A backstage look at 'Making War Horse'

THE DOCUMENTARY

"Making War Horse"

WHEN | WHERE Wednesday at 8 p.m. on WNET/13

REASON TO WATCH Fascinating backstage look at the London creation of the awesome horse puppets (and a lot more) in "War Horse," the Tony-winning heartbreaker at Lincoln Center Theater about a boy and his horse during World War I.

WHAT IT'S ABOUT Imagine the folly -- and the wonder of state-supported arts institutions. Long before London's National Theatre opened this remarkable epic in 2007, artists were holed up in the company's experimental studio, trying to decide how -- and, indeed, whether -- to tell a massive and intimate war story with a horse at center stage. And the horse would be a puppet made of cane and gauze. And he wouldn't talk.

In this hourlong documentary, we get insightful interviews with all involved. Co-director Tom Morris tells how his mother made him read Michael Morpurgo's young-adult novel, which was told from the point of view of Joey, the horse. South African puppet masters Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones, of the Handspring Puppet Company, explain how they evolved the powerful communication from the horses -- not to mention the geese and the crows -- based on the primacy of the animals' breathing. Adapter Nick Stafford describes the importance of Joey as innocence caught up in the horrors of humanity, and the drama of hoping for innocence to survive.

Best of all, we watch the creatures and the production come to life.

MY SAY There were many behind-the-scenes features on "War Horse" before it opened here in April with an American cast. But there is no substitute for being a horsefly on the wall during the creation. I wish the film had more specifics about how the puppeteers studied the actual movements of horses because, clearly, the study was intense. The piece also seems a bit brief and scattered, probably because nobody knew at the start that the unlikely show was going to merit meticulous documentation.

BOTTOM LINE Riveting in itself, and a chance to see what pure imagination can do before Steven Spielberg's upcoming movie version with real horses.

GRADE A-