War Horse

[gonzalo MX]

War Horse Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

War Horse: The Journey Home (Disc 1, HD, 20 minutes): Director Steven Spielberg hosts two roundtable discussions; one with the film's cast, the other with key members of the creative team and crew. Each half of the twenty-minute featurette has been edited and condensed into bite-sized chats -- a decision that will no doubt leave some grumbling -- but the carefully selected comments that remain offer welcome insight into the production, Spielberg's intentions, the characters and performances, the script and story, the horses and their training, the power of the film's themes, and more.

An Extra's Point of View (Disc 1, HD, 3 minutes): Meet Martin D. Dew, extra extraordinare. He not only appears several times in the film, he worked almost every day of principal photography, filling the boots of British and German soldiers.

A Filmmaking Journey (HD, 64 minutes): While "The Journey Home" provides a relatively concise overview of the production, "A Filmmaking Journey" takes its time, delving into the history behind the story, the development of the film, Richard Curtis and Lee Hall's adaptation, Spielberg's casting, and War Horse's shoot, locations, character arcs (human and equine), battles, production design, visual and practical effects and, really, any and every aspect of the film a fan might want to see explored. It's still not the three-hour monster documentary some Spielberg junkies will be hoping for, but it's quite good and well worth the time.

Editing & Scoring (HD, 9 minutes): Editor Michael Kahn and composer John Williams discuss their personal attachment to the story, their work on the film, and their ongoing collaboration with Spielberg (who weighs in on their efforts as well).

The Sounds of War Horse (HD, 7 minutes): Sound designer Gary Rydstrom hadn't worked with Spielberg in years, but soon found himself working to bring incredible authenticity to the film's sound design, the vocalization of the horses, the unique properties of the various locales, and the horse charges, field clashes, and trench warfare of the first World War.

Through the Producer's Lens (HD, 4 minutes): Producer Kathleen Kennedy shares a beautiful collection of personal photographs taken on location.