Secretariat (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2010)

This is a great film for everyone, especially if you lived at the time of SECRETARIAT. This was the first movie I have seen in about 2 years, and the first in a long time that I was excited about and truly wanted to see. In 1973, Secretariat touched everyone in this country. Just about everyone was talking about and rooting for this horse. But, in addition to telling the story of a champion Triple Crown winning horse, this film tells the story of just how implausible the events behind the champion were. While taking a few moments of dramatic license, it effectively tells the story of the background of this thoroughbred legend as was brilliantly laid out by William Nack, in SECRETARIAT, THE MAKING OF A CHAMPION. I have heard about and read reviews that this was more Penny's story than Secretariat's story, maybe so, but the truth is, without Penny, there would be no Secretariat. This is no different than SEABISCUIT, which was as much the story of the three individuals who brought immortality to that horse as well. In short, this is a must see film, and is thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable. For once you can see a movie and feel good about what you have seen; the story of a horse with a tremendous heart nurtured on by people with the heart to believe. HE IS MOVING LIKE A TREMENDOUS MACHINE,(from Chic Anderson's immortal call during the Belmont Stakes).

The story of Secretariat must be one of the pinnacles of American life in the last century. While watching this movie, no less than twice I might add, I reflected how the 1970s seemed the zenith of American civilization: the epic of Secretariat, Bobby Fischer's conquest of the world chess championship, the birth of the Star Wars saga in cinema, the birth of role playing and video games, and the genesis of the internet and personal computer were all products of this destiny-laden decade in the United States. Thanks to movies like Secreriat, we can immortalize in art the triumphs of yesteryear, making them into myth as the age sadly westers past its meridian. (cf. Lovecraft's "He" for the full details.)

Secretariat recounts the story of the horse's rise to win the triple crown. I guess the movie did not get better critical mention than it did because it seems to have been an obvious take off of Seabiscuit from a couple of years prior. I liked Secretariat better than Seabiscuit because the later movie conveyed a greater authenticity by including more realistic detail about the horse-racing industry. I also found the script more poetic and compelling, especially the thematic quotation from the book of Job. Most of all, Secretariat felt like a genuine, innocent story with none of the diseased and contrived tripe that other Hollywood movies purvey, like the movie Inception.

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I grew up in miraculous time. Jim Crow ended on one level. Muhammad Ali lived during the same time as Joe Frazier, Bob Beamon broad jumped past the olympic committee's ability to measure, and The US Olympic Hokey Team out-skated, outscored, and out endured the legendary Russians. But of all the things that lifted our spirits in the field of sports it was a horse that stole the The Show. Secretariat, was young, pretty, and just couldn't be beat. Check out this move. It tell the story better than I can. Believe me.

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I had the great good fortune to watch the 1973 Belmont Stakes race live on television, so my interest was piqued when this film came out on DVD. I bought it without any real expectations since I knew the ultimate outcome. I have to say I was most pleasantly surprised.

The first time I watched the movie, I wasn't that impressed as I felt there was a bit too much created drama, but the second time I watched it with my wife, she pointed out that the real story is full of drama. So I settled in and gained even more enjoyment the second time around.

Diane Lane is exceptionally good in the lead role of Penny Chenery Tweedy, and her husband's belated admission that she was able to give their children the lessons in life that he could never do was really a tender and telling moment. John Malkovich seemed near perfect in the role of the maverick trainer, and even his admiration for Mrs. Tweedy garnered some nice concessions along the way. Mrs. Tweedy never lost faith in herself or in her horse, and that is the real lesson of the movie.

Secretariat, or Big Red to those closest to the horse, is simply the greatest horse that ever raced (so far). Out of curiosity, I looked up some of the comparable Triple Crown records, and Secretariat clearly dominated those three races in 1973, and for all time. Some of the margins of vistory are stunning, time wise and in number of lengths. Of course, the Belmont stands out when Secretariat absolutely demolished a group of very good race horses by the unbelievable record of 31 lengths. I remember watching in 1973 to see if Secretariat could win the Triple Crown since that was the longest of the three races. I remember coming out of my chair watching Secretariat pull away in the back stretch and "pour on the coal", shouting and clapping. The movie captures this race particularly well, but for those of us who watched it live, it truly was reliving an extraordinary moment in time.

You don't have to be a horse race fan to enjoy this movie.

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I was unimpressed with this movie. The title character was more of a prop for the Penny Tweedy character. Penny Tweedy was Disneyized into something she was not; the reality is she was a woman of wealth who grew up in the horse industry, not a "simple housewife" who had a special bond with Secretariat. At the end of the movie, a beautiful black and white portrait of Eddie Sweat with Secretariat was shown. Theirs was the true story; Eddie's bond with this amazing animal was of the heart. A film honoring the Secretariat/Eddie story would have been powerful and inspirational, two things that this movie was not.

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