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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
For Shirley Temple, not Seabiscuit, fans., May 5, 2003
This movie trades on the name Seabiscuit, but isn't really about the famous horse. Buy it if you want to see a Shirley Temple movie. Wait for the movie based on Laura Hillebrand's book to see the real story of Seabiscuit.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fitzgerald and Footage make the movie..., October 4, 2003
"The Story of Seabiscuit" is a perfect example of the ridiculously historically inaccurate Hollywood studio film. Next to the Errol Flynn pre-Civil War movie "Santa Fe Trail", "The Story of Seabiscuit" is probably the most fanciful version of history ever put on film. If that weren't enough, Shirley Temple's Irish brogue is reminicent of the Kevin Costner School of Foreign Accents, going back and forth from perfect to painful. That being said, the movie does have a few bright spots that carry it through the mush of melodrama. The Technicolor photography is absolutely stunning, for one thing. The story moves along at a pretty good pace, and there's a good amount of humor sprinkled into the script. Cast members Lon McCallister and Barry Fitzgerald ("The Quiet Man") are tops as jockey and wise old horse handler, respectively. Even Seabiscuit's son, Sea Sovereign, was used for close-ups. Best of all is the shockingly innovative technique used by the filmmakers to work in the black and white footage of the actual racehorse, Seabiscuit, in action. Opting for pure black and white segments, the newsreel of Seabiscuit is cleverly added to make a seamless segment into the Technicolor film. Strange, but oddly effective. The nine minute primer on the intricacies of a horse race, included in the bonus material, is still pretty accurate and informative. Worth watching at least once to see Fitzgerald's performance and the Seabiscuit footage, plus the Technicolor splendor. Temple fans or Seabiscuit completists may want to own the disc. Harmless fun for family viewing, and suitable for kids who like horsies.
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23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty average film, but Temple is good., May 2, 2001
I was curious to see Shirley Temple as a young woman, and was pleased to find that she retained the confidence and charm that she displayed in the movies she made in her childhood. Her character comes to America from Ireland, but has a mysteriously inconsistent brogue; not entirely a surprise to me, but she does a nice job with the role. In "The Story of Seabiscuit," Temple is a young nurse whose uncle is a horse trainer--but she hates horse racing because her only brother died as the result of a fall in a horse race. The plot is entirely predictable: boy meets girl, girl hates boy, boy woos girl, boy wins girl, but the footage of actual horse races makes the film a bit more interesting than it would be without it. If you're a Shirley Temple fan (and who wouldn't/couldn't be?!), you will want to see this because Shirley is her sweet, pretty self. Don't expect any singing or dancing, however, as this is not the vehicle for that.
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