famous horizon shot in SEVEN SAMURAI's final battle scene. There are also hints of HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY and ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT sprinkled here and there.<br /><br />My biggest qualm with the movie is that it failed to deliver the emotional wallop promised by the trailer. In the final analysis, however, WAR HORSE deserves to be considered a well-made film; not quite in the realm of SCHINDLER'S LIST or SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, but vastly superior to WAR OF THE WORLDS and MUNICH.JGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16986732842775485545noreply@blogger.com