The Steven Spielberg War Movie That Drew Inspiration From a John Wayne and John Ford Classic

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Although Steven Spielberg is often celebrated as the most significant filmmaker of his time, a previous generation would have given that some honor to the great John Ford. Ford has dozens of classic films on his resume, and Spielberg has certainly not been shy about citing him as a major inspiration; a young Spielberg was mentored by Ford when he first entered the industry, which he recreated directly during the final scenes of his semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans. Spielberg is known for making tremendous leaps forward with the special effects in his films, but Ford was also quite revolutionary in terms of his approach to visual storytelling. Spielberg cited the classic romantic drama The Quiet Man as a major inspiration for his World War I epic War Horse.

'The Quiet Man' Was an Inspiration on 'War Horse'

Ford won his fourth Academy Award for Best Director for The Quiet Man, a romantic dramedy that centered around the Irish-American boxer Sean Thorton (John Wayne), who returns home to his home in Inisfree after a tragedy occurs in the ring. One of the most notable aspects of The Quiet Man was the long shots that Ford employed to make the most of the natural landscapes; the film was actually shot on location in Ireland, which was a novelty at the time. Spielberg was inspired to use long takes for War Horse, which was centered on the journey of a horse that passes between various owners throughout World War I. Spielberg admitted that it was “kind of fun to put a wide angle lens on and not be shooting close-ups all the time,” and that he enjoyed working in Ford’s style. He found that these techniques forced him to be more creative, as he revealed that it was “much easier to show somebody’s arms and head and legs getting blown off than it is to do it another way,” which he found to be a “challenge.”

Although Spielberg’s film was far more epic in scope compared to Ford’s, the influence of The Quiet Man on War Horse is evident because both films treat the land itself as a character — but they do so in distinct ways. In The Quiet Man, John Ford romanticizes Inisfree, capturing its lush beauty to reflect Thorton’s growing love for both Mary Kate (Maureen O’Hara) and the sense of belonging he finds there. Ford was able to give the audience the same perspective as the character, as he showed the beautiful small town in elaborate detail. War Horse examined the evolution of Europe over time, and how the darkness of the war led to a collapsing of values and mass devastation. By showing the eeriness of the land torn down by war, Spielberg was able to make the few moments of hope and inspiration feel even more empowering. Both films justify their extended running time because they are so absorbing on a visual level.

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What Other John Ford Films Inspired Steven Spielberg?

While The Quiet Man is the signature influence, War Horse is in debt to many of the great films that Ford made. The exciting sequences of horse riding combat bear much in common with some of Ford’s great westerns, such as She Wore A Yellow Ribbon and The Searchers. The film’s structure is also quite similar to Ford’s American historical epic How The West Was Won, as both films explored an expansive period in time by switching between several different characters within a vast ensemble. Though War Horse is primarily set on the battlefield, the early scenes in a small British town could be compared to the earnest examination of civilian life within Ford’s Best Picture-winning classic How Green Was My Valley.

The visual beauty of War Horse is one of the reasons that it is among Spielberg’s most underrated films, and deserves to be remembered as one of the better projects that he worked on in the 21st century. Although some viewers may have been expecting an action spectacle like Raiders of the Lost Ark or a gritty drama like Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg created an experimental, atmospheric period piece that was unafraid to get sentimental. Even if it sparked mixed reception among Spielberg’s fans, War Horse is most certainly a film that Ford would have been proud of.