INTERVIEWS

“War Horse,” directed by Steven Spielberg, will be in theaters on December 25, 2011.

Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe 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. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets-British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter-before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse-an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.

Trailer: http://www.emanuellevy.com/?attachment_id=47781

Devoted Trainers and Sensitive Animal

If the human cast of “War Horse” was vital, the film’s cast of equines was even more so, for it was they who had to bridge the species gap to take audiences into a perspective unlike any other.  The awe-inspiring allure of horses has captured the imagination of filmmakers since the genesis of the movies—indeed, some of the first moving images ever shot were of horses galloping. In the last century the horse has continued to play a rich role in movies, often in the background in Westerns, but taking the lead in such classics as “International Velvet,” “The Black Stallion” and “Seabiscuit.”

But never before “War Horse” had a film been attempted that was so dependent on the expressive abilities of horses or that accurately depicted the untold story of their sacrifices in war. So it was essential to Spielberg to find the perfect combination of devoted trainers and sensitive animals that would allow for both the safe undertaking of what he envisioned and genuine, soulful performances from the horses.

Ultimately, a large equine unit was forged, comprised of over 100 horses under the aegis of horse master Bobby Lovgren, who had also worked with the horses on “Seabiscuit” and is known for taking the art of horse training to new levels. Lovgren in turn recruited trainers from Australia, Spain and the U.S., as well as a team of groomers, handlers, transporters, a vet and even an equine hair and makeup unit, all diligently overseen by representative Barbara Carr from the American Humane Association.

Performing Miracles Safely

“Bobby and his team literally performed miracles with the horses on this film,” says Spielberg. “The thing I emphasized from the outset was that the horses had to be safe. I love horses and I didn’t want them to ever be in harm’s way. Bobby did that. Another essential person was Barbara Carr, the American Humane representative, who was there for every single shot. I gave her full power to pull the plug if she ever felt any of the horses were not up to the challenges or if she thought they could be injured in any way. I wanted her to be part of all the action and stunts the horses perform, to watch the rehearsals where we moved in slow motion one step at a time, and to say ‘I think this is safe’ or not. It was a vital collaboration between me, Bobby and Barbara.”

When Lovgren saw the screenplay, he was moved by its rare portrait of animals in war, and by Joey’s steadfast heart, but he knew his work would be cut out for him—and for his horses. “At first, it was mind boggling to even think about,” he confesses. “The horses had so many different kinds of interactions with so many different kinds of people in war scenarios that would be very difficult for any animal, including a human being,” he comments. “But we set out to be very, very conscientious about safety, and our trainers were exceptional at what they did.  No horse was ever injured on the set. When you see them limping in the film, they were trained to do that.”

Conveying Emotion

Fourteen different horses played Joey in his progression from colt to adult, and they were tasked with stitching together a portrait of a horse that is every bit as naïve but ultimately as noble, loyal and brave as the young man who trained him. The horses included Lovgren’s own beloved horse Finder (whom he purchased after training him for “Seabiscuit”), who took on Joey’s most serious acting scenes. Lovgren says Finder has an uncanny ability to convey his feelings. “Two of the trickiest scenes for a horse are when Joey is caught in the barbed wire fence, which was actually made from plastic so as to be harmless to the horses, and when Topthorn struggles and Joey takes the reins to try to pull him up. It was so important to get the emotion of these scenes, but it’s quite hard to do that with a typical horse. I was really lucky with Finder because he has a personality that connects emotionally with audiences.”

Four different horses split the role of Joey’s wartime friend and rival, Topthorn, but in his most powerful scene, he is played by a special horse named George. Recalls Barbara Carr of American Humane:  “George had to lay very still while Finder, who was playing Joey, had to come to his side.  The horses were both so well trained and calm through all of this. Steven had the entire set quiet. No movement. He made everyone so aware of what was going on with the animals so that they were never put in any stress at all. And yet, it was so emotional, the whole crew was crying.”

Designing the “Look”

Ali Bannister was instrumental in designing the “look” of Joey, and equine makeup supervisor Charlie Rogers had to make sure that all the different Joeys had that specific look. “Each of the Joeys was trained for specific actions, but they all had to look identical,” she explains. “Each had to have the four white socks and white star on their foreheads. It took 45 minutes to get a horse into ‘makeup’—and they all had different temperaments, so I had to have a lot of patience!”

Carr enjoyed watching Lovgren’s teamwork so caringly with the individual animals. “I was there for all of the horses’ training,” she explains. “I watched them learn to give certain looks and take on certain behaviors that humans can identify with, which are very difficult to train. And I watched them become accustomed to getting shaved to have the white star on their foreheads.  In time, the horse became used to all of it.”

Often the horses were as enthusiastic about the scenes as the human actors, especially during the cavalry charges. “The horses were so excited to run,” says Carr. “We had a hard time stopping them because they were enjoying the run together as a giant herd, and it was so beautiful.”

Attunded to Human Reactions

The cast found the horses remarkably attuned to human reactions. “All through the film, I noticed that whatever I was feeling, the horses would reflect back to me,” says Tom Hiddleston, who plays Captain Nicholls. “They sense fear, they sense arrogance, and they can sense a kind of inner peace. When I was calm, they were relaxed and whenever I was nervous, they became excited.” Adds Patrick Kennedy, who plays Waverly:  “We all became incredibly attached to the horses. Getting to know these horses and learning to ride them was the greatest privilege I’ve ever had.”

Spielberg was gratified by how much like actors the horses became. “I wanted it to feel like the horses were performing their parts as much as Emily Watson or Peter Mullan,” the director concludes. “And that is what happened. There were times during production when the horses reacted in ways I had never imagined a horse could react. You just sit back and thank your lucky stars that these horses are so cognizant that they are able to give everything to a moment.”

While nearly all of the scenes in “War Horse” are shot with living, breathing horses, Spielberg did commandeer an animatronic horse for portions of the sequence in No Man’s Land, after Joey is tangled in thorns of barbed wire, often a tragic ending for horses in WWI.  Special effects supervisor Neil Corbould built a breathtakingly real, full-size Joey for the scene. “He was fully animatronics and sitting on his knees. We dug a 1.5-meter hole, and we had four or five puppeteers basically buried beneath the ground, operating the horse,” explains Corbould.

However, for the close-up of Joey’s face in that scene, Spielberg brought in Finder to get to the depth of Joey’s innermost feelings. Toby Kebbell, who plays the British soldier who helps to free Joey, recalls:  “The animatronic horse was so realistic. It had the ability to blow air from the flair of its nose and to jolt its head. It was very close to Joey, but there was nothing like the real thing!”