History Literature / WarHorse

'''Colin:''' Big strapping German girls. eh? Kind what give robust massages?\\

** [[AdaptationalHeroism This seems to be averted in the film adaptation]]. The prideful father puts his family in financial danger but is portrayed as flawed and more sympathetic and more remorseful of his action. And even though Joey manages to plow the field that Narracott Sr. was gambling the future of the farm on, a torrential rainstorm ruins the crop. In order to make the rent he has to sell Joey to the war effort, and he is visibly remorseful while doing so. And it's even implied that by the end of the film that the fact that his son went off to face the horrors war like he did managed to get him to sober up.

** The film also does this with costumes - for example, the Germans start with picklehaube helmets but later get stahlhelms.

* TranslationConvention: There are scenes where characters are speaking German or French while the actors are speaking Englsh. The dialogue makes the failure of comprehension clear. It does seem strange that no English or German soldiers know any foreign languages and that no communication is possible even if the words spoken would be almost the same in English & German.

* WeHaveReserves: A German Captain pretty much treats Horses this way, having them pull guns until they die of exhaustion, and the life expectancy of a draught horse was about 18 months on the Allied side and rather less on the German side due to poor feed and overwork. This wounds up making him looking even more callous (and stupid) since both sides viewed draft horses as a strategic resource as critical as gasoline and rubber would be in World War II, and in Germany the supply of replacement horses was so short that instead of being needlessly wasted, as shown in the film and play, their well being was often placed above that of the human soldiers.

*** In the movie Colin is present throughout the following scenes, accompanying Joey even after he is reunited with Albert.

[[caption-width-right:200:And like Barleycorn, who rose from the grave, a new year will rise up again.]]

** It's a little ambiguous whether [[spoiler: she]] has died or not. [[spoiler: Her grandfather answers, 'The war takes everything from eveybody' when asked by Albert where she is. But when Albert asks her name he says 'Emilie. Her name is Emilie' hinting that she may still be alive]]. While it seems most likely [[spoiler: she]] has died, there may be other explanations for why [[spoiler: she]] is no longer with [[spoiler: her grandfather]].

* CliffHanger: The end of the first act shows Joey and a fellow horse charging towards the enemy, then forced to take a leap of faith over some barbed wire quite literally into the audience.

* CombatPragmatist: Major Stewart is shown to be more than willing to fight via ambush, which irks [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen Captain Nicholls]]. Pity they were both beaten by even stronger German [[CombatPragmatist combat pragmatists]], who [[NeverBringAKnifeToAGunFight had Maxim guns]].

* EpicFail: Albert impresses [[UpperClassTwit David]]'s upper class girl friend by having Joey run even faster than their car. He tries to up this by having Joey jump over the fence. Joey couldn't. But he could sure brake very quickly.

* FireForgedFriends: David and Albert overcome their class differences after the war and seem to become friends. David even volunteered to help declare Joey as an officer's horse to ensure he does not get auctioned off after the war.

* {{Irony}}: Albert's cousin Billy, with whom Albert competes with before the war, is given a knife by his father and told, "let this knife protect you as it did me and my father." [[spoiler:He ends up being shot after being taken prisoner because he possessed a knife.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Michael keeps his vow to protect his brother Gunther by pulling him out of line and deserting with him. The officer who had earlier been lenient concerning the horses easily finds and executes them for deserting, with evident remorse.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: It is not really clear what happened to Major Stewart and Lt. Waverly after being captured in the first failed Ambush to German forces.

** We don't know if Colin and Pieter, who formed a friendship despite being on opposing sides, survived the war or ever met each other again.

* BadassMustache: Creator/BenedictCumberbatch sports a rather impressive one.

* NotSoDifferent: Both sides are clearly shown to have leaders who keep throwing blood and metal into the war, whereas their troops and horses are decent people just trying to survive.

* OnlyTheLeadsGetAHappyEnding: In the FilmOfTheBook only Joey and Albert (and his family as well) get a happy ending. The other characters die or are left without nothing to live for (Like Emilie's grandfather)

* BlackBestFriend: Taylor to Albert. Topthorn to Joey as well, if we take the trope name at face value.

* [[ABoyAndHisX A Boy and His Horse]]

* MomentOfSilence: In the movie, there are a Moment of Silence and subtle PlayingTheHeartStrings setting in shortly before [[spoiler: Captain Nicholls is shot]] during the cavalry charge, combined with SlowMotion. Seconds later, when you see [[spoiler: the [[KilledOffscreen riderless horse]]]] running through the forest, {{Taps}} are starting to play.

* ManlyTears: All over the place--it's [[WarIsHell a war movie, after all]]. During an interview, ''LoveActually'' director Richard Curtis commented that Creator/TomHiddleston's eyes [[WhatBeautifulEyes are so piercing]] that Jeremy Irvine started crying in the scene where Nicholls buys Joey just to "distract people from the blueness."

* BodyHorror: The use of skull-like masks in the play sends the wounded soldiers in the first act deep into this trope.

[[caption-width-right:200:But like Barleycorn, who rose from the grave, a new year will rise up again.]]