One of the nominated Oscar films from 2011 War Horse comes to Blu-ray 4- Disc Combo Pack and it’s an instant collector’s piece. I rank the film one of Steven Spielberg’s finest epic adventures alongside Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List.  Now ramped up with the finest audio and video possible for home theaters it’s enjoyment doubles in value.  

The movie centers on a horse named Joey that gets purchased at an auction by a local English farmer.  The man brings it home to work on his fields but quickly finds out that thoroughbreds do not make good plow horses.  His son Albert (Jeremy Irvine) bonds with Joey and the horse helps save the farm.  War breaks out with Germany and young men are being pressed into service for England.  Although Albert wants to join, his age keeps him out of the army, but the Army purchases Joey a much-needed horse for war.  So begins the unexpected journey of Joey and the inspiring desire to get back home with his best friend Albert.

The amazing photography in War Horse shows the brutality of war and the inhumanity brought about by countries seeking world power.  The story puts a beautiful and gallant young horse in harms way leading his master in fights that show the cruelty the animal has to endure.  But it’s this courage and tenacity by Joey to get back to the boy he loves that makes the film emotional.

Director Steven Spielberg on the set of War Horse

Direction by Spielberg is evident in the production with strong attention to realism, smooth roll out of story and uplifting ending.  His war realism, much like that in Saving Private Ryan, impacts the screen in scenes of violence during a Calvary charge and a run by Joey across ‘No Man’s Land’ that gets very brutal, deadly and bloody.  At one point War Horse, although this film takes place in WWI, I thought I was reliving Spielberg’s death drive on the beaches of D-Day in Saving Private Ryan with bullets whizzing by, explosions all around and the showings of raw courage by the military.

Although War Horse has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA, please be cautious when deciding to add your pre-teens to a home showing.  This pertains specially to those youngsters who may become traumatized by the showing of animals lying dead on the battlefield.

The special bonus features are amazing with Spielberg leading the way thorough a superb making of War Horse.  This is probably most striking, but there other bonuses to enjoy. Other features that I’ve not seen on a Blu-ray before include a whole feature on editing and scoring and the special effects sounds of War Horse.

2-Disc Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) Includes:

• “War Horse”: The Journey Home with Steven Spielberg cast and crew
• An Extra’s Point of View
• A Filmmaking Journey
• Editing and Scoring
• The Sounds of War Horse
• Through the Producer’s Lens

1-Disc DVD Includes:

• “War Horse”: The Look- Explore the stunning world of War Horse with its creative team.

Digital Disc:

• “War Horse”, watch the film anytime, anywhere on your computer and portable device.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  A well-made movie that shows courage and love between a boy and his horse. (A)

The Specifications and additional film information:

• Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Thewlis and David Kross
• Directed by: Steven Spielberg
• MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of war violence
• Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama
• Running Time: 2 hrs 16 min
• Street Date: April 3, 2012
• Original Theatrical Release Date: December 25th, 2011
• Language: English
• Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (DVD) 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby
• Video: 1080p HD Widescreen 2.40:1 (DVD) Enhanced for 16X9 Televisions
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, and Spanish
• Distributed by: Touchstone Home Entertainment
• Available: On-Demand
• 6 Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Achievement in Sound Editing, Best Original Musical Score, Best Achievement in Sound Mixing, Best Achievement in Art Direction
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