‘War Horse’ Director Steven Spielberg Q&A

Oscar winner Steven Spielberg directs and produces War Horse, an epic tale that’s made its way onto top 10 lists for 2011. Based on the book by Michael Morpurgo (and the recent stage play by Nick Stafford), War Horse stars Jeremy Irvine, Tom Hiddleston, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Kebbell and hits theaters on December 25, 2011.

In this nearly hour-long video Q&A provided by DreamWorks Pictures, Spielberg discusses bringing the story to the big screen, the appeal of the project, the horses, and many other topics.

Jeremy Irvine and Steven Spielberg War Horse
Jeremy Irvine and Steven Spielberg on the set of ‘War Horse’ (Photo © DreamWorks Pictures)

The Plot: DreamWorks Pictures’ War Horse, director Steven Spielberg’s epic adventure, is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him.

When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets — British cavalry, German soldiers, a French farmer, and his granddaughter — before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land.

The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship, and high adventure. War Horse is one of the great stories of friendship and war— a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is currently on Broadway. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.