War Horse--Spielberg Version

I finally saw the movie War Horse on Saturday and while many in the audience applauded when it was over I was not one of them. Not that it wasn't an inspirational story. It was but it was absolutely nothing compared to the play, currently on the stage at LIncoln Center in New York City.

I know, I know the play has puppets which one automatically associates with children, but trust me, it is through the puppets (which are nothing short of spectacular) that one learns the point of view of the horse Joey, and comes to understand not only the extent of the bond he has with Albert but also with Top Thorn, his equine buddy. Because the horse puppets move with such emotion (yes, I know you don't believe me but you will once you see it), they portray their feelings, which Spielberg has to say through human dialogue. The horses on stage show rather than tell and they truly do talk more eloquently than the people who surround them in the movie, without saying a word.

Then there is the matter of the story, which Spielberg has tweaked to make it a bit more sentimental and yes, dare I say cheesy. There is no grandfather in the play; there is no auction at the end and there are no brother deserters. There are other characters who help the horses and there is more interplay between the horses themselves, such as a brilliant scene in which they challenge each other for supremacy and more examples of the work they both had to do to throughout the war.

Somehow, with a smaller cast, and no real horses, the stage version manages to convey more of the destruction of World War I and the emotional toll that it took on man and beast.

Bottom line: if you can't go see the play, settle for the movie. But if you see both, I think you'll agree that the movie seems like "settling."