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Seabiscuit; broken down 8/2/03 - Charlie Maxwell
"You don't throw a whole life away just 'cause it's banged up a little."
That’s the message Seabiscuit gives to moviegoers in this tale based on a true story about the famous race horse who captured a $100,000 match race with War Admiral, the 1938 Triple Crown winner.
It was reported that more than 40 million Americans listened on radio, while FDR delayed a news conference for an hour just to listen to the race.
Seabiscuit was the people's choice from the West Coast that handily defeated the perfect more physical horse from the East Coast the only time they ever raced. Many "Sport of Kings" fans consider that the most exciting race ever.
The story tells of how, during the 1930s, three broken down men come together with a broken down horse and inspire a nation that things might look bad, but the future can be bright.
Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) goes from a San Francisco bicycle repairman with 21 cents in his pocket to a millionaire auto dealer magnate and then loses a good portion of his wealth during the Crash. His marriage dissolves after his young son Frank dies in a car accident.
Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) has grown old and disappointed that his cowboy way of life is disappearing. The honest horse trainer is discovered by Howard talking to a crippled horse and healing him not to race, but to just regain his dignity.
John "Red" Pollard (Toby Maguire) was given a love to read the classics by his prosperous Irish father. However, when the Depression became too unbearable, Red's parents deserted him and left him to work at the track. Pollard later earned extra money by boxing.
The three men unite as if it were destined. Howard remarries a gorgeous woman he meets at a Tijuana racetrack and tries for a second chance of living out the American Dream by buying a race horse. He hires as his trainer Tom who gets him to purchase Seabiscuit, a down-and-out horse small horse at 15 hands.
Tom immediately feels at one with Seabiscuit on eye contact when he sees him for the first time on a race track. The horse was a loser as a two year old, and the established trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons was glad to have his owner sell him for a bargain basement price.
Red who is 5 feet 7, big for a jockey, but whose weight doesn't go over 117 pounds, is hired by Tom because he has a gentle way with the horse and the same fiery spirit as his ride.
Tom discovers the horse was abused and refused to run for the previous trainer who thought the horse was lazy, and he sees his job as "teaching the horse to be a horse again and learning how to win."
The tale covers in length how the loner storyteller Red and the knowledgeable horseman Tom got the horse to win.
It continues to explain how the good-hearted Howard remained loyal when it was discovered Red was blind in one eye and later when he took a spill and broke his leg in 12 places while working out another horse as a favor to another trainer just before the match race with War Admiral.
Howard offered to scratch Seabiscuit, but Red insisted that his friend George "The Iceman" Woolf ride him. Woolf (played by a real jockey named Gary Stevens) happens to be one of the greatest jockeys of his time.
The film ends on an upbeat note, with all three characters looking good and the courageous horse having grown to legendary status.
In real life, Seabiscuit (the son of Hardtack, descendent of the great Man-O-War) was retired after winning on a comeback after an injury at Santa Anita and became a pet in Howard's California ranch home.
He was never taken to Kentucky to breed with the best mares, therefore never sired another great racehorse. His legend not only remained, but grew.
Even by today’s standards he's considered one of the greatest race horses ever.
Unfortunately, Red couldn't heal all the scars from the past. His alcoholism grew worse and he never rode again. Instead, he became a groom who looked older than his years.
Tom was later involved with some kind of minor scandal involving the doping of horses, and his days on the track ended. All three never reached the limelight again after Seabiscuit retired.
The film ends on a high note, with no further disclosures of what happened to horse or men. However, Maguire's Pollard explains that "he,” (Seabiscuit), "fixed us,” meaning the shambling guys they were before they met and worked together.
If you enjoy horse racing, or just like the idea of the underdog winning, the odds are that you will embrace this movie.
Seabiscuit; broken down 8/2/03 - Charlie Maxwell
"You don't throw a whole life away just 'cause it's banged up a little."
That’s the message Seabiscuit gives to moviegoers in this tale based on a true story about the famous race horse who captured a $100,000 match race with War Admiral, the 1938 Triple Crown winner.
It was reported that more than 40 million Americans listened on radio, while FDR delayed a news conference for an hour just to listen to the race.
Seabiscuit was the people's choice from the West Coast that handily defeated the perfect more physical horse from the East Coast the only time they ever raced. Many "Sport of Kings" fans consider that the most exciting race ever.
The story tells of how, during the 1930s, three broken down men come together with a broken down horse and inspire a nation that things might look bad, but the future can be bright.
Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) goes from a San Francisco bicycle repairman with 21 cents in his pocket to a millionaire auto dealer magnate and then loses a good portion of his wealth during the Crash. His marriage dissolves after his young son Frank dies in a car accident.
Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) has grown old and disappointed that his cowboy way of life is disappearing. The honest horse trainer is discovered by Howard talking to a crippled horse and healing him not to race, but to just regain his dignity.
John "Red" Pollard (Toby Maguire) was given a love to read the classics by his prosperous Irish father. However, when the Depression became too unbearable, Red's parents deserted him and left him to work at the track. Pollard later earned extra money by boxing.
The three men unite as if it were destined. Howard remarries a gorgeous woman he meets at a Tijuana racetrack and tries for a second chance of living out the American Dream by buying a race horse. He hires as his trainer Tom who gets him to purchase Seabiscuit, a down-and-out horse small horse at 15 hands.
Tom immediately feels at one with Seabiscuit on eye contact when he sees him for the first time on a race track. The horse was a loser as a two year old, and the established trainer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons was glad to have his owner sell him for a bargain basement price.
Red who is 5 feet 7, big for a jockey, but whose weight doesn't go over 117 pounds, is hired by Tom because he has a gentle way with the horse and the same fiery spirit as his ride.
Tom discovers the horse was abused and refused to run for the previous trainer who thought the horse was lazy, and he sees his job as "teaching the horse to be a horse again and learning how to win."
The tale covers in length how the loner storyteller Red and the knowledgeable horseman Tom got the horse to win.
It continues to explain how the good-hearted Howard remained loyal when it was discovered Red was blind in one eye and later when he took a spill and broke his leg in 12 places while working out another horse as a favor to another trainer just before the match race with War Admiral.
Howard offered to scratch Seabiscuit, but Red insisted that his friend George "The Iceman" Woolf ride him. Woolf (played by a real jockey named Gary Stevens) happens to be one of the greatest jockeys of his time.
The film ends on an upbeat note, with all three characters looking good and the courageous horse having grown to legendary status.
In real life, Seabiscuit (the son of Hardtack, descendent of the great Man-O-War) was retired after winning on a comeback after an injury at Santa Anita and became a pet in Howard's California ranch home.
He was never taken to Kentucky to breed with the best mares, therefore never sired another great racehorse. His legend not only remained, but grew.
Even by today’s standards he's considered one of the greatest race horses ever.
Unfortunately, Red couldn't heal all the scars from the past. His alcoholism grew worse and he never rode again. Instead, he became a groom who looked older than his years.
Tom was later involved with some kind of minor scandal involving the doping of horses, and his days on the track ended. All three never reached the limelight again after Seabiscuit retired.
The film ends on a high note, with no further disclosures of what happened to horse or men. However, Maguire's Pollard explains that "he,” (Seabiscuit), "fixed us,” meaning the shambling guys they were before they met and worked together.
If you enjoy horse racing, or just like the idea of the underdog winning, the odds are that you will embrace this movie.
