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67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific story, beautifully made, August 2, 2003
I am not a horse racing fan and know next to nothing about the sport. But I found myself watching this incredible story and was transfixed by it. Not only in this documentary gorgeously photographed, the narration, interviews and background material are all first-rate. It tells the story of the magnificent Seabiscuit, a horse deemed "ugly," too small and too insignificant to make the slightest impact on the track. The documentary beautifully weaves in the hindered jockey, Red Pollard, who had broken his leg three times and was considered a "cripple," in the jargon of the 30's. But Pollard and the Biscuit fuse together and beat War Admiral, the most fabled horse of the era. You get to see actual footage of Seabiscuit pulling away and trouncing the noble War Admiral. I found myself jumping up and down, screaming, "Go, Biscuit!" Yup, this film is that mesmerizing. The rags-to-riches story and the ending, in particular, will leave you spellbound. This is a magnificent story, the only criticism is that it's too short at only 60 minutes.
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65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvelous -- with or without the book!, April 22, 2003
After reading Hillenbrand's captivating book last year, I was really looking forward to this PBS special, and it did not disappoint. Lots of footage of Seabiscuit, on and off the track, and he's even more captivating on screen than I expected (and I'm someone who generally prefers the written image to the visual one). The producers do an excellent job of setting the larger historical context, and of weaving in interviews with a wide variety of people, including Hillenbrand and Red Pollard's daughter, whose comments were very poignant. The biggest compliment I can give this show is that it will appeal to both those who have and have not read the book. For the latter, it covers not only the highlights of Seabiscuit's career, but also his low points, and the heartbreak of Pollard's life, and the hardship of a typical jockey's life, as well. It covers much ground in only an hour without seeming rushed or crowded. The producers did well in selecting material. For those who have read the book, I found the story just as fresh and exciting the second time around. It's a wonderful compliment to the book, and made me want to go back and reread it. The closeup footage of actual races is mesmerizing, more dramatic than any artificial special effects in Hollywood movies. I understand that a movie version is coming out soon, but I can't imagine it equalling, much less surpassing, this documentary. In this case, I'm betting that Plato's injunction against deception of art will prove true: the real thing is better than an imitation. The only thing better than this documentary would be a ride on the Great Horse himself.
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37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent for all ages, November 1, 2003
By A Customer
I read the book, and saw the Hollywood film. Loved the book, was disenchanted with the movie as it left out so many rich details... of course a movie can never be as thorough as a book, but I felt the Hollywood film fell far short of what it could have been. I wanted to share the Seabiscuit story with my kids, ages 11, 9 and 8 and ordered the PBS DVD, and none of us were disappointed. The PBS film includes much depth in describing the life of a jockey, the action on the race track, the historical circumstances and the characters in this tale. I found the PBS film far superior to the full length feature film. It was amazing to see actual footage of the races and of the beloved little horse. We watched it with the kids, and their grandparents. All of us loved it! Highly recommended.
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