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Over the years, you have read about War Horse on this blog. From the week it opened as a play in London to the mega-publicized Spielberg film, The Jurga Report was on it, to the point of even launching a blog about War Horse.
The stars of the Broadway stage and Hollywood’s silver screen had two very different interpretations of the same story. Somewhere in all the publicity, it seems like the original book and the author’s dedication to the story were never front and center.
But the story of War Horse was not a script or a screenplay, in the beginning. It was a beautifully-written book told from the point of view of Joey, the horse who went to war and changed hands so many times. To me, it is an allegory of Black Beauty, who also endured ?so many changes of owners and yet kept a clear eye on the prize. Joey wanted to get back to Albert and the farm in Devon. Beauty wanted to get back to his kind original owners.
You remember how Black Beauty ends: “My ladies have promised that I shall never be sold, and so I have nothing to fear; and here my story ends. My troubles are all over, and I am at home.”
And War Horse? It’s possible that you don’t already know how Joey’s adventures in the war end, so: no spoilers here.
So the appearance of a new?War Horse iPad app brings Joey’s journey full circle: it comes back to the simplicity and sensitivity of the bare-bones story. No puppets, no special effects, no Dolby Sound, no audience applause.
Instead, the War Horse app is a treasure trove of beautiful illustrations, sound recordings, music and history of rural England and World War I. It is technological beautifully clothed in classic art and tasteful graphics. And it is for sale on iTunes for $13.99; who wouldn’t like to receive it as a gift!
What better place to launch this old-fashioned story’s high-tech app than the glass-case Apple Store in London? The Jurga Report‘s steadfast London reporter, Ms. Sam Lane, was on the ground to be part of the evening’s festivities. You can read about the event on the War Horse News blog.
