War Horse Resiliency Introductory Statement

This paper provides a critique of the 2012 film War Horse directed by Steven Spielberg. The film takes place during the World War I era and follows the life of a horse named Joey. The film presents various depictions of what it means to be resilient. This paper will provide a summary of the film, examine the key concepts found in the film’s story line, and discuss resiliency and the Biblical solution to adversity from the film’s perspective.

Summary

The film begins with the birth of the horse, whom Albert admires over time. The colt is ultimately auctioned and bought by Albert’s father at a price more than three times its actual value. Albert’s father Ted is willing to pay the price because he knows the horse will bring his son happiness. Albert is indeed made happy by the horse and trains it to do many things—even to plow the fields though it is not a plow horse. However, adversity strikes, and the horse has to be sold. Although Albert is the main human character of the film, Joey is really the star and his journey now diverges from Albert’s for a time.

Joey goes on to serve in the purposes of the British military in World War I. Albert tries to enlist to stay with the horse, but he is too young. Later, once Albert has grown, he and Joey are reunited—but much adversity will have passed: Albert loses a friend in the war and himself is temporarily blinded in the trenches. Joey, too, falls into various hands, from the British military to the German side, to a provincial French family—a father and daughter who briefly befriend the horse. In the end, Joey is reunited with Albert by way of Colin who saves the horse from barbed wire during a conflict between the British and the Germans. Albert hears of the horse and whistles his old call to Joey, who is about to be put down. Joey starts and moves to Albert. It is a scene that feels miraculous because of the odds against their ever being reunited. Yet, the fact that they are together again shows that miracles do happen and that faith, therefore, is a beautiful thing to hold onto.

However, the adversity is not over yet. The military aims to sell Joey, and just as at the beginning of the film it is all a matter of who has the money to buy him. Albert hopes to purchase...

Joey, however, wants to stay with Albert and the Frenchman realizes that Albert is the one who really should have the horse. He gives the pendant that belonged to Ted (which Albert had pinned to Joey when the horse was first sold to the military and which the Frenchman took). Albert then takes the pendant back to his own father, and father and son have a bonding moment as the two now have their war experiences behind them and mutual feelings of respect all around.
Key Concepts

Resiliency

Resiliency is the ability to bounce back from adversity and overcome obstacles. Inherent in the concept of resiliency is the idea of internal toughness and strength—the ability to withstand physical, emotional and spiritual punishment and to rise above these challenges towards victory. The film shows that in order to live, one must be resilient and must find a way to overcome adversity. There are numerous examples of resiliency in the film but Joey represents resiliency more than anything else in the film. Joey has a kind of stoic essence—a determination to succeed that makes the horse so remarkable. For that reason, the film takes its title from Joey’s role as a war horse—because life is full of so much suffering that one must be like Joey if one wants to make it through.

Suffering

Suffering is also a major concept explored in the film. Ted, Albert’s father, suffers from some war trauma. It is unidentified, but he relies on drink to make decisions, and he is a bit unstable. He doesn’t like to talk about the war and his wife preserves his medals and pendants, which she gives to Albert. In the end, after Albert has also suffered from his experiences in the war, father and son finally come together as equals, understanding suffering on an even plane. Joey also endures suffering as a war horse, being taken from one front to another and almost put down for a lame leg. The point that the film makes, however, is that suffering does indeed make one stronger so long as one is able to endure it and see the light shining at the other end of the tunnel of pain.

Trauma

Trauma occurs when an experience…