War Horse

The Oscar blitz continues – I went to a screening world premiere of Steven Spielberg's “The War Horse” at the prestigious Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.

It was the full Hollywood red carpet treatment – hundreds of paparazzi, the cast, and of course Mr. E.T. Himself. I said a few short statements and introduced the young cast. He stated that the sold out theatrical show was playing right next door in Lincoln Center, but he couldn't convince the horse “Joey” to appear at the premiere.

Then the film began – it was very beautifully shot, reminiscent of “Gone With the Wind” visually – black silhouettes against a red sunset sky. The acting was terrific, especially Joey the horse, but for some reason I wasn't entirely invested in the story. Perhaps it was made for kids, like “Black Beauty”, and a number of people I talked to thought it was a little melodramatic.

But I enjoyed the film and I give it a B-.