Brimming with more than 140 dramatic images, this is the stunning, visual companion to Steven Spielberg’s epic adventure, set in rural England and Europe, about a young man and his horse and their separate journeys through the battlefields of the First World War. One of the great stories of friendship and war, the successful novel War Horse not only inspired the award-winning stage play, but also inspired one of the great directors in film history to commit his talent, vision, and resources to make this extraordinary movie, which was shot in the countryside of England.
I first fell in love with the story of War Horse because I was moved by the relationship between a boy and an animal in Michael Morpurgo’s novel and the screenplay by Richard Curtis and Lee Hall, writes Steven Spielberg in his foreword. But, ultimately, I made it because of what the book and the screenplay say about courage. I t is about the courage of the horse Joey and what he endures to survive, and the courage of Albert in his attempt to find his best friend in a time of war. With every frame of this film, it was my hope to issue a call for courage in our daily lives. A call to -be brave.‘
Additional forewords by producer Kathleen Kennedy, novelist Michael Morpurgo, and co-screenwriter Richard Curtis reveal their feelings about the story and the process of moving it from page to screen. The main body of the book is divided into three sections:
Part 1: Joey’s Journey-A visual retelling, along with script excerpts and filmmakers’ comments, of the journey taken by Joey, the horse trained by his beloved Albert, from the striking verdant countryside of Dartmoor, Devon, to training in the British cavalry, to trench warfare in France.
Part 2: The Making of War Horse-An insider’s glimpse of the movie-making process highlighted with fascinating insights from the international cast and the crew about the casting, locations, costumes, horse training, and much more.
Part 3: The History of War Horses-An illuminating section on the role of horses in battle, illustrated with iconic images from history, vivid drawings, paintings and photographs.
This beautiful book is a testament to what can be done when people become impassioned about a goal. As producer Kathleen Kennedy expresses in her foreword: War Horse was one of those unusual productions that comes together in an incredibly short time, and for all the right reasons. Everyone involved understood the film’s potential, the richness of the characters, the depth of emotion, and the strength of the story’s message.
