I have little interest in movies and haven't been to a movie theater in years, but I did go to see Secretariat because that was such a big event for my horse-loving 13 year old self back in the 70's. I loved the cinematography of the movie – how it put you right into the race with one of the most phenomenal horses of the century. I particularly loved the close-ups while those passages from the Book of Job were being recited:
"He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: He goeth out to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed Neither turneth he back from the sword The quiver rattleth against him, The flashing spear and the javelin He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage "
It really captured the beauty and power of the racehorse—to me, the movie was worth going for those scenes alone.
The movie did contain inaccuracies and omissions (for example, I found it humorous that Pancho Martin, the trainer, was featured as if he were Sham's owner, trading barbs directly with Penny – where were Sham's owners? And that the movie made it appear that Sham won the Wood Memorial, when Angle Light was the victor, and that the coin toss over Secretariat was presented in a highly simplified manner. However, I do understand that Disney had to simplify the story line so as not to confuse the average viewer (especially after spending 20 minutes trying to explain to my husband the complexities of the way Secretariat was actually acquired in the famous coin toss.)
To me, it wasn't at all surprising that Disney developed the movie in the way they did. When I first noticed a movie was coming out about Secretariat, my immediate thought was – "What is there to say?" I wondered what there could be in the story with which a typical American movie goer could identify. This was no story of an underdog who came out of nowhere; if such an amazing horse was going to come in to being, it happened exactly in the way anyone would expect–a colt with the bloodlines of some of the best Thoroughbreds in the entire world, bred by wealthy people in Kentucky and Virginia. Secretariat was two year old Horse of the Year, and part of a racing stable that had the previous years Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner,Riva Ridge. No surprises in this story. It was clever to develop the story angle focusing on his owner, Penny Chenery, and her struggles against adversity as she brought Secretariat to the races.
I was initially no fan of Secretariat's while he was racing--I was rooting for Sham all through the triple crown races, and at the time, often felt like the only one who wanted Sham to win. I worked at a riding stable in Virginia at the time and it seemed everyone was a huge fan of Secretariat – there was so much hype and excitement over him. All you heard in the media was about the "big red machine" and how invincible he was. So for me, it was a breath of fresh air to hear about this horse from California named Sham who could be a worthy opponent for Secretariat. Secretariat seemed too beautiful and perfect, and I resented the fact that everyone was calling him by Man O' War's old nickname, "Big Red."
I admired Sham's tremendous spirit. (Perhaps I was also partial because "Sham" is the name of the Godolphin Arabian in Marguerite Henry's books-- after all, I was 13.) There's been much made in reviews of the movie over how Frank "Pancho" Martin came across as the "bad guy" because of all his boasting about Sham. It is true that he did boast about Sham, but for those of us who were fans of the horse and were weary of hearing all the time about "Big Red," it was absolutely delightful– I for one loved it.
The truth is, the real underdog in the Secretariat-Sham competition was Sham. I'm not at all surprised that Pancho's boasting was spun out of proportion in the movie to make him appear villainous, because the movie-makers had to jump through hoops to make the real underdogs appear like the villains. Let's face it – Sham's owners and trainers may not have had quite the wealth and connections of Secretariat's team – it's possible you could find a much more riveting "rags to riches" story in Pancho's background than in Penny Chenery's (she was an heiress, after all). Amidst the onslaught of publicity over the super-horse Secretariat, to me, Pancho stood like a David against Goliath passionately defending his own amazing horse.
In addition, Sham was racing on the West Coast when the very best racehorses supposedly raced on the East coast. Sham was not blessed with Secretariat's charisma or beauty – but he was a kind, extremely game horse. Though I will admit, even given all that, Sham was not a perfect underdog because he, too, just like Secretariat, was bred at Clairborne Farms in Kentucky.
Though I was and will always be a fan of Sham, when I saw Secretariat blow the rest of the field away in the Belmont Stakes, winning by 31 lengths, I was overcome with a sense of awe at having witnessed a once in a lifetime demonstration of searing power, speed, and beauty. And I fell under Secretariat's spell and became a fan of his, as well.
I'm glad Disney made this movie -- they did a nice job. It's one that the whole family can enjoy.
"He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: He goeth out to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not dismayed Neither turneth he back from the sword The quiver rattleth against him, The flashing spear and the javelin He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage "
It really captured the beauty and power of the racehorse—to me, the movie was worth going for those scenes alone.
The movie did contain inaccuracies and omissions (for example, I found it humorous that Pancho Martin, the trainer, was featured as if he were Sham's owner, trading barbs directly with Penny – where were Sham's owners? And that the movie made it appear that Sham won the Wood Memorial, when Angle Light was the victor, and that the coin toss over Secretariat was presented in a highly simplified manner. However, I do understand that Disney had to simplify the story line so as not to confuse the average viewer (especially after spending 20 minutes trying to explain to my husband the complexities of the way Secretariat was actually acquired in the famous coin toss.)
To me, it wasn't at all surprising that Disney developed the movie in the way they did. When I first noticed a movie was coming out about Secretariat, my immediate thought was – "What is there to say?" I wondered what there could be in the story with which a typical American movie goer could identify. This was no story of an underdog who came out of nowhere; if such an amazing horse was going to come in to being, it happened exactly in the way anyone would expect–a colt with the bloodlines of some of the best Thoroughbreds in the entire world, bred by wealthy people in Kentucky and Virginia. Secretariat was two year old Horse of the Year, and part of a racing stable that had the previous years Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner,Riva Ridge. No surprises in this story. It was clever to develop the story angle focusing on his owner, Penny Chenery, and her struggles against adversity as she brought Secretariat to the races.
I was initially no fan of Secretariat's while he was racing--I was rooting for Sham all through the triple crown races, and at the time, often felt like the only one who wanted Sham to win. I worked at a riding stable in Virginia at the time and it seemed everyone was a huge fan of Secretariat – there was so much hype and excitement over him. All you heard in the media was about the "big red machine" and how invincible he was. So for me, it was a breath of fresh air to hear about this horse from California named Sham who could be a worthy opponent for Secretariat. Secretariat seemed too beautiful and perfect, and I resented the fact that everyone was calling him by Man O' War's old nickname, "Big Red."
I admired Sham's tremendous spirit. (Perhaps I was also partial because "Sham" is the name of the Godolphin Arabian in Marguerite Henry's books-- after all, I was 13.) There's been much made in reviews of the movie over how Frank "Pancho" Martin came across as the "bad guy" because of all his boasting about Sham. It is true that he did boast about Sham, but for those of us who were fans of the horse and were weary of hearing all the time about "Big Red," it was absolutely delightful– I for one loved it.
The truth is, the real underdog in the Secretariat-Sham competition was Sham. I'm not at all surprised that Pancho's boasting was spun out of proportion in the movie to make him appear villainous, because the movie-makers had to jump through hoops to make the real underdogs appear like the villains. Let's face it – Sham's owners and trainers may not have had quite the wealth and connections of Secretariat's team – it's possible you could find a much more riveting "rags to riches" story in Pancho's background than in Penny Chenery's (she was an heiress, after all). Amidst the onslaught of publicity over the super-horse Secretariat, to me, Pancho stood like a David against Goliath passionately defending his own amazing horse.
In addition, Sham was racing on the West Coast when the very best racehorses supposedly raced on the East coast. Sham was not blessed with Secretariat's charisma or beauty – but he was a kind, extremely game horse. Though I will admit, even given all that, Sham was not a perfect underdog because he, too, just like Secretariat, was bred at Clairborne Farms in Kentucky.
Though I was and will always be a fan of Sham, when I saw Secretariat blow the rest of the field away in the Belmont Stakes, winning by 31 lengths, I was overcome with a sense of awe at having witnessed a once in a lifetime demonstration of searing power, speed, and beauty. And I fell under Secretariat's spell and became a fan of his, as well.
I'm glad Disney made this movie -- they did a nice job. It's one that the whole family can enjoy.