Spielberg's Tin Tin and War Horse: Appealing to His Demographics

Steven Spielberg knows his audiences.  This season he has released two films:  The Adventures of Tin Tin and War Horse.  Both have generated a lot of awards buzz and both definitely cater to particular demographics.  Of the two, War Horse has an old-fashioned wide appeal and is the better film  likely to generate Oscar attention. 

Like Scorsese’s Hugo, Tin Tin represents Spielberg’s foray into 3D and animation.  Specifically, it’s a motion capture animated film:  live actors perform the characters’ actions which are later animated digitally. This means it’s supposed to look like real-life but because the action isn’t “live” per se, it allows characters and the story to go in places impossible with real-life.  Tin Tin is based on a very popular British comic book series that is mostly unknown here in the U.S.  The title character looks like he’s twelve but seems to live a pretty adventurous adult life.  Of course, we really don’t know much about him as the film represents only one of several Tin Tin stories.  He jumps into a high flying adventure before any character development is even attempted.

This is where I had the most problem with the film.  I didn’t care much about him or what he was trying to accomplish.  He’s ironically a two-dimensional character in a 3D world.  The action scenes are pretty amazing, particularly one in the latter half of the film featuring a bird carrying an important scroll.  But generally I lost interest during these scenes.  One, involving a plane flying through a storm was ridiculously over-the-top.  The issue here is that we’re just supposed to be wowed by the action without any concern for story logic or depth.

Still, I would say the film will likely appeal to a certain young male demographic.  It’s very stimulating, but it’s also quite violent.  As such, it’s more appropriate for a teen than a small boy.  This forty-something boy wasn’t particularly impressed by anything other than the technique.

War Horse is another matter.  It’s a beautifully well-directed production with excellent cinematography by Janusz Kaminski.  The story concerns a boy’s affection for a horse he trains just before the start of World War 1.  Meant to plow the family’s fields, the rambunctious horse is initially seen by the matriarch of the family (Emily Watson) as a badly made purchase decision.  Young Albert Narracott though believes he can train a winner.  When he finally does, the war breaks out and the horse is sold as part of the war effort.  An appropriately upset Albert vows to find him again. 

This is a very family-oriented film that tugs at the heartstrings.  I had seen the Broadway stage version of the story earlier in the year.  I thought it was a bit too sentimental with an unlikely story arc.  I still believe that to a point but Spielberg somehow makes it work.  Every aspected of the technical production is flawless, from the actors to the colors and production design.  The film is less about the horse though than about its effect on the people who come in contact with him during the war.  The accompanying sub-plots may feel a bit superfluous at times, but they are nicely developed and richly mounted. 

The film also attempts to explore just how involved these animals were in the war effort.  A key scene illustrating this involves the horrifying layers of barbed wire that the horses must run through during the most frightening of battles.  Many of course are also killed or destroyed by man after serious injuries. 

Spielberg also stages some incredible war scenes that in part seem to be paying homage to one of his favorite war films, 1930’s All Quiet on the Western Front.  The scenes are intense and disturbing while also masterfully shot. 

It’s probably the last quarter of the film that doesn’t quite work for me, mostly because it comes across as overly cliche and not quite grounded in reality.  Scenes even shot in an almost dream-like manner with quietly falling snowflakes, muted colors, and a  mysteriously majestic-looking sky.

It’s an ending that will likely satisfy the wide audience which will see it.  In other words, this is a film for those who like old-fashioned Hollywood-endings vs. the rawness of most independent and international filmmaking today.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  It’s heart-tugging, beautiful filmmaking that doesn’t do anything particularly new or innovative.  It’s Spielberg once again giving his audience exactly what they expect from him.