Seabiscuit

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Betting on horse racing is something I am no longer allowed to take part in due to moral obligations. It has absolutely nothing to do with my view on gambling or anything like that. The reason I have moral issues with horse racing betting is because when I bet on horses – horses get hurt. The last time I went to Penn National, the first horse I bet on lost stride and finished last. The very next horse I bet on threw his rider and didn´t fare much better. The third and final horse I bet on during the night decided to continue running in a straight line when confronted with a turn and broke both of his front legs when he tried to run through the fence. The poor animal had to be destroyed and I couldn´t bring myself to bet on another horse. I am cursed and when I try to place my luck on such a beautiful animal, it turns out to be quite unlucky for the horse and its jockey.

The Gary Ross directed "Seabiscuit" allows me to appreciate the magnificent stallions without putting the animals at risk. The historical drama, which is based upon the book written by Laura Hillenbrand and chronicles the true life story of the little horse that could takes some liberties on the actual historical events, but pays wonderful homage to the three men behind this thoroughbred that became the "People´s Champion" during the Great Depression and provided hope and excitement to a nation that was devastated by unemployment and a grim economic outlook. Jeff Bridges portrays car salesman Charles Howard, who found a new life and a new start after the cars he loved brought disaster into his life and he found his second chance at happiness through horse racing and Seabiscuit. Chris Cooper slips into the skin of horse trainer Tom Smith with a great and underappreciated performance. Finally, the last of the three men who made Seabiscuit a legendary champion was jockey Red Pollard, a rider whose own story was quite amazing. Pollard is portrayed by "Spider-Man" actor Tobey Maguire, who also serves as Executive Producer of the film.

Charles Howard moved to California with only twenty one cents in his pocket. He was a bicycle repairman and sought riches under the sunny sky of San Francisco. His life changed when he was asked to fix a Stanley Steamer automobile and Howard soon convinced carmakers to allow him to set up dealerships and the bicycle man found great wealth on the horseless carriages. However, automobiles brought not just great wealth and success, but tragedy and a ruined life when his son was killed in an automobile accident and his wife left him. Howard found redemption and a new life in horse racing. Where Charles Howard actually owned and ran a number of horses, the film "Seabiscuit" shows the horse as the only stallion in his stable.

Seabiscuit was discovered by a trainer hired by Charles Howard, a man named Tom Smith. Smith was a quiet man who spent his life training wild horses and working in the freedom on the open ranges of the Wild West. However, the world was changing and Tom Smith found hard times himself. Tom Smith was a quiet man who was uncomfortable with crowds and society. Horses were his great love and he hated to see one of the animals destroyed. He had a natural way with the majestic animals and understood how they felt and Smith was able to train more difficult animals because of his husbandry with the stallions. Howard quickly hired Tom Smith to serve as his trainer and to help find a stallion that would bring success to his efforts to become a championship horse owner. On a foggy night, Seabiscuit caught the eye of Tom Smith. The horse was undersized and had a lazy way about himself, but Tom Smith saw great potential in the animal.

The final piece of the puzzle was a jockey who could handle the temperamental Seabiscuit. That jockey was Red Pollard, who had the opposite problem of the small Seabiscuit. Pollard was very tall for a jockey and Howard found himself with a horse that was too small and a jockey that was too big. In real life, Pollard had a stone fly into his eye and lost vision to his right side. The movie explains the blindness due to a boxing injury. Pollard was a boxer and a tough individual, but the manner in which Pollard became blind is one of the liberties taken by the filmmakers. Pollard´s blindness would cause one loss as Seabiscuit´s rider, but he was able to keep his physical problem a secret during his entire career as a jockey. For most of Seabiscuit´s career under the ownership of Charles Howard, Pollard was the horse´s jockey and the man and the horse found a strong friendship that aided their success.

The film does a fine job detailing the ups and downs of the three men and their horse. Seabiscuit and Pollard would both find injuries that typically would have ended their career, but the two would overcome their injuries and once again taste victory. This series of events is one of the focal points in the film. Another focal point is the rivalry with the horse War Admiral, a massive stallion that was tearing up the East Coast tracks while Seabiscuit found great success in the West. Seabiscuit and War Admiral raced in one of the most memorable races in horse racing history and the underdog Seabiscuit is perhaps best known for his victory over the much larger and stronger War Admiral. Howard, Pollard and Smith were all interesting individuals and none were typical types in the world of horse racing. Along with their horse that was sold for practically nothing and never expected to have any success, "Seabiscuit" is a true underdog, feel good story.

"Seabiscuit" also serves as a reminder of the Great Depression and some of the bad times that hit America during the period. Through black and white footage, narrator David McCullough chronicles the Depression and how the little horse helped deliver some comfort to those that were experiencing great unhappiness. People game out in droves to see the horse win race after race. An estimated forty million people listened to the Seabiscuit vs. War Admiral match race. The film beautifully recreates the automobiles, trains, clothing and styles of the late Nineteen Thirties. "Seabiscuit" is intended to be a visual historical record of how the unlikely champion overcame diversity and hardship and how in doing so, he helped a nation overcome hardships. Gary Ross has succeeded in creating a very good historical drama and even those that may not be interested in horse racing or placing unlucky bets, "Seabiscuit" is good entertainment.

Video:

Universal Home Video has done an excellent job thus far with their HD-DVD releases. Their films have been of consistent high quality and "Seabiscuit" is no exception. The film is stunning in its visual splendor. With many great outdoor vistas and lovely period sets, the film about Depression Era America is, in a word, beautiful. The muscular and majestic horses used in the film are incredible looking animals and the film´s high definition transfer does them great justice. You are able to see each and every hair on Seabiscuit´s long nose during close-ups. The muscle structure and definition of these strong animals is very apparent. I can guarantee that a horse has never looked as good on home video. The old Buick race cars and their brightly painted bodies exhibit each rivet and seam of their classic build. A number of black and white scenes are contained in the film to help define the mood and environment of the times. These moments, too, are stunning in appearance.

This is, without a doubt, one of the better looking transfers I have yet to see on HD-DVD. There have been a number of very good ones so far, and "Seabiscuit" joins the upper echelon. The 2.35:1 image is presented in a VC-1 encoded, 1080p transfer. Using perfect source materials, there is hardly a flaw to find in the visuals of the film. The film contains vibrant colors that cross the entire color spectrum. They are perfectly recreated here and are nicely saturated. Red is a color that is typically problematic for digital transfers, but the bright red´s of Red Pollard´s outfit, one of Charles Howard´s cars and other items in the film are perfect. There is hardly a spot to be found with the source materials, which is to be expected for a film of this age, but very welcome none-the-less. Detail is incredibly strong and among the best detailed titles yet released.

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