Even though you can clearly see the puppeteers, the focus and emotion on the horse is so genuine-like! It's to the point you where you can no longer see those puppeteers!
I saw the production of 'War Horse' earlier this year and it was amazing! The realization of the horses is absolutely incredible and it was a stirring tribute to those men and horses who lost their lives in the Great War.
Looks really good. The only thing that seems wrong to me is that Joey moves around with his head a lot, even when he's just standing. Horses are really good at standing still and looking completely bored for a pretty long time.
They need to exaggerate the horse's behaviour to some extent, because it's easier for a real horse to look alive. Just like an actor need to speak loud enough for the audience to hear, even in the scenes where a character is thinking or whispering.
Yeah, you are correct. Not when they are on stage with some guy that is gesturing broadly with his hands. They are trained to act like a real horse. I know my horse, who is well trained, would be nervous on stage with daddy warbucks.
At least a million. Adding on to what Isatu Bangura said, its handmade, which means the production takes a longer time than if it's made by machine, and people want money for handmade things, so I wouldn't be surprised if Joey costs more than a million
Meggie Khantsis million is abit much considering how much full classic car restorations cost and the man hours. Maybe a few thousand depending on labour costs.
@@tobyrutter3776 When I saw the play in London, it was possible to buy a copy of the little goose that appears in the 'farmyard' scenes. He was a life-size goose with wing and (I think) beak movement, and he was £5000.
Yes, a rider gets on top, there is an aluminum frame that supports the rider and the frame comes down the puppeteers' backs and attaches to a belt like harness they wear around their waist and that takes the weight- shared by both, so if a 130# rider is up there, each puppeteer is holding about 65# plus half the weight of Joey which is around 120#, so they are carrying about 125# each with a rider on top, not a whole lot if you are in shape, but trotting around with that weight added to you can get tiring fast.
Hi there, I love this film. I am creating a short film about how horses help us. I really need a contact so that I can ask if there is any footage I can use in my film of the War Horse puppet.
the breathing of the horse is not believable, any horseperson would not buy the up and down movement. Horse show signs of life by other small movements of shifting weight and the up and down breathing is just as fake as if a person (or human puppet would breathe up and down, hence bad idea.) and the person operating the backend, had the horse completely dis-engaged (hindlegs setting on the ground too far back) both of these things made the puppet look like it was being operated by people who don't know horses at all.
Richard, when I saw the play I wasn't aware of the horse's breathing. I did think, though, that his movements, reactions etc were EXACTLY as I would have expected, as someone who has been around horses my entire life (nearly 70 years now). The responses when the two horses meet each other for the first time - neck arching, snorting, pawing, wheeling around and kicking - are perfect. At one stage the horse Joey is being broken to harness and is throwing a tantrum because he doesn't like it. I was in the front row and was quite concerned that I was in a prime location for being kicked - he was as convincing as that! All I can say is go and see it - it is a phenomenal piece of theatre and the operators have obviously studied horse behaviour extensively.
