Based on Michael Morpurgo’s 1982 novel of the same name, Steven Spielberg’s 2011 film War Horse received widespread praise upon its release. However, one notable individual that the film failed to impress is the original author of the story, Morpurgo himself, who later said that the film adaptation could have been much better.
The English book author, known prominently for his children’s novels, has shared that he is not a big fan of his book adaptations, including Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated film while arguing that it’s challenging for him to fully embrace cinematic interpretations of his own stories.
Steven Spielberg’s War Horse Failed to Impress its Original Author
Starring an ensemble cast including Jeremy Irvine, Tom Hiddleston, and Benedict Cumberbatch, Steven Spielberg’s 2011 film War Horse centers around a boy, Albert, and his horse Joey. After Joey is sold to British cavalry during World War I, Albert also enlists to serve in the war in hopes of reuniting with his beloved horse.
The film received high acclaim upon its release and six Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture at the 84th Academy Awards. However, it still failed to impress the original author of the story, who shared his criticism of the movie in a 2023 interview with The Guardian.
When asked about the 2011 film, along with the 2012 adaptation of his novel Private Peaceful, he said, “What can I say? They could have been better.” Michael Morpurgo argued that as the author of these stories, he finds it hard to overlook the significant elements that filmmakers omitted when adapting them for the silver screen.
“I’m very difficult to convince when it’s a story of mine. I miss what they’ve left out,” he said. In a different interview, he highlighted the aspects of the movie, that he believes, the filmmaker failed to capture accurately. As per Times of Malta,
Even the horses are wrong — They’re all fine, aristocratic animals. The horses that go to war are farm horses, great big chunky things — It’s poorly written [and full of] cliches of war, cliches of people… so I didn’t care for it.
While the movie received predominantly positive reviews, many also highlighted that it failed to live up to expectations considering Spielberg’s reputation as a filmmaker. Several critics also expressed concerns about its excessive manipulation, sentimentality, and perceived lack of authentic emotional depth.
Steven Spielberg Argued War Horse is Not a War Movie
The 2011 film brought many to tears, including the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton after she joined the filmmaker at the UK premiere of the movie. Reflecting on the emotional resonance of the film, Spielberg argued that his adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse was not simply a war movie.
“I don’t consider War Horse to be a war movie,” he said as per IndieWire. “This is not one of my war movies,” he added. However, he shared that the film instead focused on how animals can connect people together.
He also acknowledged the criticism surrounding the movie toning down the horrendous nature of the war, explaining that it was a “creative choice” not to emphasize battlefield carnage. “I wasn’t toning it down as much as it was not showing certain things,” he said before adding, “To me, it was more of a creative choice.” However, all these efforts failed to win over the original author of the story.
War Horse is available to stream on Prime Video.
