Customer Reviews

Secretariat

5 star:		(209)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

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).

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.

The movie was good, but not great. For non-horse people; they'll think it's wonderful. For the horse person, who knows the story of Secretariat; they'll see all the flaws. For one, Penny Chenery was not present at the birth of Secretariat. For another, the movie makes you think she was thrown into the world of horses with Secretariat. Not the case, she was into it before that. Does anyone remember Riva Ridge, the horse she had the year before Secretariat? He won the Kentucky Derby and The Belmont in 1972. She loved Riva Ridge. Sham's owner was not the jerk that Disney made him out to be, and Lucien Laurin was not the colorful, outlandish person they made him out to be, either. And filming Secretariat's Triple Crown - Belmont win at Keeneland had no comparison to Belmont Park which is huge. And what was with the gospel song when he won it. I wanted to be swept away with emotion when he won that race. It was such a monumental victory that one needed to cry tears of joy. Instead I got a gospel song. Don't get me wrong; Keeneland is a beautiful racetrack, but it's not Belmont or even close. All in all, it was just good, unlike Seabiscuit that brought all the emotion and greatness of this horse to the screen so you could feel it.

If you want a nice colorful family friendly movie and you love horses and the way they run - this movie is for you. The film has exceptional photography and sound even though like the Titanic movie, you know the ending. But, what an ending. This horse was exceptional. The second story in "Secretariat" was the "lady horseman in a man's game ". Yes, and the "third story", family versus dreams of destiny. I was there at Belmont when Secretariat won by 31 lengths ( oops, I gave the sinking ship story away, sorry ). I will buy this movie and watch it a few times over and over and hope for great extras ( we Secretariat lovers deserve it ) BUT, I have a SUGGESTION. Watch the movie - and hopefully it will increase your thirst for more about the backstory and true facts about this amazing equine athlete- then run out and buy the 1975, William Nack book, "SECRETARIAT" ( also titled "Big Red of Meadow Stable" and/or "Secretariat:The Making of a Champion" )You will come away with much more. His "real story" true to the word and without the Disney-touch. You'll learn how he got his name ( and the almost other names ) and more about his dad, Bold Ruler and a not too shabby stablemate named Riva Ridge and the real factual " coin toss" that brought this champion to Penny & Meadow farm. I give the book 5 STARS and the movie 3 STARS - do you want a pretty picture OR the "true story" of Big Red

I knew it would be "Disneyed" I knew they'd play fast and loose with the facts but didn't think it they'd go as far as they did. The truth is exciting and dramatic enough to carry a movie. There was no reason to make an idiot out of Lucien Lauren and an ass out of Ogden Phipps or make a villain out of poor Sham.

The birth scene was a joke; not only was the foal the wrong color but owners, trainers and jockeys are not in the foaling barns in the middle of the night when the mares foal....the line about the foal getting up right away has no basis in equine fact either. They all do or try, it is their instinct to get on their feet as soon as possible.

The Belmont scene was the worst of all. Secretariat's Belmont Stakes is one of the most spectacular moments in all of horse racing and to film it anywhere but Belmont Park was an epic fail. Ditto the awful music at the end instead of using Chic Anderson's best race call ever. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it on YouTube. The picture quality is terrible but it should be seen by anyone interested in Secretariat. There is an extended version with a great shot of Mrs. Tweedy waving her arms in the air after the win. I did love seeing her in the stands in the movie. That was a nice Disney touch. :)

I love Disney and I love Secretariat but I wish they would have stuck closer to the facts, a lot closer. They aren't telling a story from a hundred or more years ago and horse racing fans know the facts too well to suspend belief for a movie.

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.

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.

The early '70s, a tumultuous time where Americans were fed up with the war, the politics and wanted to see some glimmer of hope. From the USA losing to USSR in the Olympics in controversial fashion, in 1973, the year proved to be a magical year as many Americans came together to support a race horse named "Secretariat".

Afterall, it's been 25-years since a horse has won the U.S. Triple Crown and there was so much hype going into this Triple Crown as owner Penny Chenery, a Colorado Housewife and daughter of a horsetrainer, came to take over the role that her father once had as an owner and breeder for racing horses. As many men didn't think she could do it, with the right people, each of them came to put their belief and for Chenery, she gambled everything in hopes that this horse can win that Triple Crown and in fantastic and amazing fashion, she did.

Secretariat was the first horse to win this amazing feat in 25 years and an amazing horse that continues to hold the record at the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes.

It has been over 30 years since America has had a Triple Crown winner and many have come close but to lose it at the Belmont Stakes (The final competition of the Triple Crown) and many are still awaiting a new champ, and at times wonder if there will ever be a horse like Secretariat.

But let's not categorize Secretariat as any normal racing horse, this one was quite special.

Not only because it broke records and because how it gained so much attention from fans to non-fans of the sport, his winning of the Triple Crown was remarkable and memorable as it was televised and the story of Secretariat even continued after his death in 1989 as autopsy has found that his heart was twice the size of a regular horse's heart and is known as an "x-factor" that only special horses have. Specifically, the race horse Eclipse who had an enlarged heart from the late 1700's (80-90% of race horses today have Eclipse in their pedigree) and research has found that Secretariat had traces from a dam-line to the daughter of Eclipse.

The horse was able to read the people around him, he knew when won, he knew when he lost. This horse had intuition and he loved the attention from photographers (yes, this horse would pose for the cameramen) and had great stature. Researching this horse, you can't help but be amazed.

But as the story of "Secretariat" was amazing, the story of its owner and how Secretariat winning the Triple Crown may have not happened if it was not for Penny Chenery Tweedy, the daughter of the late Christopher Chenery who breeded race horses but due to his declining health, was unable to continue his duties at the farm and trusted people to watch over his interests.

Penny who was a married housewife and dedicated her life to her husband four children was thrust into a position as a businesswoman who was determined to continue her father's legacy and eventually find the right people to train and race this horse. She left her family behind, going back and forth from the farm in Virginia and back home. She only had her determination and the belief from those around her that she can truly make a Triple Crown win a reality.

Life was not easy as this housewife from Colorado would have to leave her family over the course of four years off an on to make sure the horse was ready to race and take care of operations of her father's business and to make things even more challenging, her brother and even her husband wanted her to sell the business and horses, because their farm was so much in debt.

But Penny Chenery was determined in keeping her father's legacy alive and this is the basis of the movie "Secretariat", a film adaptation of the book "Secretariat: The Making of a Champion" by William Nack.

The film would feature director Randall Wallace ("Braveheart", "Pearl Harbor", "We Were Soldiers"), a screenplay adaptation by Mike Rich ("Finding Forrester", "The Rookie"), composer Nick Glennie-Smith ("Pirates of the Caribbean" films, "The Rock", "Con Air") and cinematography by Dean Semler ("Dances with Wolves", "2012', "xXx", "Apocalypto").

The film which was budgeted at $35 million, went on to make over $59 million in the box office and now the movie will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on January 25, 2011.

VIDEO:

"Secretariat" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1). Colors are absolutely vibrant and for a film that takes place in the late '60s and early '70s, the presentation looks very good on Bluray. Detail is quite evident with the paint on the stable, the grime on the jockey's faces, the dirt lifting off the tracks when the horses are racing and overall, wonderful cinematography from Dean Semler.

But there is crush that does showup from time-to-time and blacks are sometimes muted. But by no means is this distracting. The textures are great and I didn't notice any banding or any artifacting at all. No sign of DNR and for the most part, this film looks absolutely great on Blu-ray.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

"Secretariat" is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS2.0 Dolby Digital, French and Spanish Dolby Digital. "Secretariat" is pretty much center and front channel driven for the majority of the dialogue-driven film. But once the races start, that is when the surround channels are kicked into full gear as the announcer can be heard through the surround channels, the crowd gasping and cheering for Secretariat and you can hear the horse's hoof's.

You can hear the ambiance of the film (may it be the crowd, in the stable), you can hear it through the surround channels. So, there is good use of surround channels in this film.

Also, the film has its share of '70s music and the music comes quite clear through the front channels. The music composed by Nick Glennie-Smith ("The Rock", "Pirates of the Caribbean" films", "Con Air") is also dramatic and well-done but if there is one major nitpick I did have about this film, it's the final music used during the Belmont competition. I felt it would have been better served to use an instrumental song to capture the mood courtesy of Glennie-Smith than using a '70s song. It just didn't seem right for that moment but that is my opinion.

If there is one thing that I wished, Disney has been moving towards a 7.1 lossless soundtrack lately and so I was hoping that "Secretariat" would have a 7.1 lossless soundtrack. But for the most part, this lossless soundtrack is very good!

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Secretariat" features the following special features:

* Heart Of A Champion - (14:56) This feature is on the DVD of the film and the real life Penny Chenery and the actual people who worked with the original Secretariat plus the cast and crew talk about Secretariat.
*
Choreographing The Races - (6:27) This piece looks at how director Randall Wallace and the filmmakers used innovative tools and technology to accurately and excitingly recreate the Triple Crown races that make the viewer feel like they are standing on the backstretch themselves. For filmmakers, this featurette was quite intriguing on the rigs that were built and how risky and difficult it was to shoot this footage.
*
A Director's Inspiration: A Conversation With The Real Penny Chenery - (21:10) Director Randall Wallace sits down with Secretariat owner Penny Chenery to review the movie and some of the key scenes. Penny reflects on what it was like to have been a woman in a male dominated sport and to have been part of horse racing's most exciting moments in history. Definitely my favorite featurette as Penny Chenery talks about how things were in reality vs. how things were in the film.
*
Audio Commentary By Director Randall Wallace - Optional audio commentary from Director Randall Wallace who talks about working on a movie that deals with horses and trying to make horse racing and racing choreography work for a feature film. A pretty cool and informative commentary!
*
Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary By Director Randall Wallace - Featuring seven deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Randall Wallace: Alternate Opening, Introduction, "Are You A Golfer?", No Time To Rest, Memories, Seth Joins The Team and Too Soon To Celebrate
*
Secretariat Multi-Angle Simulation - Relive Secretariats triumphant 1973 Preakness race by viewing the race from a number of perspectives as well as listening to commentaries from fans, announcers and even the jockey who rode Secretariat to their record finish. A very cool featurette as one can watch the actual 1973 Preakness race and also change to watch a computer simulation and more. Featured are jockey Mike Smith (3:43) who talks about life as a jockey, reporter Brad Free (5:08) who talks about the idiosyncrasies of a horse, Dennis Mills, owner of the Preakness (3:35) who talks about the history of the Preakness, spectator Mike Calderon (4:14) who talks about going with his father and brother to watch the 1973 Preakness and also included is the actual Preakness.
* Music Video - AJ Michalka "It's Who You Are" - (4:04) Actress/singer AJ Michalka (of 78violet/Aly & AJ) sings "It's Who You Are"

EXTRAS:

"Secretariat" comes with a slip case cover and also a DVD featuring the feature film and bonus features.

The DVD is presented in 480i (2:35:1 - Enhanced for 16×9 television), English, French, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital. Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

JUDGMENT CALL:

I actually first became interested in "Secretariat" when I started following the Triple Crown back in 1993. Everyone had dreamed of having another "Triple Crown" winner and one wondered if it would happen again anytime soon. After all, people waited 25 years until Secretariat would win in 1973. And in 1997, it looked like it was going to happen once again nearly 25-years later with Silver Charm but it wasn't meant to be.

But although I don't take part in the betting side of horse racing, I do recognize the work that these families who own the horses put into breeding them, training them and preparing them for these competitions. Knowing the danger for the jockeys, knowing the stress and tear that some of these horses go through in a race, but you wonder if there will be anything close to a "Secretariat" (and I know some of you will respond with a "Zenyatta" comment).

But one has to realize that this horse, Secretariat, was truly phenomenal not just for its time but even impressive when you see these records that were broken and have not yet been beaten today. Not only was this a horse that knew instinctively how to win, it was like he was born with the magic touch. This horse wanted to win and those near him would talk about how he was fantastic, not just as a horse should respond or how a horse should race but since birth, he shown a lot of potential and promise.

So, I think that "Secretariat" was seen as an iconic horse back in the early '70s. People wanted something to believe with the Vietnam War going nowhere, public moral was literally down and so you look to sports for some excitement of that American spirit. But in 1972, with the US loss to Russia in the Olympics, needless to say, Americans felt deflated. So, in 1973, when you had a housewife, but a magnificent business woman taking up ownership and showing us her strength as an owner to one of the best racing horses of all time, putting everything all on the line for horse in hopes that it would win the Triple Crown and accomplishing this rare and magnificent feat., it's no surprise that Americans who were fans or non-fans of the sport, tuned in!

"Secretariat" the film was a film that I look forwarded to but at the same time, I wondered how accurately can they portray the Triple Crown in a film? Are they going to show old clips? And Diane Lane, how would she do in playing the part of Penny Chenery? So, many unknown factors with this film and that is where I have to give director Randall Wallace and cinematographer Dean Semler some amazing credit for what they were able to accomplish.

The amount of work, risk and challenge these two had along with their crew and their jockeys in recreating and constantly reshooting the racing sequence is amazing. One can watch the featurette included on this Blu-ray release of how it was all done but even watching how it was shot and how close that camera was to the horses and the jockey, I'm really impressed! Those were risky shots but they wanted to capture the feel of riding with those horses, especially feeling the speed of Secretariat. Once, again...impressive!

Overall, "Secretariat" is a wonderful, feel-good movie. One shouldn't expect anything significant as we know the outcome of the race but it relied in making us believe in these underdogs. Penny Chenery facing the challenge of being away from her family and putting everything on the line in order to continue her father's legacy is very intriguing. And sometimes when you have these stories of heroic or iconic athletes, you're used to the banality of these films and how one faces adversity and wins. But to not become too banal, that it needs to stick out and go further than any feature film that featured horseracing (the last was the 2003 film "Seabiscuit").

Randall Wallace was able to successfully create a film that pays the ultimate homage to Secretariat and also getting things right with the story of Penny Chenery, even if he had to take liberties for the sake of entertainment, he didn't go astray too far and if anything, even the blunt Chenery paid her compliments in the special feature included in the Blu-ray release.

As for the film, I enjoyed it a lot. Was there anything that I didn't like? Possibly the music selection for when Secretariat was about to win the Belmont. I would have liked to hear a more inspiring instrumental score versus a commercial pop song. It felt out of place. But that's my opinion.

But there are not many things I can nitpick of the storyline. I felt Diane Lane was incredible as Penny Chenery, John Malkovich also felt right playing the part of Lucien and everything else, from the screenplay to the cinematography worked smoothly. "Secretariat" doesn't strive to become polemic, nor does it strive to be anything controversial. This is a positive, spirit-lifting film.

Otherwise, I felt the movie was very good and possibly the best horse racing movie I have seen thus far. If anything, "Secretariat" is a feel-good, enjoyable family film of one of the greatest moments in American culture. I may have not been old enough to appreciate Secretariat's win at the time but watching this film, I do feel it paid a great homage to one of the great racing horses of all time but also giving a positive portrayal of Penny Chenery and the personal risks she took in making Secretariat's success a reality. Also, a strong and courageous woman who took on a business which is typically seen as a man's world and for this Colorado housewife, she proved her detractors wrong and came out successful.

How awesome is that?

"Secretariat" on Blu-ray is recommended!

A picture for the whole family, beautiful scenery, extraordinary horse and a woman who believed in that horse. A worthwhile watch with actors who were meant to play the roles.

We saw this movie in the actual theaters - it was GREAT - INTENSE and highly motivational. I LOVE that this is based on a true story & believe me, most of this movie is totally accurate to the real events. We visited the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame a couple years ago BEFORE this movie even came out or was advertised & so we were already informed of this story from that visit. You will laugh, cry, cheer, jump up & out of your seat and you will just LOVE to watch it! And let's NOT forget the HUMOR...John Malkovich is GREAT, he is the comic relief & yet plays a sensitive side of the story (for he & the world sees himself as a total loser).

They did a great job! Now THIS is a REAL family movie that IS completely family friendly with regards to morals, perspectives, what is right & wrong & just the plot of the story line - it was real, not fake. Just an amazing story. I would not recommend it for young audiences of younger than 7 or 8 years old as some of the scenes are very "intense". I do not support "gambling" of any sort, but if you look past the gambling part, it is still a great "underdog" story of human nature & life of a horse athlete. I would just simply state - amazing movie! Don't miss this one.