Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg today heaped praise on the British countryside’s ”abundance of natural beauty” after finishing shooting his latest film War Horse.
The acclaimed director gushed over scenery on Dartmoor in Devon after he spent weeks there making his new movie War Horse.
Spielberg, 63, chose the windswept location for the film – an adaptation of the novel by British author Michael Morpurgo.
The star said he had been ”gifted” by the stunning scenery and had ”hardly scratched the surface” of what it has to offer.
He said: ”I have never before, in my long and eclectic career, been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty as I experienced filming War Horse on Dartmoor.
”And, with two-and-a-half weeks of extensive coverage of landscapes and skies, I hardly scratched the surface of the visual opportunities that were offered to me.”
Spielberg, responsible for the cinematic classics Jaws, ET, Schindler’s List and Indiana Jones, was filming on moorland at Sheepstor near Yelverton.
A spokesman for Surrey-based production company, Afterworks Ltd, said the shoot was ”incredibly successful”.
He added: ”Afterworks Ltd has now completed principal photography in Sheepstor and the surrounding areas of Dartmoor.
”We have had an incredibly successful shoot and every member of our substantial crew has commented on what a great experience the shoot in Dartmoor has been.
”We faced many logistical challenges working in the narrow lanes and villages on Dartmoor with our extensive film unit.
”The patience and support of the local community was critical in allowing us to safely and quickly move from place to place in search of the best shots and the best light to shoot them.”
Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse tells the moving story of a horse sold to the cavalry and then shipped to France during World War One, and his young owner’s mission to bring him home.
Actors involved in the film include Oscar-nominated Emily Watson and David Thewlis, who played Professor Lupin in the Harry Potter films.
I saw the play of war Horse ad in London. I wondered how do you do that on stage? We didn’t have time to go see it. Now a film. Wonderful.
But the plot does sound a lot like Felix Salten’s “Florian.”