WAR HORSE PRESS CONFERENCE
The refined environment of Claridge’s in London’s Mayfair is as far as you could get from the French trenches of WWI as depicted in Steven Spielberg‘s new drama War Horse, based on Michael Morpurgo’s bestselling novel. However this was the location chosen for the press conference of the film which looks set to repeat the phenomenal success of the book’s stage version and bring the story to the attention of a whole new generation.
The legendary director, along with producer Kathleen Kennedy and stars Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson and Tom Hiddleston, were present to give insights into what attracted them to the story and what working in the world of the ‘Hollywood Blockbuster’ is really like.
Spielberg explained, “the bones of War Horse are a love story. Joey (the horse) brings the characters of the story together, and I drew from Richard’s Curtis (the film’s scriptwriter) and how he saw Michael’s story. My father fought in the second world war so I was brought up knowing about war. Modern children learn from the media, and I hope this film shows how not just men died but horses too, and that it was the end of the horse as a war machine.
Kennedy went on to explain that, “the story of this film was right for people, and Steven appreciated its simplicity. Its power puts pictures to events and works because, though the original book, then the play and now the film are all different they also draw on each other“.
Spielberg described how his family had affected his to decision to become involved in the project. “My wife and daughter (who when she heard about the film said I had to make it) love horses so they’re a big part of my life. Joey represents common-sense, and I feel if more people had his sense there’d be far fewer wars“.
The cast present reiterated the hopes that the film would, in the words of Watson, “shine a light on the terrible war”. Hiddleston explained how one of the film’s key scenes, the British cavalry charge against frontline German troops was, “as real as it could be without real bullets and guns. The sound of 400 hooves ringing in my ears made the reality of what those men went through real to me“.
Irvine (at 21 the youngest member of the team) seemed slightly awed by all the attention. “Last night (the film’s Royal Premiere had taken place the previous night) was a dream”. He described being in a Spielberg production as ‘mad’ and that “the size of the product terrified me”. However it was his co-star Joey who appeared to have affected him the most as he said, “you can’t fake it with a horse. You have to have a real relationship with them“. Something which he clearly forged.
In finishing Spielberg spoke briefly about his Hollywood career, a subject on which he was candidly forthright. “If I’ve learnt one thing in Hollywood it would be that you should never give up. The turning point in my career came with Jaws. Before that no-one wanted to hear from me, but after it came out I could do anything I wanted including a film about aliens and spaceships which previously no-one wanted to know about. Having said that, how successful my films are doesn’t really effect me – you just have to go with it. The most important things to me are my family and friends and the downs in my life are not finding time to be with them”.
– Cleaver Patterson
A big thanks to Cleaver, you can read Cleaver’s review here
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