War Horse is a Photography Must See

War horse is a riveting film. Each shot could be a photograph in itself. The countryside is amazing. The movie is filmed in Dartmoor in Devon, England. The area is protected by National Park status. The filming was planned for additional locations, but the beauty of the place altered these plans. The movie is set during World War I. It is based on a book by Michael Morpurgo. The movie has been nominated for 6 Academy Awards.

A play partially adapted from the book is currently playing on Broadway. The play is now on an open-ended run and received 5 Tony awards including best play.

The story begins with a young boy, Albert, watching a colt grow in the fields. His father purchases the horse, which begins the plot. The weaving story and delightful climax teach about perseverance, love of animals and collaboration even with enemies.

The play and film bring to light the disturbing fact that over 9,586,000 horses were victims of WWI.

Water for Elephants

Water for Elephants was a thought provoking movie. Like The Titanic some of the images are still floating around in my head. The show was complicated and at the same time had some simple messages. The show was about the circus and veterinarians and said, "Don't abuse animals" loud and clear.

It is a violent movie not for the young. The movie starts out with the main character, Jacob's, parents dying. And, we witness some animal abuse.  In the end one wrong is met with another, but in the depression, this is how it was.

Jacob (played by Robert Pattinson) falls in love with married Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) during the story. Parents need to remind children that this isn't appropriate behavior. Both orphans, these characters send messages about survival. This movie had me sitting on the edge of my seat, but as a mom, I was worried about the messages we send to our children as they take in these films.