The movie
starts in English Countryside with a birth of a half thoroughbred foal,
galloping with her mother through the fields. The foal was auctioned on the
market. Ted Narracott bid for the thoroughbred foal in the market. Desiring
to spite his landlord Mr. Lyons and to retain his pride, Ted bids higher and
higher for the colt. The high cost of the horse at 30 guineas means he is
unable to pay rent to Lyons, who threatens to take possession of the farm if
the money is not paid by autumn. Ted promises to the Lyons that he will
meet the deadline and he could plough and plant a lower, rocky field with
turnips. Ted Narracott bought the warhorse for 30 guineas. Ted Narracott
brought the warhorse to his home. Ted’s wife, Rosie said we need a plough horse
not a warhorse. Albert Narracott, son of Ted Narracott and Rosie
Narracott promised that he will out breed the war horse. Albert Narracott
trained the foal to outbred teaches Joey many basic things. Albert Narracott
taught Joey to come when he imitates the call of an owl by blowing
through his cupped hands. Ted, who has a bad leg from a war injury, is
frequently shown drinking alcohol from a flask he carries. Rose shows Albert
his father's medals from the Second Boer War in South Africa, where Ted
served as a sergeant with the Imperial Yeomanry. Ted was severely wounded
in action, and received the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery
under fire. She gives Albert his father's Regimental Pennant, telling
Albert that his father is not proud of what he did during the war, and that he
had thrown the flag and medals away. Albert Narracott taught the foal to plough
on the stony part, his neighbors are astonished that the warhorse could plough.
After ploughing the field, Ted Narracott planted some turnips on the field.
However, a rainstorm destroyed their turnips and crops, which means that Ted
can’t pay to the Lyons. He sells Joey to the young cavalry officer Captain
James Nicholls. as the First World War gets underway. Albert
subsequently pleads with the officer and begs for him not to take the
horse, but Nicholls can only promise that he will take care of Joey as his own
horse and hopefully return him after the war. Albert tries to enlist in the
army but is too young, and before the captain leaves with Joey, Albert ties his
father's pennant to Joey's bridle. Joey was trained in military and becomes
attached to Topthorn, a black horse. They became friends. The two horses are
deployed to France with a flying column under the command of Nicholls and
Major Jamie Stewart. When Captain James Nicholls and his cavalry were charging
through a German encampment, They met with the concentrated firepower of
emplaced machine guns. Nicholls is killed along with most of his fellow
cavalrymen, and the Germans capture the horses. Joey and Topthorn was captured
and then made to pull ambulances under the supervision of brothers Michael and Gunther.
Michael, who is 14 years old, is soon told he would be marching to the
frontlines while Gunther will stay and tend to the horses. This does not bode
well for Gunther and he kidnaps Michael while he is marching and both of them
desert. They flee to a windmill where both of them try to get some sleep. They
are soon captured and executed by German forces. Joey and Topthorn, both still
in the windmill, are found by the owner’s daughter, a girl named Emilie. She
shows them to her grandfather, who is only known as grandfather throughout the
movie, and she is allowed to keep them. Soon, German forces raid the farm and
take all jams as well as the fruits, leaving Emilie and her grandfather broke.
Despite a bone disease Emilie has where they break easily, her grandfather
eventually lets her ride Joey. She somehow rides them straight into German
forces, where they seize ownership of the horses. They are delegated to a
German man named Heiglemann, who loves horses and have a genuine care for Joey
and Topthorn. In 1918, Albert was enlisted and fighting alongside with Andrew
in the second battle of Somme, under the commands of Lyon’s son, David. The
British Army charged into no man’s land, where they all survived the initial
charge. There were fights between 2 opposing sides. Albert, Andrew, and
other British soldiers miraculously make it across into a deserted German
trench, where a gas bomb explodes, filling the trench with poison
gas, killing Andrew. Joey and Topthorn have survived years of hard service
in the German army, but Topthorn finally succumbs to exhaustion and dies.
Heiglemann is dragged away by other German soldiers, he left Joey to face an
incoming tank. Joey jumped over the tank, which is doing something it never
done before. Joey is chased by a tank and he escapes by jumping over the German
trenches, barely surviving the gunshots and mortar explosions. While
Joey was galloping across the German trenches, he is caught into the barbed
wire and left lying down in no-man’s-land. Both sides saw the horses and
there’s one representative of both sides to help Joey. Colin, a British soldier
which is a representative of Britain to help Joey free from the wire, getting
help from Peter, a German soldier from Düsseldorf. Together,
they eventually free the horse from the wires, but argues over
who gets to take it back. Trying to prevent a conflict over a small
matter, they flip a coin. Colin wins, and gets to take Joey back to
the British Territory. Albert had his eyes damaged after a gas attack, and Joey
was brought to a doctor and the doctor said that he couldn’t do anything. Joey
was almost executed but Albert started to calling him, with a whistle. The
execution was cancelled when Albert proved that Joey is his horse after he gave
a brief description that Joey has a diamond head, 4 white socks. Town bells
rang, marking the end of World War One. By then, Albert had regained his
sight, but was forced to let Joey go. Joey was to be auctioned in public,
with no other exceptions. Gaining help, Albert managed to raise some pounds to
purchase Joey back in the auction. However, the auction is
interrupted by an old man who bids at 100 pounds, and dared anyone to bid
higher. No one did, and the horse was automatically sold to this man.
Albert grieves that he did not win Joey in the auction and is helpless in
persuading the old man. Albert bids farewell, and as they part ways, Joey
escapes the old man’s grip on his leash and heads back to Joey, astonishing the
old man. Albert, seeing this, leads the horse back to the now amazed
man. But instead of taking Joey away, the old man gives
Joey back to Albert and introduces himself, saying that he is a
French Grandfather who had just lost his granddaughter, Emilie. He
purchased the horse because it was the only thing that would preserve the
memory of his granddaughter. In the end, Grandfather gave Joey and Albert’s
father Regimental Pennant back. In the end of the scene, in the evening we saw
Albert riding Joey on his way back home and greeted by his mother and dad,
Rosie Narracott and Ted Naraccott who gives their little boy a hug, as a sign
of respect.
The theme in
the movie is all about War, Loyalty, and Friendship. In the movie, there were
lots of war scenes and the movie is actually based mainly on the war itself. It
uses the war to make the impression of Joey the horse and Albert being
separated by the war, but they both met again by their friendship bond. At the
first scenes of the movie before Joey was taken to war, Albert was seen
promising that he would find Joey wherever he is, and take him back home.
In the end, his words become reality as he finds Joey back together. In
the end, The movie is all about the friendship and loyalty that Albert and Joey shared
together.
6:17 PM
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