Companions

Steven Spielberg has always successfully straddled the line between art and commerce and between pretension and entertainment. Few other directors know how to stage big emotional moments that would probably degenerate into dripping kitsch with other filmmakers, but with Spielberg are just pure emotion. Just think of the ending of E.T., which is nasty kitsch in itself, but works perfectly because of Spielberg's flair for such scenes and has become one of the great moments in cinema history. And it's that flair, then, that ensures Spielberg's latest, Companions, still works quite wonderfully despite plenty of kitsch and pathos and a somewhat overstuffed story.

Based on the novel Companions of Fate by Michael Morpurgo and the stage play based on it, Spielberg's film tells the story of the deep friendship between a horse named Joey and a young boy named Albert (Jeremy Irvine). After his father Ted (Peter Mullan) spends all his money on the horse at an auction, the stubborn animal quickly seems to turn out to be an absolute bad buy, leading to repeated arguments between Albert's parents. But the young man believes in the horse and, with a great deal of perseverance and dedication, manages to tame Joey and train him to work in the fields. But then World War I breaks out and Ted, in order to ensure the survival of his family, has to sell Joey to a British cavalry officer. From then on, the horse embarks on an adventurous and dangerous journey, meeting new companions along the way, from British officers to German soldiers to a little French girl. Somewhere between life and death, between the enemy lines, the war seems to have separated Joey and Albert for good.

Whoever thinks that Companions is a typical horse movie, which is more something for little girls and only offers harmless family entertainment, is sorely mistaken. Steven Spielberg has made a visually stunning epic that not only tells the wonderful story of a friendship, but also captures the horror of the First World War in very raw, realistic images. His film is at times sad, at other times amusing, at other times terrifying, at other times just beautiful. It sounds like a pretty crude mix that shouldn't actually work. And that's exactly what would probably be the case if Spielberg hadn't pulled out all the stops of his skills. With great imagery captured by his regular cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, a wonderfully epic and sultry theme by his court composer John Williams, and great set design by production designer Rick Carter, Spielberg has tied all the various elements of the story together so expertly that it's hard not to just drift along with what's going on.

Admitting that this review is not entirely objective, Steven Spielberg has been one of my all-time favorite directors since an early age. Even in his weaker works I've always been able to find something positive, so there really isn't a Spielberg film that I don't like as a whole. However, even if I try to put aside my personal attitude towards the director and concede that companions is not one of his best works, I can't see the weaknesses that are definitely present as serious enough to not consider this film as quite great emotional cinema.

One of those weaknesses is certainly the fact that the almost episodic narrative structure makes it hard to get involved with the human characters. True, all of the actors, from newcomer Jeremy Irvine to Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch to the great German hope David Kross, deliver more than convincing performances. But their characters almost inevitably remain superficial, as they are only brief companions on the journey Joey must face in the turmoil of war. Spielberg does try to take enough time at the beginning to establish the close friendship between Albert and Joey, ensuring the film's big emotional climax. However, after the horse is separated from its owner, so many other plot lines follow that by the end it's hard to still feel the intensity of the bond between Albert and his horse, which is conveyed very believably at the beginning. That's not to say that the ending doesn't work and might not provide a tear or two for viewers who are built close to the water. Still, getting there feels a bit overstuffed and drawn out at times, which probably doesn't help the film's emotional impact.

Long story short, companions is kitsch and pathos the way only Steven Spielberg can direct it: big, moving, and just plain wonderful. If you like his style and are willing to invest a little seat meat, you'll be rewarded with a great film about friendship and loyalty, where horror and beauty are very close, and which isn't ashamed to manipulate its audience's tear ducts without restraint. Absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp