THE WATER HORSE

UK/US, 112 minutes, Colour.
Emily Watson, Alex Etel, Ben Chaplin, David Morrissey, Priyanka Xi, Marshall Napier, Brian Cox.
Directed by Jay Russell.

Dick King- Smith is best known for his story of the pig who wanted to be a sheep-pig, Babe.

The Water Horse is his story of Crusoe, a Celtic legendary water horse, only one of whom lives at any one time. Hatched from an egg, it grows into what we best know as the Loch Ness monster. In fact, this is something of a tongue-in-cheek Loch Ness monster story, told by an old man in a pub to two American tourists.

The main story takes place in 1942 in the highlands of Scotland (with some local footage but New Zealand standing in for Scottish lakes and mountains). Young Angus Mc Morrow finds a mysterious egg on the rocks and takes it into his father’s old shed. His father is away at the war and his mother and sisters find they are suddenly billeted with British soldiers led by a rather pompous David Morrissey. They are assigned a wounded war hero as a handyman.

There is a lot of what you might expect in this kind of story: the boy is attached to the creature but finds he has to let Crusoe go into the wild of the lake; the handyman tells him the legends and becomes an ally, along with his sister, for keeping Alex’s secret from their mother; when the army mascot (called Churchill) scents Crusoe there are chases, pratfalls and mayhem; some of the locals try to photograph Crusoe so that, after the war, tourists will come to Loch Ness to see the fabled monster; Crusoe is mistaken for a German submarine in the loch and is fired on. But, even if it is familiar, it is all done so nicely with a more sensible British approach to matters – and with a Scots burr.

The scenery is attractive, the period of the war well re-created, and Crusoe has been manufactured by Weta Studios in Wellington which, since The Lord of the Rings, has been doing non-stop work for New Zealand and overseas movies.

Alex Etel plays Angus, a rather serious but endearing actor – who was so good at seeing the saints in Millions. Emily Watson is his mother and Ben Chaplin the handyman.

There is something for most audiences, children and parents and audiences who enjoyed the exhilarating rides of Whale Rider and Free Willy won’t mind the similarities and the excitement of Angus riding Crusoe over (and under) the loch.

1.Dick King- Smith’s stories, the focus on animals, humans?

2.The Scots story, the New Zealand locations, the mountains, lakes? The score? The Chieftains’ music? Sinead O’Connor’s? song?

3.The title, the legend, Celtic, reality?

4.The framework: old Angus, the pub, the American tourists, his telling the tale, their becoming excited, his memories, his final identity?

5.World War Two, 1942, the Scottish atmosphere, the shore, the lake, the water, the house? The possibility of German submarines? The billeting of the soldiers, the occupation of the house? The grounds? Training, guns, the firing of the guns? The stiff-upper-lip style?

6. Angus as the focus, on the shore, imagining himself drowning, collecting the shells, finding the egg, his special room, his father’s workroom, his memory of his father, the memorabilia on the wall, the calendar? His relationship with his mother, his sister? Life in the house? Discovery of the egg, its hatching, calling the creature Crusoe? Feeding it with the potato, giving it water, keeping it as a pet? Kirsty and her discovery of Crusoe in the bath, her reaction? Crusoe growing? Lewis’s arrival, talking about the myths, the dog chasing Crusoe, the mess in the house? Taking the creature to the water, Lewis helping? Angus as a boy, quiet, delighted with Crusoe? Confined to his room by his mother, getting out, going to the shore, the ride on Crusoe’s back, under the water, the experience? Hamilton and his wanting to impose discipline, giving Angus various jobs, cleaning the cars, chores, the drill? Angus running away?

7.Kirsty, her relationship with her brother, sharing the experience of Crusoe, with the soldiers?

8.Angus’s mother, widow, the hard life, the upkeep of the house, welcoming the soldiers, dressing for dinner, the mess with the chase, her relationship with her children, discipline? Disappointment that Angus could not accept his father’s death?

9.Hamilton, his style, pompous, uniform, the dinner, his criticisms of Lewis, finding out the truth about him, the attacks?

10.Lewis, initial arrogance, sullen, the shed, severe with Angus, with Angus’s mother, the reaction to Hamilton, the truth about his heroism? Mellowing, helping Crusoe in the bath, telling the story of the myths, supporting Angus, taking Crusoe to the lake?

11.The kitchen, the cook, his dog, flirting with the servant, their dancing, the kiss, the children seeing? Seeing Crusoe? Everything flung around the kitchen?

12.The hunter, taking the cook, the killing of the deer? His sinister face, on the boat, the pursuit of Crusoe, defeated, Mayday?

13.The war, the training, the firing of the cannons? The discovery of Crusoe? Angus on Crusoe’s back, the firing of the cannon, the wire to keep out the submarines, Crusoe leaping it to freedom?

14.Crusoe, as a creature, small, growing, chased by the dog, the comic touches, the water, the experience of the war, love for Angus, freedom?

15.The fisherman, the photo, the newspaper article, wanting tourists, the origins of the Loch Ness Monster?

16.How enjoyable this hypothesis about Loch Ness? The older Angus telling the story, the American tourists listening? A memoir of the period?