Seabiscuit (Widescreen Edition)

Love this movie! Everyone should watch it!

I just love this movie - and I have watched it many a times. Not only because it deals with horses, which I love, but more with the theme it is dealing with.You will no doubt find out what the story is, or you would have seen it already (it was released around 2003 or 2004?), but there is a line which came up in the movie a couple of times, and I like it a lot. It goes something like:"Just because someone's got banged a little, we are not gonna throw a whole life away".It's vitally important we give ourselves or someone else a second chance. It is just equally important that we grab that second chance ourselves, whenever it comes, before it fades away.There are many second chances out there to grab, it is just a matter if we would have the heart to grab them or not. Not everyone strikes out winning the first time, but to keep fighting without losing hearts is vital.Both the Horse (Seabiscuit) and the Jockey (Red) made a comeback when everybody thought they were out for good; one (the Jockey) broke his leg in a riding accident, the other (the Horse, Seabiscuit) sprained its ligament in a race. All the doctors and vets told them they would not ride nor race again in their lives, one even suggested to put the horse down, but the Owner gave them both a second chance, they took the time to recover enough to make a comeback. And they did it, together.It may sound an ordinary story, a plain sporting movie to try to inspire and draw a few tears in the audience, well, not for me. This actually happened in real life. And it happens on a daily basis to a lot of people. It matters if one has the heart to fight back.Another part I like the movie Seabiscuit a lot is that:The Horse Seabiscuit was a castaway whom nobody thought could achieve anything in racng - he was only 15 hands tall, not big enough for a racerhorse. The champion War Admiral he faced was a full 19 hands, and a thoroughbred."He may be little, but he is fierce" - and his hearts and racing spirits made up for it.The Jockey was a losing jockey, a nobody who lost his family in the Great Depression, had to beg to ride for racings, but he had the fighting spirits to give it a go, never giving up.The Trainer was an old man who knows his horses, but nobody thought well of hiring him because his ways were peculiar, even eccentricThe Owner was a divorced person who made out on his own, made his fortunes all by himself, but felt guilty for the death of his son. And he had had the hearts to give both the Jockey and the Trainer, and even Seabiscuit himself, a second chance(s).When Seabiscuit won the races, people said the 3 of them, the Owner, Trainer and Jockey had fixed a broken horse. In a way, they all fixed each other.It was a good story. It teaches me a lot. We could all learn something from it.

The film is visually appealing and is largely historically accurate. It is a feel good movie that I like to watch from time to time. While Secretariat was the most perfect horse in terms of build and temperament, Seabiscuit was not really perfect in terms of build. He did great and memorable feats in spite of his imperfections. And, miraculously, he (as well as his long time jockey) recovered from an injury to make a final win. After watching this film again, I decided to buy the book upon which it is based. That was also extremely interesting and was based on meticulous research about the times and the extreme hazards of the sport during those days. I like films that are period pieces, historically true, visually appealing, and are somewhat uplifting. This one hits every category. This is a fine film to add to your library!

Great movie all the way through

Favorite movie

Saw the movie first [by the way, the DVD bonus features, "Racing through History" and "Bringing Seabiscuit to the Screen" are excellent, worthy of your attention] and then read the book. The book was a real page-turner, inspite of the fact that most of what's in there is in the movie. Thoroughly enjoyed both renditions of the wonderful story of Seabiscuit. The only complaint I would make about the film is that I didn't feel Tobey Macguire was really right for the role of Red Pollard. The real Red was more physically fragile, yet a great daredevil, with a kind heart and a mischevous nature. Also, he was, I guess you could say, excitingly average. He wasn't a great rider, he was a fairly bad boxer, but the sunshine in his life was Seabiscuit-- his bond with the horse is what lifted him to another plane. Tobey Macguire captures the pain of Red's life very well, and tortured quality of his emotions, the repeated failures both public and private, but there's no way you can make Tobey Maguire a kind of average Everyman. He's young and handsome and vigorous, and a very good actor [no bad thing] but he isn't Red Pollard. Particular kudos for acting go to Chris Cooper, Jeff Bridges, Elizabeth Banks and William H. Macy, who are [as always] wonderful and a pleasure to watch. Even Gary Stevens [George "Iceman" Woolf], who is actually a top jockey in real life, does a highly creditable job in his first trip in front of a camera. He even had me going for a while [is he an actor or isn't he?] and I'm not easy to fool. The fact that acting isn't his day job in no way detracts from the film....if anything, it lends a verisimilitude that would have been a bit lacking without a touch of "the real deal." All in all, well worth your time, and this one's a keeper.