Seabiscuit (Full Screen)
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Movie Reviews of Seabiscuit (Full Screen)
Movie Review: The Story of a Nation...
Summary: 5 Stars
Seabiscuit is one of those movies which I should have seen much earlier, but did not do so because of the generally unfavourable reviews which I received from friends. Next time, I am going to be much more probing and patient.
It turned out to be one of the most incredible movies I have seen in many years. But here I must say something about movies in general. Different people have a different penchant towards movies. Most of the times, this is obviously so because of our specific interests. An ice-hockey fan is much more likely to truly appreciate the movie 'Miracle', based on the American team's victory against Russia in the 1981 olympics. And so it goes for any one of us. In my case, American History is one of my major intersts, and I so I don't find it surprising that I greatly liked 'Seabiscuit'.
The movie is hardly about a horse, although the horse is the central character in the movie. The most important thing is that it's based on a true story and that changes the equations. Seabiscuit, first and last, is about a people, struggling through depression times, who come together as a nation, beginning a juggernaut towards freedom and progress that continues to this day (Unfortunately we cannot be as certain about that statement given the events and attitudes of the past decade). The common spirit which embodies the American people and their dreams clearly shines through in the movie. Representing this dream is an unlikely combination of men; an ardent businessman who is the eternal optimist, a cast away but spirited trainer who nonetheless has a remarkable way with horses, and a smart alec, ambitious and intense jockey, with all the follies and hopes of youth. All three are facing the cruel ways of the depression. The businessman has lost a child and has been through a divorce, and is struggling to achieve his pre depression eminence and status. He meets a woman, in every way his equal, who will support him through every time. Having risen from rags to riches, he is the perfect example of the American ideal, honest yet ambitious, having great strength of character, yet warm, and most importantly, blissfully optimistic about the future. And that's exactly where the finishing line is for him-at the future. An extremely talented salesman, he is looking forward to have something to live for. Opportunity comes in the form of an aged, quiet, and extremely sincere horse trainer, who has a private and warm relationship with horses. The third character in the drama is a jockey who is struggling to make ends meet. A fierce ambition and Dickens's works keep him alive and well. Together, these three 'can-do' Americans find a horse, a lazy creature who nonetheless captures the attention of all three. They train him, plod him and finally lead him to victory. But that is as far as it can be trivialised.
The story of the horse is the story of the American people. This is demonstrated most convincingly in the publicity interviews which the businessman is extremely fond of giving. Slowly but surely, the horse is winning his way to success. He has to compete against the best bred animals in the country. He loses some, he wins some. In speaking to the reporters, who in those days were hungry for any heartening news to take the public's mind off the economic crisis, he constantly extols the virtues of not giving up. 'You lose some, and you win some. Sometimes, you fall down. But then you either pack up and go home, or you stay put and fight', he says. The reporters nod their head vigorously. That is what strikes a chord in the mind of every American in that time. 'Stay put!' That's exactly what Americans did in the 20s and 30s. And that is exactly what enabled that country to become the citadel of democracy during the dark ages that followed. It is all too easy for critics to attribute America's success to resources and money. But if it had not been for the unity and sense of a common way of life that millions of Americans shared, and the nitty gritty that they put into achieving it, all that would have come to naught. It is a tribute to the can-do spirit of the 'Yankees'. And Seabiscuit was one type of an epitome of that spirit. He did inspire a nation in a subtle but archetypal way, and it worked.
As for the performances, I have seldom seen such fine performances in which the actors really walk around in the skin of the characters. It's hard to say who among the three was better: Jeff Bridges as the good businessman with a gleam in his eye, always looking towards the future, Chris Cooper as the laid back looking but resolute horse trainer (his bearing is amazing), or Toby Maguire as the headstrong and single minded young jockey. I would say that each one of them deserved an Oscar nomination. The recreation of the period is charming, and the musical score by Randy Newman is perfect and nostalgic.
One of the allegiations I have heard about this movie is that it's predictable. But then so was the story about the prince, princess and the demon which my mother told me as a child. That fact diminished neither the virtue nor the value of the story. And in this case, the story is true. The fact that it's predictable does not mar it's inspirational character one bit. Also, it obviously looks predictable in retrospect! The three central characters hardly knew what their and their horse's fate was going to be. And a disturbed nation hardly knew what tidings the future would bring for her. But the horse and the nation, both persevered, and, at least for the most part, became a model of democracy for the rest of the world in a century that had almost brought it to an end through conflict.
Movie Review: Loved this film but know others who did not
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderful film. It's a story about a race horse who should not have won, ridden by a jockey who should not have won, owned by a man who pulls himself out of grief by his devotion to the horse, the jockey, the trainer, and a second wife.
The story starts with a man (Jeff Bridges) who moves to California and opens a bicycle shop. He is failing until he switches from bicycles to automobiles. He becomes a millionaire selling automobiles. He buys a ranch and uses the barn to store his car collection. After his son is killed in an auto accident, the cars are removed from the barn and taken away. His first wife never recovers from the death of their son, blames her husband, and leaves him.
He meets a young beautiful woman who becomes his second wife. His wife loves horse racing. He decides to buy a horse. He searches for just the right trainer to pick out a horse for him. He finds the trainer, a taciturn man living by himself, camping in the wilderness. The trainer sees Seabiscuit on a track and tells the millionaire to buy him. He sees a certain spirit in the horse who has been mistreated all his life. There's a certain irony that a man who made his millions selling cars which replaced horses should buy and become devoted to a horse.
Tobey Maguire's character was given away as a child to a horse trainer by his parents (virtually abandoned). He loves horses. For a time, he gets to race as a jockey but as he grows up he becomes too large to be a jockey and starves himself to keep his weight down. By the time he is hired by the millionaire to be the jockey for Seabiscuit, he is a broken down has-been jockey.
Both the jockey and the horse have to be retrained out of the self-destuctive habits of a lifetime. Together, they become winners.
All of the major characters associated with the horse Seabiscuit have suffered. They come together as a family of choice rather than one of blood and it is through their association with Seabiscuit and each other that they are each healed.
Some people will not love this film for various reasons. Let me tell you about two.
My parents grew up during the great depression. They have told me many stories about their life back then. For me, this movie made that period come alive, made me understand how bleak the depression was, the desperation that many people faced.
It gave me a better understanding of why my parents are they way they are, how they were shaped by the times they lived through as children and teenagers. But I think that is the reason my mother had difficulty watching this film. Its depiction of the great depression was too real. It reopened the wounds that had scarred over from the suffering my mother experienced during the depression.
My husband was lukewarm about this film too. Perhaps it is because his grandparents and parents were part of the middle class during the depression so there is no family narrative about suffering during the great depression. Also, my husband's attitude toward life is to pretend that nothing bad ever happens in the real world -- he would rather not face up to the less pleasant sides of reality. He does not mind watching violent movies with lots of gore and death because they are phony and not reality. I think this movie was too much unpleasant reality for him, something he'd rather pretend did not and does not exist.
Movie Review: Seabiscuit Is The Greatest Movie Ever!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first saw the previews I knew I had to see the movie. I was not disappointed. In fact it was the greatest movie I had ever seen. Period pieces such as the Great Depression is not an easy thing to capture. The filmakers did an awesome job with this film about a racehorse who may have been smaller than most thoroughbreds but still had a strong heart. Seabiscuit was the shining light during an era of sadness for many. This little horse became a hero in history.Tobey Maguire did a terrific job in the role of Red Pollard who may have been blind in one eye but he still did not let that stop him from competing. When paired with Seabiscuit the two helped each other through their limitations and the two shared a very special bond. Man and horse became not just a team but friends as well. In my mind Maguire should have gotten an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
Jeff Bridges also did a great job as Charles Howard who accepted Pollard's and Seabiscuit's limitations and believed in them. Bridges showed Howard as a compassionate man with a kind heart despite some of the setbacks in his own life.
Chris Cooper also did a good job as Tom Smith the horse whispering trainer who was a bit tough but also had a great belief in Seabiscuit. Smith was unconventional when it came to horses. He didn't believe in lives being thrown away and had a gentle way with horses which Cooper seemed to show.
Though he wasn't in every seen, Gary Stevens also did a fine job as Pollard's friend and fellow jockey George "The Iceman" Woolf. For those who don't know, Gary Stevens is a real jockey. In fact a Hall of Fame award winning Jockey. Stevens was probably the only one who really could play Woolf so it was a smart move to have him in the film.
Lastly, we get to William H. Macy who played the outlandish, comical radio host "Tick-Tock" McGlaughlin. Though he was the only character in the movie who was not based on a real person, director Gary Ross definately wrote this with role with Macy in mind and it was a good fit.
In my mind, the Oscar for Best Picture should have gone to Seabiscuit and it should have gotten wins in the other categories it was nominated in. Forget Lord Of The Rings: ROTK! Seabiscuit was an even greater movie and a must buy. I bought the DVD and it was money well spent. Definately this was a 5 star film with a great cast, sound, costumes, and all the other ingredients that went into it. It beats all the other films out there by a great many furlongs!
Movie Review: That Took the Biscuit
Summary: 5 Stars
The producers of "Seabiscuit" presented a social message in their film: in the difficult Depression years those who were optimistic and overcame adversity were exemplary and emblematic of the American spirit. People needed some underdogs to cheer for.
Seabiscuit or as he was affectionately called the Biscuit captured the hearts of the American public because of his come-from behind spunk.
Seabiscuit doesn't enter the movie until the movie has told of the lives of three men vital to the horse's story. The entrepreneur car dealer Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) is the man who put the Seabiscuit franchise together, but owning a horse was almost an afterthought to him. The movie traces the early, hardscrabble years of horse trainer Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) and the hardluck journey of a Shakespeare-quoting boxer cum jockey Red Pollard (Toby Maguire).
Howard chose Smith to seek out the right horse. Once they had found Seabiscuit, Toby Maguire comes along as the down-at-the-heels jockey who energizes the horse. Both horse and a jockey had a string of bad breaks.
At first the horse was cantankerous and difficult to train. Seabiscuit did not have a constant string of victories. He lost the Santa Anita Handicap twice. Howard and Smith became leery about Red when he seemed to pull the horse up in one race, but they forgave him when they learned the truth.
Throughout the later stages of the picture Howard was trying to get the owner of triple-crown winner War Admiral to enter his horse in a match-race between the Biscuit and the Admiral.
When the famous race is finally set, Red is unable to ride the Biscuit because his leg gets shattered. Later in another race when Seabiscuit's leg is injured, the two cripples rehabilitate each other.
William H. Macy has a clownish part as a radio sportscaster who is there to chronicle various stages in the horse's career, but it's a part that isn't an asset to the story. The producers chose not to have the calling of the races by the legendary Clem McCarthy nor did they use any actual newsreel footage. Some of the racing scenes seem phony especially when one sees the jockeys in a race talking in what seems an unnatural manner.
The acting is first-rate, most of the racing footage is well-done, and the story is told in the grand manner. At times, it's a tear-jerker, but the tears are for a good cause.
Movie Review: Reading & Seeing SEABISCUIT are totally indescribable!
Summary: 5 Stars
When my wife and I got into the DVD of what we had read, it was beyond our wildest dreams! As the young son of Charles wrecked his new Buick Roadster, our thots turned to our young grandson, who met his death at his battle with Chemo, Leukemia. As we spun into that story with beautiful, mystical horses, we wished for some magical way to have Sir Christopher,in the Spirit, watching with us!
Only if you could see Christopher with Horses and his big black Newfoundland, Hershey, many times curled up in a blanket with his pet, losing his own head of hair, cracking jokes about "when I become old enuf to be a real-life Vetenarian" could you then be able to understand. But Christopher would rejoice in those super victoriea of the "little lead pony" who fought his battles to become Winner of the Match Race with War Admiral.
When you behold the trio of inspired riders and owners acted by Toby Macguire, Chris Cooper and Jeff Bridges...you too will be brought to the edge of your recliner shouting and yelling like I did! There were races as in full-view, thrilling to compete with Saratoga Springs, being watched by violinists of Philadelphia Orchestra on a summer afternoon! They are always awesome!
As we recovered, our thots agreed "if only Christopher can see these gorgeous, thorough-bred animals in action..."
Retired Chaplain Fred W. Hood