Seabiscuit USA, PG-13, 141 m, 2003
In a summer full of creatively barren sequels and inert
special-effects machines, the success of a deeply felt picture like Seabiscuit
is almost as improbable as the story upon which it’s based. Seabiscuit, though
born with a decent pedigree, was an undersized, somewhat ill-tempered horse with
a slothful side. He was the Sleep ‘n’ Eat of the equine set, spending his
early years on Kentucky’s Claiborne Farm aimlessly grazing and taking long
siestas under the cherry trees. But three men of distinctly different
backgrounds would eventually come together and help make Seabiscuit the most
amazing racehorse of the 1930s. Seabiscuit,
based upon the best-selling novel by Laura Hillebrand, wisely dispenses with
anthropomorphism, but not attributing human characteristics to its title
character doesn’t weaken the film’s emotional pull. We’re happy to cheer
on the unlikely trio of castle-builders behind Seabiscuit’s noted
accomplishments because their unwavering commitment to the ungainly mustang—in
spite of all handicaps—is nothing short of inspiring. Like Seabiscuit, the film starts off slow, but soon finds
its stride, and gallops to a winning finish. The first act of the picture cuts
back and forth between the three men’s lives, affording us time to understand
how their difficult histories (further impacted by the Great Depression) were
granted purpose by the discovery and subsequent transformation of Seabiscuit. We
meet Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), an entrepreneur who strikes it rich as an
automobile manufacturer, but soon shifts careers and becomes a horse owner and
breeder after his little boy is killed in a ghastly car wreck; Tom Smith (Chris
Cooper), a ripening horse trainer uncertain of his place in the world with the
closing of the frontier (he spends his lonely hours rehabilitating horses that
are about to be put down); and Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire), a jockey and
part-time pugilist who has to fend for himself after being abandoned by his
newly destitute parents. It’s some forty minutes into the picture before we
finally meet Seabiscuit; the filmmakers are building a solid framework to help
give the horse’s victories a stirring timbre.
I appreciate director Gary Ross’ leisurely pacing of the film’s
introductory passages; the audaciously unhurried rhythm beautifully contrasts
the kinetic energy of the third act’s horserace sequences. It also gives us
time to warm up to the key players and luxuriate in the movie’s striking
recreation of Depression-era America, which is all faultlessly captured by cinematographer
John Schwartzman. The acting is outstanding across the board. Jeff Bridges’
character has obvious similarities with his title role in Tucker: A Man and His Dream, but his performance as Charles Howard
is subtler, more intricate. Chris Cooper, often wasted playing grotesque
caricatures on the order of Colonel Fitts in American Beauty, is used appropriately here. He has a quiet, stoic
demeanor, but his watery eyes convey warmth and boundless patience. Tobey
Maguire gives us more to root for here than he did in last year’s bummer Spider-Man.
Shedding a good chunk of baby fat for the role of Red, Maguire’s face assumes
a greater, more photogenic definition—the hollowed cheeks and colored hair
work well for him. Seabiscuit himself is played by ten different horses, but the
effect is seamless. The justly praised race scenes are exhilarating indeed. I can’t figure out how the filmmakers did it; the camera often seems to be right in the thick of the action. But there’s also something unexpectedly moving about the way Seabiscuit perseveres on the track, defying all odds to take home the trophy as if he knew the hearts of Depression-era audiences needed him to win. Seabiscuit reassured Americans during those troublesome economic times that even the most downtrodden could pull ahead to become winners if they just hung in there, believing in America’s tenet that determination and hard work would eventually pay off. Come to think of it, that’s a sentiment we all still need to embrace. What a lovely film. August 1, 2003 ©
Copyright 2007 by Edward Larsen Terkelsen. All rights reserved.
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