War Horse

- Come on, easy. Easy, girl. - Easy.

- Easy. - Good. That'll do it.

- Steady. - Good girl.

Steady.

Good girl! Good girl!

This is a stubborn one, huh?

Easy. Attagirl.

There we go.

Who's a clever girl, then?

Come on, boy. Come here.

Come on, boy.

Come on.

Come on. Easy does it, easy does it. Come on.

Steady there, boy. Steady, boy. That's it. Nice and done now, isn't it?

Hey, hey!

Morning, Pop.

Put your mark here.

Good luck.

Get the colt.

Whoa, whoa.

Easy. Hey.

Now that's a beauty.

Forget it, Ted. He's half thoroughbred. Not got a day's work in him.

Now there...

There's your ticket.

But look at him, Si.

Look at that creature.

Don't be daft. You need something solid to plough a field.

Yeah, but he's something else, that one.

All right, ladies and gentlemen, settle down, settle down.

Horses on my right,

men with money in their pockets on my left.

It's the perfect combination.

- Is Fred Goddard here? - Yes, I's here!

Good. More money than sense.

- Dave Hill! - I'm here, yes!

Bugger off, you tight bastard.

You've been coming here for 20 years,

never bought so much as a pork scratching!

Come on.

All right. First up today, a gorgeous young horse.

Prettiest young thing I've seen since my wife on our wedding day.

Let's get going, shall we? Who wants this wonderful creature?

One guinea!

One guinea. One guinea.

I thought you needed a plough horse, Mr Narracott.

One guinea. Any advance on one guinea?

- Two guineas! - Two guineas.

- Three. - Three guineas.

Ted Narracott, it's completely the wrong animal.

Si Easton, I'm not gonna let that bastard see me off.

- Five guineas! - Five guineas!

- Six! - Oh, for the love of...

- Seven! - Seven guineas.

Greedy sod. Thinks he can just buy anybody. Eight!

Stop it. He's your landlord. You can't be picking fights with him.

- Ten guineas! - Ten guineas.

You haven't got the money. Let's go home, let's have a pint.

Eleven guineas, sir! From as good a man as any in this town!

Do I hear 12 guineas? Twelve guineas.

That's top price for a working animal. Ted, save it for the shire!

There are big days and there are small days. Which will it be?

Do I hear any advance on 11 guineas?

Just let him go, Dad. I don't care for him. He's too jumpy.

Shall we say 25?

- Twenty-five guineas. - He's got you there. Nice try, Ted.

You were great, Mr. N.

- Gave him a run for his money. - Going, going...

Thirty!

Thirty guineas!

Thirty guineas.

Thirty guineas.

Going,

going,

gone! To Mr Ted Narracott!

What have you done, Ted? What have you done?

Here you are, Ted.

Quite a beast there. What are you gonna do with him on a working farm?

I hope you got the rent, Ted. I'll be around for it when it comes due.

You're a fool, Ted. And now Rosie will never forgive you.

- What have you done? - That's Mooney's colt.

You were supposed to buy a plough horse!

You bought him?

What'd you pay for him?

How much, Ted Narracott?

I won't tell you a lie, though I would love to.

Thirty guineas!

Thirty guineas?

He's not worth 10! Are you out of your mind? What about the rent?

He's a strong one, Rosie. Look at the way he holds his head.

How the hell are we gonna pull anything with that?

Ted, you have to take him back. You have to take him back right now.

You have to get down on your knees and beg for our money back.

No. No, please, don't take him back.

We can't take him back until he's broken in.

And how are you gonna train a horse with that leg?

I'll train him.

You stay out of this, Albert. You don't know nothing about horses.

Please, Mum. Please, let me. I can do it.

We have to keep him. No choice.

Right. Well, you got one month to break him in,

or I'm taking him back myself.

How'd you get to 30? What other fool bid you up that high?

It was Lyons.

We're going to lose everything.

After all we've been through, we're going to lose it all.

Don't worry, Mum. I'll raise him. I'll raise him good.

Well, you better. Go on, get started!

See if a child can undo what your fool of a father's done to this family of ours.

Easy, boy. Easy. Easy.

Right.

Let's make a start then.

It's oats.

Very tasty, that is. It's beef and gravy to us.

Come on.

I'll bet you're missing your mother.

Look at you.

First time without your mum. First time away from home.

But you're not alone, are you?

In fact.

'Cause I'm here.

It's all right.

All right.

I'm going to call you Joey. You understand?

Joey. That's you.

And I'm Albert.

It's all right. You're mine now.

You're mine.

Good boy. Good boy.

Good boy. Come on.

Whoa.

I want you to stay there, Joey.

Stay.

That's it.

Good boy. That's it, you got it.

Hey, look at him, Albie!

He's playing Grandma's Footsteps!

All right. Come on, Joey. Back you go. Come on.

Come on. Back you go. You're all right.

That's it. Good boy. All right.

You got to stay there. You understand?

That's it. Good boy. Good boy.

You've got it. Good boy.

Good boy.

Good.

Now call him. Whistle.

Come now, Joey.

Come on.

You can come now, Joey.

- I don't think he fancies your owls. - I read it in a story.

It's how the Indians used to summon their horses.

Now, Joey, when I whistle, you've got to come. Understand?

My dad had a dog who stayed when you called him.

He used to run up behind you when you weren't looking, and...

He's not a dog.

He's just puzzling it through.

Will you look at you!

Albie!

There's only 15 here.

The rest will come.

You know by rights I could take this farm back today, don't you?

And I'm a great believer in my rights.

It will come.

If you drank less beer and bought fewer horses,

you might be able to look your landlord in the eye, Narracott.

I said I'll pay you. We're going to plant the bottom field.

The bottom field's rock hard. Only stones down there.

No. We're going to plough it.

Just give me till the autumn. I'll pay every penny I owe you, with interest.

How are you going to plough it? Not with that fancy animal of yours.

He'll do it.

You'll not get that one in a harness, let alone pulling a plough,

even drunk on a Tuesday night. You know that.

And I can't wait for the money, there's a war coming.

I promise you that field will be ploughed.

We'll plant it with turnips.

The money will be yours when harvest comes.

Please, sir. Please.

Very well.

If that fancy ploughs that field,

I'll give you till October to set things straight.

What if he doesn't?

I'll take the horse on the day he fails.

And I'll take your father's farm, and give it to working men who can

hold their pints and hold their heads high in decent company.

No, please. Sir, you can't do that.

Now, now, lad. What? Are you bladdered as well?

Ted Narracott, I've got you down in my book.

- You can't harness him. - He's got to be collared.

You're scaring him, Dad! You're scaring him.

- He can't take a plough! - He's got to plough!

He won't be able to do it!

He's too young. He's not even been backed yet!

Ted!

It's all right, boy. It's all right. It's all right. It's all right.

I knew this would happen as soon as I laid eyes on him.

Ted, no.

Ted, no!

He's worth nothing to me.

If he won't take the collar, he's not worth a damn thing!