Purely Joyful Movie!

An action-packed slog

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I am watching this movie right now and was about to delete it from my PVR to make space. I thought I would have a quick look to see what it was like and it hooked me from the start. The acting is good if not great and the story holds the attention well. It is not a sentimentalised view of war as the synopsis might indicate and it does not gloss over the brutality of war either. It has the qualities of good anti war movies like The Red Badge of Courage or All Quiet on the Western Front - no bad thing. Channel 5 doesn't always have dross movies on in the afternoon obviously-many I have tried have been awful cheap romances or unthrilling "thrillers"!!

I was leery of the title, as it sounded somewhat sentimental, yet our local librarian recommended my selection. Good call. This movie, unlike some Civil War movies, offers a real look at the humanity behind the soldier. What is mesmerizing is how the birth of a colt to an army mare changed the persona of the unit. The colt has all sorts of symbolism: new life among death; hope; redemption; promise. I hope to find a copy of the short story the film is based on and compare it to this film. One of the best scenes is when Jim, the main character, is sharing a meal with a farm family and as he describes his home state, he breaks down in tears from homesickness and despair. A touching and revealing film. A different look at the Civil War. While the ending is a horrible surprise, it is fitting for the irony portrayed throughout the film.

This is what I usually want to see when I see any story about war. The men who fight in wars are human beings. They harbor their own dreams, apart from the dreams which the war they fight in tries to instill into them.It reminds me of the last scene in "All Quiet on the Western Front." Man's This is not another movie about the Civil War. It does not gloss over the ugly parts and it does not make the tender parts too pretty.What it does reveal is that men will always be weak and strong, and brave and scared and that to fight in a war is one of, is not the, most difficult thing a man can do in his life.If we can be grateful, in the face of these calamities, it can only be vainglorious in contrast to the very sacrifices which we can only imagine were made on our behalf and will be made on our behalf for much more time to come.While The Colt may only be a story, it had to be made. Mainly because as long as men fight wars, they must never forget that there is honor in many other things that war does not reveal about men.I recommend it very highly.

THE COLT presented in a straightforward manner the tragedies of war from the individual soldier's point of view, on both sides. Important message for children to understand is that there are "good guys", decent human beings, on both sides. (This reminded me of some of Tolstoi's scenes in WAR and PEACE where one sees other individual soldiers struggling with the horrors of war).The interplay between this wonderful little animal and the soldiers was another effective way to teach children about caring for something more vulnerable and innocent than ourselves.I found the cinematography very beautiful at times and would enjoy sharing this film with many other friends and family, preferably with commercials left to the end or presented at the beginning.