Just back from seeing this, and I thought it was very good, though not quite great.
Visually it is stunning, and it has a superb score. It also benefits from having a number of solid performances (though the ensemble nature of it makes it difficult for any one person to deliver a stand out performance, well, unless you count the horse!).
There are also a number of really thought provoking subplots that are beautiful woven in to the plot that highlight the best and worst of humanity at war: the dire consequences of an arrogant act by an officer, the kindness of a little girl, the brutality of two young men (one of whom is still a child) effectively being murdered in cold blood, and, of course, the compassion of men in the trenches on both sides for the welfare of one horse lost in no man's land.
However, one of the issues with the film is that all these subplots tend to detract from the core story of a boy looking for his horse against all the odds - indeed at times it feels like this story is actually little more than a subplot itself. The climax of the film is emotionally rewarding, but then rather dragged out with a twist or two too many there after.
The mid section, which features a aforementioned little girl and her grand father, is also rather dragged out and the story loses much of it's impieties due to this, however a the same time we are not really given more than smoke and mirrors about this girls back story which makes it hard for it's later importance to the resolution resinate enough.
But from an emotional point of view, this film really did the business for me: when you have tears in your eyes in the first 15 minutes the director is doing something right! And I was really deeply touched by the journey of Joey and my heart was broken by the fate of his pal Topthorn towards the end of the film.
So ultimately, while falling short of being the masterpiece it set out to be, it's heart most definitely is in the right place. 8/10
Just back from seeing it and I thought it was very good. I didn't really know anything other that the very bare bones of the plot before seeing it and had only seen/heard one review - Mark Kermode on 5 Live.
Yes, there are multiple "plot" lines, people coming and going and it's sentimental but it somehow didn't seem to matter. I thought the war bits were quite graphic for a 12A too! I certainly needed the tissues, as did most of the people in the cinema so we all seemed to connect with it. I thought it was worth seeing but can see why it won't be everyone's cup of tea.
Very disappointing, was so looking forward to it, its dreadfully boring for long periods, and just didnt involve for me, I took a pocketful of tissues, and only needed 1, if that. and so far fetched.
Just got back, thought it was decent, but nothing spectacular, definitely not Oscar worthy (unless the horse is submitted for Best Actor!). The first hour or so moved at an almost glacial pace and i found myself getting increasingly bored with it (not helped by the main kids iffy acting, the delivery of all his lines seemed oddly unnatural), but once Joey went off to war it picked up considerably, especially during the trenches bit which was undeniably excellent. No tears though, not even from the girl who i went with who usually cries at anything even remotely sad.
Just got back from the cinema. The woman who sat a couple of seats away from me was sobbing into her hanky on the way out
I could easily have picked 1001 holes in "Black Beauty saves Private Ryan" but I chose not to and consequently enjoyed what is a well constructed film. The English village life portrayed will no doubt appeal to American audiences but will strike audiences in this country has a mite quaint. However, the war scenes are excellent and I did enjoyed the interaction between the German and British squadies.
It looks beautifully shot, but watching the trailer, I couldn't shake the notion that this was about bestiality. I mean, the film just comes off like a typical wartorn romance, with a loved-up couple split up as the man is dragged away to war and his girl looks longingly out her window hoping for him to return...
...except the man is a horse and the girl is a man! The only thing the trailer was missing was a tender scene in which the horse looks longingly into the guys eyes whilst lying atop him in a softly-lit room.
The Devon scenes were like Little House on the Prairie gone yokel and the photography was way too chocolate-boxy for my liking.
The relationship between Joey and Topthorne was tangible which was a major feat cinematically.
Yes it was over-sentimentalised as almost all US directed films tend to be but overall it was a great piece of cinema and didn't feel too long for me at all.
only cried twice, once at the gun towing and at the end, but we all enjoyed it.
BTW wasnt The Somme scene wrongly captioned? It said 1918 on the screen when it shouldve been 1916.
BTW wasnt The Somme scene wrongly captioned? It said 1918 on the screen when it shouldve been 1916.
The Second Battle of the Somme took place in 1918 following the failure of the German Spring Offensive. It was part of the British counter attack and victory which was the Hundred Days Offensive. It is this 1918 battle depicted in the film rather than the 1916 one, given the proximity of the scene to the war's end.
The nature of the fighting is depicted wrongly though. By 1918 the British had perfected combined arms warfare, utilising sophisticated artillery techniques, air support and tanks to breach the German lines rather than the 'everybody run straight into the machine guns' approach depicted in the film.
There was a hint of the real 1918 battles, when the Germans are shown retreating from the British tank, which is how Joey escapes, but that scene is isolated on its own and the rest of the scene consists of static trench fighting. Also dissapointed with the scene in which anyone who retreats is threatened with summary execution, thats just a myth.
saw this tonight. was a strange film imo, I didn't really get what it was supposed to be. I didn't think the introduction of all these characters that met the horse worked, it was all over the place and I didn't care about them. A lot of those segments were also very boring and pointless. some parts of the film were gritty while others were like ET with a horse, it just didn't mesh for me.
The dialog was also criminally bad at times, some of the lines n were eye rolling "did you really fall on your bum!" (in the trenches just before going over the top!). Didn't like the sentimental pap of an ending either. Overall pretty disappointed, his war films have been amazing, this was a step down. The only bits i did like were the war scenes and maybe a few horse bits, when it showed what the poor horses had to go though that was the nearest I got to becoming emotionally invested, it should have swayed more in the direct imo, but there ya go.
I am surprised no one has mentioned it so far - but what the **** is going on with the accent in the film? The French girl's is way over the top and cringeworthy, and the German soldiers are speaking English with each other at the warfront. This is a bit silly IMO, I would rather listen to them speak their mothertongue (i.e German/French) with subtitles, at least it's a bit more authentic.
The plot is really soapy and contrived but I quite like how the ending is shot. Brilliant.
yeah the accents were terrible, not convincing at all, especially the Germans. Subtitles would have been much more gritty and realistic but I guess it just wasnt that type of film at the end of the day. I was more stunned by the bad dialog, it was so forced and trite at times, really noticable from the start, as if they were trying to get some subtle British humour through but it didnt work, for me anyway.
A film is to entertain and this film done that alright. In some bits it was hard going but it more than made up for it in other ways, talk about a blub festWhen he done his little coo for Joey at the end when they were going to shoot him and Joey's ears pricked up made the hairs on the back of my neck stand. A brilliant cast and music but I don't think it has an adult theme the whole way through. there is nothing wrong with a bit of wistfulness now and again, it doesn't always have to be gritty and real. I loved it and cried buckets
Comments
Visually it is stunning, and it has a superb score. It also benefits from having a number of solid performances (though the ensemble nature of it makes it difficult for any one person to deliver a stand out performance, well, unless you count the horse!).
There are also a number of really thought provoking subplots that are beautiful woven in to the plot that highlight the best and worst of humanity at war: the dire consequences of an arrogant act by an officer, the kindness of a little girl, the brutality of two young men (one of whom is still a child) effectively being murdered in cold blood, and, of course, the compassion of men in the trenches on both sides for the welfare of one horse lost in no man's land.
However, one of the issues with the film is that all these subplots tend to detract from the core story of a boy looking for his horse against all the odds - indeed at times it feels like this story is actually little more than a subplot itself. The climax of the film is emotionally rewarding, but then rather dragged out with a twist or two too many there after.
The mid section, which features a aforementioned little girl and her grand father, is also rather dragged out and the story loses much of it's impieties due to this, however a the same time we are not really given more than smoke and mirrors about this girls back story which makes it hard for it's later importance to the resolution resinate enough.
But from an emotional point of view, this film really did the business for me: when you have tears in your eyes in the first 15 minutes the director is doing something right! And I was really deeply touched by the journey of Joey and my heart was broken by the fate of his pal Topthorn towards the end of the film.
So ultimately, while falling short of being the masterpiece it set out to be, it's heart most definitely is in the right place. 8/10
Lol, that goose was evil....:D
But we've always been fond of horsey stuff, regardless of setting.
So no worries, boys. It'll do just grand, nationally.
That seems an odd thought, I mean it's a quintessentially British movie in many ways......
Yes, there are multiple "plot" lines, people coming and going and it's sentimental but it somehow didn't seem to matter. I thought the war bits were quite graphic for a 12A too! I certainly needed the tissues, as did most of the people in the cinema so we all seemed to connect with it. I thought it was worth seeing but can see why it won't be everyone's cup of tea.
- and the Goose should be up for an Oscar too!
I'd probably say 7/10.
Went to see it today, LOVED IT! Cried so much it's seriously embarrassing
And Benedict Cumberbatch just made it even more awesome!
I could easily have picked 1001 holes in "Black Beauty saves Private Ryan" but I chose not to and consequently enjoyed what is a well constructed film. The English village life portrayed will no doubt appeal to American audiences but will strike audiences in this country has a mite quaint. However, the war scenes are excellent and I did enjoyed the interaction between the German and British squadies.
...except the man is a horse and the girl is a man! The only thing the trailer was missing was a tender scene in which the horse looks longingly into the guys eyes whilst lying atop him in a softly-lit room.
Black Beauty in a war setting.
If you want an emotional animal film see 'Red Dog'
which made me cry.
Red dog made me sob my heart out true story
The relationship between Joey and Topthorne was tangible which was a major feat cinematically.
Yes it was over-sentimentalised as almost all US directed films tend to be but overall it was a great piece of cinema and didn't feel too long for me at all.
Surely WW1 trenches didn't run in a perfect straight line!
enjoyed the whole film not just bits
BTW wasnt The Somme scene wrongly captioned? It said 1918 on the screen when it shouldve been 1916.
The Second Battle of the Somme took place in 1918 following the failure of the German Spring Offensive. It was part of the British counter attack and victory which was the Hundred Days Offensive. It is this 1918 battle depicted in the film rather than the 1916 one, given the proximity of the scene to the war's end.
The nature of the fighting is depicted wrongly though. By 1918 the British had perfected combined arms warfare, utilising sophisticated artillery techniques, air support and tanks to breach the German lines rather than the 'everybody run straight into the machine guns' approach depicted in the film.
There was a hint of the real 1918 battles, when the Germans are shown retreating from the British tank, which is how Joey escapes, but that scene is isolated on its own and the rest of the scene consists of static trench fighting. Also dissapointed with the scene in which anyone who retreats is threatened with summary execution, thats just a myth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tVg_1vu-7g
The dialog was also criminally bad at times, some of the lines n were eye rolling "did you really fall on your bum!" (in the trenches just before going over the top!). Didn't like the sentimental pap of an ending either. Overall pretty disappointed, his war films have been amazing, this was a step down. The only bits i did like were the war scenes and maybe a few horse bits, when it showed what the poor horses had to go though that was the nearest I got to becoming emotionally invested, it should have swayed more in the direct imo, but there ya go.
The plot is really soapy and contrived but I quite like how the ending is shot. Brilliant.