Turning the bend at 37 miles per hour, breaking away by 20 … 22 … 24 lengths, his chestnut color becomes almost a red blur to anyone standing within a few feet of the track. Chins drop, time seems to have evaporated and the sound of four solitary hooves becomes the music of the race as he majestically sails past the finishing post 31 unbelievable lengths ahead of the closest competitor. He is Secretariat.
It is no surprise that this Triple Crown winner drew the attention of director Randall Wallace and the Walt Disney Company, who have taken the 1975 biographical novel by William Nack and left audiences with “Secretariat”. The story is of one of the most impressive athletes in history. Oh yes, he was an athlete. In 1999, ESPN named Secretariat the 35th greatest athlete of the 20th Century. His achievement is unquestionably grand, rivaled by no other racehorse. While spiced with humor, entertaining characters, a “never give up’ attitude and a likable tale, “Secretariat” cannot compete with its fabled namesake or the thrilling true story.
The film follows Penny Chenery Tweedy (Diane Lane), the Denver house-wife thrust into the horseracing world following her beloved mother’s death and her revered father’s downfall at the hands of dementia. Her story is one of struggle. Her husband, Jack (Dylan Walsh), a tax attorney is wary of his wife’s wish to take on control of her parent’s business thousands of miles away from her children and home. Her brother, wanting to sell the farm, considers his sister’s decision to invest time, effort and money into the sport a waste. The “old boys” running the exclusive industry only laugh at her confidence. Chenery wants to prove her worth and ability. Thanks in part to her father’s ingenious breeding prowess and a great deal of luck (or fate, if you are so inclined), Chenery’s driven spirit meets its soul-mate in the form of a remarkably unrelenting colt that comes to be named Secretariat.
History’s most famous horse won the 1973 Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in an unprecedented manner. His speed record at Belmont of one and one half miles in two minutes, twenty-four seconds stands as the fastest time ever recorded for a racehorse. Secretariat’s best races never failed to excite the American public. Unfortunately, the adaptation of his accomplishment to screen is a dud in the drama department.
The races are never fully shown. For the Preakness, director Wallace comes closest to getting it right when he decides to show the original CBS broadcast of the 1973 race on the Tweedy family television set instead of trying to recreate the impossible. Nothing can compare with Secretariat’s actual races and Wallace’s greatest failure in this film is to fully recognize this fact, instead opting to show technically difficult shots of horse and jockey between continuous cuts to Chenery and company in the grandstand. We do not get any close-ups on the intensity in Chenery’s eyes between long shots of what are miraculous races or any other cinematic choices that could have placed the audience in the scenes. The Derby is billed as the “fastest and most exciting two minutes in sports”, so where is the excitement?
The film’s plot, while fairly solid in its refusal to shift too far from the centerpiece of the film (Secretariat), is too melodramatic as it becomes devotional in its depiction of the horse and owner — Lane’s voice can be heard quoting the Book of Job in the film’s opening narration. Lane gives the most multi-layered performance in the film as Chenery, but her lines often fall victim to horribly cheesy writing. Characters like trainer Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) and Chenery’s secretary, Miss Ham (Margo Martindale) provide punctuated laughs and running gags, like Laurin’s hideous attire. However, they are far too one dimensional to be of any significant impact on the viewers.
The music, which is an injustice, does sadly leave a mark (or wound). Whoever decided that “Oh Happy Day” best complimented Secretariat’s sprint to the finish line should be put out to pasture. Calling John Williams and a clichéd triumphant score!
Perhaps the story of Secretariat is too good to be told or perhaps the story of his owner is too dry. Most likely, the fault lies with Disney, who decided the story was not emotional enough and chose to replace reality with overpowering sentimentality.
Originally published in the 10/14/10 edition of the Truman Index.
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