Disney has a long tradition of presenting films that portray true events of the past to teach us the lessons of today. Whether it's a poignant tale of becoming a better person, or an epic story about fighting against all odds. These film's teach us to strive for excellence in every thing we do. Secretariat is no exception. This exciting underdog tale teaches us to live without regret, even when everyone is against you. In short, do the things you are passionate about.
Secretariat follows the remarkable story of the legendary horse who won the Triple Crown in 1973. The Crown is a combination of three races, The Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and The Belmont Stakes. The races have varying distances from a mile to a mile and a half. The film also follows the tremendous story of Secretariat's owner Penney Chenery(Portrayed with Oscar worthy expertise by actress Diane Lane). Our story begins with the tragic death of Penney's Mother. The unexpected death brings Penney back to the horse farm where she grew up. We come to understand that besides being a Denver house wife, she is also very educated in horse breeding and operating the family farm. All traits her father taught her. Penny instantly takes over the operations of the farm and tries to restore the place to back to its original glory. After learning that a few horses on the farm are pregnant, she in-list's the help of the half retired trainer Luicen Laurin (played by actor John Molkovich). After being impressed by Secretariat's energy right from birth Luicen agrees to train the horse. As Secretariat, or Big Red as Penny and Lucien called him, begins to grow and develop Penney finds the challenge of living two lives. Between running a house hold and managing an up and coming race horse, she has to start making sacrifices and find a balance. As the financial success of the farm starts to slip, Penny finds the whole world against her in a make or break gamble with Secretariat’s success. In a world where no one took a house-wife from Denver serious Penny emerges to be a very successful owner in an amazing tale of the greatest Race Horse of all time.
This inspirational tale goes beyond the simple story of a successful race horse and shows the passion and drive that propelled Penney Chenery to prove how successful you really can be with the right motivation. While I know nothing about horse racing I really felt this film was very accessible for those unfamiliar with the sport and easy to follow. The race scenes are so intense & involved that you may find yourself standing and cheering by the end. With the successful direction of Randall Wallance the movie smoothy transitions between the two major stories and the perspectives of owner to jockey to Secretariat himself. John Molkovich brings comedic relief to the film by pretty much playing himself and brandishing an obscure selection of hats. The true heart of the film comes from an Oscar worthy performance of Diane Lane. She brings to the film a genuine sense of urgency and determination that really beings this tale to life. An astonishing feat given the fact that The film starts out so slowly and accelerates increasingly into an emotional roller coaster. In fact the film's tempo resembles that of it's namesake. Secretariat had a bad habit of starting races slowly then finding his stride and blasting past the pack to victory. It is also important to note that Art Direction and overall Production value really separate Secretariat from other films like it. While fun and inspirational I can’t imagine that this film would hold the attention of younger children, making its primary audiences teen's and adults.
Disney once again proves itself in the live action realm with this truly remarkable and emotion tale. With Disney coming off a semi-successful summer, hopefully Secretariat will prove to be a giant success that will bring in audiences of all ages to learn, grow and be inspired.
Thank you for reading –Tyler Enboden or @tyler_2009
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