Secretariat movie reviews
It's been a while since a good movie adaptation has been released, and this week we get a touching girl-meets-horse tale of "Secretariat." The source book was William Nack's "Secretariat, the Making of a Champion," and the former turf reporter for Newsday told The Baltimore Sun that he was couldn't be more pleased with the movie. The main character, played by Diane Lane, took over a horse farm from her dying father, "left her family and went East to run the career of this racehorse. It made her and her husband estranged; she had a very difficult time. but she managed to start a new life," Nack told reporter Michael Sragow. Here are some reviews:
Los Angeles Times -- As the Walt Disney Pictures enchanted castle logo unerringly indicates, "Secretariat" is a fairy tale about a horse. If you're in the mood for it, and in the mood for a strong and satisfying performance by Diane Lane, you're definitely in the right place.
New York Times -- Squeaky clean and as square as a military flattop, “Secretariat” doesn’t take the wide or long view when it comes to horse racing or anything else, despite an occasional oblique nod to Vietnam. Instead it sticks to the Disney gospel that life means following your dreams ...
Washington Post -- [Director Randall] Wallace's secret is that he makes "Secretariat" about characters, not races, and he has found irresistible protagonists in both his equine and human subjects.
Comments
Did you know Baltimore's own Thomas Foley is in this movie? And he has a memoir of his days as a jockey out? I hope you get to review it...
Posted by: Lauretta(Constellation Books) | October 8, 2010 2:40 PM
Disney needs to decide if it is making fairy tales or history. To make history into a fairy tale in which a trainer lights newspaper afire, drops it in a can in the barn and walks away gives a poor message about barn safety, much less common sense. Behavior like that could have killed the barn full of horses.
In an animated film, we all know it is fiction and we can accept dumb things like setting a fire in a barn and walking away. It is artistic license. However, using historical characters and showing unsafe fictionalization - an action that would get a trainer fired and permanently banned from the profession - is not artistic license. It is irresponsibility.
Speaking of history, I see no reason to dumb down history for our youth by leaving out huge details like protagonist Penny Chenney's successes in the year preceeding Secretariat with her Horse of the Year, Riva Ridge.
A more honest and just as compelling story would have shown stablemate Riva Ridge's despair when fans all but forgot Riva Ridge for Secretariat, even though it was Riva Ridge won two triple crown races and saved the Meadows Farm just one year before Secretariat.
This film underestimates our youth and does a terrible disservice -- to young people and animals, in this case horses. By fictionalizing truth, rewriting history and featuring terribly unsafe and unacceptable behavior to make a dramatic statement the movie lost its grip on reality and exists neither as good entertainment nor history.
Let's get out of the 50's mindset. Our youth are sophisticated enough to comprehend two winning horses and to appreciate the realities of horse racing industry including the fickleness of fans.
Disney can make the best movies for family entertainment, however this movie is too superficial to be good entertainment, even good Disney. I came away resenting Disney for capitalizing on horses without doing them due justice.
Posted by: Alicia | October 12, 2010 12:05 AM
Secretariat is an excellent movie.But, check out his great-grandson's story!
At www.serenajade.com
Posted by: Serena Jade | October 12, 2010 7:50 PM
Riva Ridge did not win the triple crown. He lost at the Preakness.
Posted by: chris | October 13, 2010 2:27 PM
Chris
Alica said Riva Ridge won two of the Triple Crown races, not the Triple Crown. Slow down your reading.
Posted by: Mary | October 13, 2010 9:40 PM
How refreshing to see a movie without vile language and too explicit bedroom scenes! My husband and I enjoyed this one.
Posted by: Joan McNally | October 15, 2010 11:06 AM
Alicia,
Do you see all of life through politically correct lenses. I'll bet people don't need to be told about fire, animals, etc. BTW- You can get no more superficial than trying to live politically correct. Get real buy a fire extinguisher or keep a bucket of water on hand. It was a fun movie that highlighted the struggles of life and the courage to dream and believe in things bigger than life itself.
Posted by: Dab | October 15, 2010 7:48 PM
I can't believe people applauded after the movie, You don't run into that anymore. Great film!
Posted by: Ed Sloan | October 16, 2010 7:24 PM