Morpurgo has 30 books on the HarperCollins list and has sold more than 35 million books worldwide. [71] Awalt, Steven (27 October 2011). "Steven Spielberg on Digital Editing". Facebook. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016 . Retrieved 30 October 2011. In August 2014, Morpurgo was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue. [87] Drive & Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy lead London Critics' Circle Film Awards nominations". Awards Daily. 20 December 2011. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012 . Retrieved 20 December 2011.

Morpurgo, Michael (31 March 2009). "Morpurgo: War Horse is a story I had to write". Evening Standard. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012 . Retrieved 8 March 2011. Morpurgo, Michael (1 January 2014). "First world war centenary is a year to honour the dead but not to glorify". The Guardian. a b Lawson, Mark (12 March 2009). "Mark Lawson talks to the writer of War Horse Michael Morpurgo about abandoning the army, his absent father – and making his acting debut". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 5 January 2020. I won't kid you, it was more money [for the film rights] than I've ever been paid for anything I've ever written. But that wasn't the temptation. The temptation was the chance for an iconic film about the First World War, perhaps as great as All Quiet on the Western Front with its overpowering sense of waste." Michael Morpurgo wrote the 1982 children's novel War Horse after meeting World War I veterans in the Devon village of Iddesleigh where he lived. [8] One had been with the Devon Yeomanry and was involved with horses; Captain Budgett, another veteran in his village, was with the British cavalry and told Morpurgo how he had confided all his hopes and fears to his horse. Both told him of the horrific conditions and loss of life, human and animal, during the Great War. [9] Morpurgo researched the subject further and learned that a million horses died on the British side; he extrapolated an overall figure of 10 million horse deaths on all sides. [10] Of the million horses that were sent abroad from the UK, only 62,000 returned, the rest dying in the war or slaughtered in France for meat. [11]When I'm on an Indy movie, I'm watching Indiana Jones, not the horse he is riding ... Suddenly I'm faced with the challenge of making a movie where I not only had to watch the horse, I had to compel the audience to watch it along with me. I had to pay attention to what it was doing and understand its feelings. It was a whole new experience for me." A Welsh version of the novel, adapted by Casia Wiliam and titled Ceffyl Rhyfel, was published by Gwasg Carreg Gwalch in 2010. [17] Further information [ edit ] Spielberg to Direct WWI Movie 'War Horse' ". archive.is. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. A tie-in book by Steven Spielberg was published by HarperCollins on 27 December 2011. [135] Box office [ edit ]

Vary, Adam B. (1 December 2011). " 'War Horse' TV spot: The cast sells Spielberg's 'emotional journey' ". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011 . Retrieved 2 December 2011. Children are very open; they have wide eyes and if you tell them a story about the suffering of war, they know. They have televisions in the corner of their bedrooms; they know that war is a horrible thing. This is a way, in effect, of allowing them access to what is going on in the lives of these people and has been going on for hundreds of years. Casting for extras took place in Devon in late July 2010. [52] In all, some 5,800 extras were used in the film. [32] The granddaughter of Captain Budgett, one of the World War I veterans who had inspired Morpurgo to write the story, acted as an extra in scenes filmed in Castle Combe, [53] and Morpurgo himself filmed a cameo role there, along with his wife Clare. [54] [55] [56] Filming [ edit ] Ditsworthy Warren House on Dartmoor, which served as the Narracott family farmhouse in the film Hugo and The Artist Lead BFCA Nominees". Awards Daily.com. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012 . Retrieved 13 December 2011. Marino, Joe (26 November 2011). "War Horse: film review". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 26 November 2011 . Retrieved 27 November 2011.

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Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo OBE FRSL FKC DL ( né Bridge; 5 October 1943) [1] is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as War Horse (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelling", [2] for recurring themes such as the triumph of an outsider or survival, for characters' relationships with nature, and for vivid settings such as the Cornish coast or World War I. Morpurgo became the third Children's Laureate, from 2003 to 2005, [3] and he is also the current President of BookTrust, the UK's largest children's reading charity. [4] Early life [ edit ] Gentle Giant was presented as an opera by composer Stephen McNeff and librettist Mike Kenny at the Royal Opera House in 2006. Film versions have been made of Friend or Foe (1981), Private Peaceful (2012) and When the Whales Came (1989), the latter also being adapted to a stage play. My Friend Walter (1988) 'Purple Penguins' (2000) and Out of the Ashes (2001) have been adapted for television. The Guardian describes Private Peaceful, his 2003 novel for older children, as a "humanising and humane work". [73] Children's Laureate [ edit ] Brooke, Simon (29 January 2010). "My perfect weekend: Michael Morpurgo". The Daily Telegraph. London.

Schaefer, Stephen (30 December 2011). "Spielberg on 'War Horse' ". Boston Herald. Boston, US. Archived from the original on 20 January 2012 . Retrieved 5 January 2012.John Williams composed and conducted the film's musical score, the second score composed the same year by Williams for Spielberg after The Adventures of Tintin. [106] Williams took inspiration by visiting a horse farm in California and observing horses and their behavior, saying that "I got in the habit of watching the horses in the morning, and I began to see how they connect to each other and how they became curious about me. That's when I really began to get the sense that horses are very special creatures. They have been magnificent and trusted friends for such a long time and have done so much for us with such grace." [107] The publicity strategy for War Horse unusually featured preview screenings for the public in U.S. heartland areas before either the critics were shown the film or it was screened to the public in major metropolitan areas. The first preview screenings of War Horse were held at various locations across the United States on 1, 2 and 10 November 2011. [125] [126] More preview screenings in the U.S. took place on 27 November, with Spielberg attending a question and answer session at the New York screening that was beamed to the other screening cinemas and shown live on the internet. [127] [128]