Secretariat (film)
Encyclopedia
Secretariat is a 2010
biographical
film produced by Walt Disney Pictures
and Mayhem Pictures, and directed by Randall Wallace
. The film chronicles the life of thoroughbred
race horse
Secretariat
, winner of the Triple Crown
in 1973
. Diane Lane
portrays Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery
, and John Malkovich
plays the trainer
, Lucien Laurin
.
Filming took place on location in Louisville
and Lexington, Kentucky
, and around Lafayette, Louisiana
and Carencro, Louisiana
. The film was released on October 8, 2010. It has since received generally positive reviews.
Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse racing knowledge. With the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (Malkovich), Chenery manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years
and one of the greatest racehorses of all time.
The film begins with Penny learning of her mother's death and returning to her childhood home. She reunites with Mrs. Ham, her father's secretary, and comforts her confused and elderly father. At her mother's funeral, Penny meets Arthur "Bull" Hancock
and his son, Seth Hancock, of Claiborne Farm
in Kentucky. The Hancocks offer to Penny any help she may need during her efforts to bring Meadow Stables back to profitability. Penny's brother Hollis informs her of a bad and dishonest sale that was about to be made by the trainer until their mother stopped him. Penny fires the trainer and asks Bull Hancock to help her find a new trainer. He recommends Lucien Lauren, an aging French Canadian
, who initially turns down Penny's offer.
Penny's father had made a deal with leading owner Ogden Phipps
that if he would breed his best stallion (Bold Ruler
) with Penny's two best mares (Somethingroyal
and Hasty Matilda) that when the mares were close to term they would flip a coin to see who got which foal. Bold Ruler, the stallion was fast but couldn't last over distances. Hasty Matilda was the obvious choice due to her young age, but Somethingroyal's bloodline was made up of many horses with good stamina. Penny hopes to win and choose Somethingroyal's foal due to the interesting mix of speed and stamina. Phipps picks Hasty Matilda and Penny wins Somethingroyal's foal, Secretariat
.
When Big Red (Secretariat's nickname) enters his first race at Aqueduct
race track in Queens, New York, everyone has high expectations. The jockey, Paul, is very young with little experience which worries Penny but Lucien reassures her and says they will do fine. During the race, Red repeatedly is hit. First when he comes out of the gate, and repeatedly in the pack and on the rail. Red comes in 4th due to running like he was afraid of the other horses due to their hitting. Penny and Lucien fight and Lucien blames Paul for the loss. Penny realizes the only way Red could ever win is if he had an experienced jockey. Penny's flight back home is canceled on the day of the race and she misses her daughter Kate's solo in the play. Her son holds up the pay phone so Penny can hear her sing. The scene closes with Penny covering part of the phone and crying over missing important parts of her children's lives.
Penny gets experienced jockey Ron Turcotte
to ride Red who leads him to many victories. Secretariat is named horse of the year after a successful two-year-old year, but all the colts of Bold Ruler can't handle the distances that three-year-olds run. Penny's father suffers a stroke and dies, leaving Penny and her brother Hollis to inherit the estate. Penny needs six million dollars to pay estate taxes, but refuses to sell Secretariat.
Instead she syndicates Red, selling 32 shares worth more than six million dollars, as long as he can win a three year old distance race. She tries to sell a share to Ogden Phipps, who instead offers to buy Red for eight million dollars. Penny refuses to sell him. When Phipps demands to know why, she tells him Red's value will triple when he wins the Triple Crown – a feat no horse has accomplished in twenty-five years. During this time Frank "Pancho" Martin
, trainer of rival horse Sham
, provokes a match race with Red.
Red is taken to the Wood Memorial three weeks before the first of the Triple Crown races to take on Sham
and attempt to earn Penny her syndication money. Ronnie notices that Red's breathing is heavy and he refuses to eat, and is reluctant to allow the bit into his mouth. Red loses the race, after which it's discovered he has an abscess
which may have caused the loss.
Red recovers and wins the Derby
and Preakness
in record time, then wins the Belmont
by 31 lengths (over 82 yards (75 m)) to secure the Triple Crown.
cast several horses to play Secretariat. The film is based largely on William Nack's book Secretariat: The Making of a Champion. He was also a consultant for the film. Part of the film was shot on location in both Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky for three weeks then moved to Louisiana to reproduce the Triple Crown infields at Evangeline Downs
, located in Carencro, Louisiana.
reports that 67% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 109 reviews, with an average score of 6.2/10. The critical consensus is: "Rousing, heartwarming, and squarely traditional, ‘Secretariat’ offers exactly what you'd expect from an inspirational Disney drama – no more, no less." Chicago Sun-Times
film critic Roger Ebert
gave this movie four out of four stars claiming that "...this whole movie feels authentic".
CBN.com gave Secretariat a "Jumbo Popcorn" rating, saying: "Though many may consider ‘Seabiscuit’ as the preeminent horse-racing film, ‘Secretariat’ beats it by lengths."
created some controversy with his review of the film, writing that, although he "enjoyed the film immensely," that didn't "stop [him] from believing that in its totality ‘Secretariat’ is a work of creepy, half-hilarious master-race propaganda almost worthy of Leni Riefenstahl
, and all the more effective because it presents as a family-friendly yarn about a nice lady and her horse." He cited what he felt was the possible xenophobic undercurrent to the film, as well as its 'unpleasant' and 'stereotypical' presentation of non-white characters as justification for his theory.
In response, fellow critic Roger Ebert posted that O’Hehir's review of ‘Secretariat’ was "so bizarre I cannot allow it to pass unnoticed. I don't find anywhere in ‘Secretariat’ the ideology he discovers there."
Bill Nack, the author of the book the film is based on, pointed out that Pancho Martin’s verbal attack on Laurin before the Kentucky Derby was not intended to create an image of Martin as 'evil' or 'vaguely terrorist-flavored,' as O'Hehir claimed in his review. The film lifted Martin’s diatribes against Laurin from Nack’s book, which were a transcription of Martin's actual words as recorded by Nack. Nack wondered who O’Hehir could claim as a source to say that Martin wasn’t boastful.
Conservative film critic John Nolte and Conservative media personality Rush Limbaugh
also took issue with O’Hehir’s review.
In response to Ebert, O’Hehir wrote that he was being hyperbolic: “My hyperbole in the ‘Secretariat’ review was supposed to be funny, and also to provoke a response."
and Life as We Know It
. The film had an average of $4,132 from 3,072 locations. In its second weekend, the film held extremely well with only a 27% slide to $9.3 million and finishing fourth for a $3,032 average from 3,072 theaters. It then held up even better in its third weekend, slipping only 25% to just over $7 million and finishing sixth for a $2,254 average from 3,108 theaters. The film was a relative box office success, grossing $60 million by the end of its run.
In the United Kingdom
, the film was released on 4 December 2010 with no promotion and was withdrawn from most UK cinemas after just one week.
& DVD combo pack on January 30, 2011. Bonus features on the DVD will include: Deleted scenes and a director introduction. The Blu-ray bonuses include; a look at how the racing scenes were filmed, an interview with Penny Chenery, and a profile of Secretariat's 1973 Preakness race.
2010 in film
The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...
biographical
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
film produced by Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
and Mayhem Pictures, and directed by Randall Wallace
Randall Wallace
Randall Wallace is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and songwriter who came to prominence by writing the screenplay for the 1995 film Braveheart. His work on the film earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and a Writers Guild of America award for Best...
. The film chronicles the life of thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
, winner of the Triple Crown
United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
In the United States, the "Triple Crown" is usually the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, a series of three Thoroughbred horse races for three-year-old horses run in May and early June of each year consisting of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.While Daily Racing Form...
in 1973
1973 in sports
1973 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Gustav Thöni, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Annemarie Pröll, Austria-American football:* O.J...
. Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
portrays Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery
Penny Chenery
Helen Bates "Penny" Chenery Tweedy is an American sportswoman who bred and raced Secretariat, the 1973 winner of the Triple Crown...
, and John Malkovich
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
plays the trainer
Horse trainer
In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...
, Lucien Laurin
Lucien Laurin
Lucien Laurin was a French-Canadian jockey and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer.-Life and career:...
.
Filming took place on location in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, and around Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
and Carencro, Louisiana
Carencro, Louisiana
Carencro[p] is a small city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Lafayette. The population was 6,120 at the 2000 census. Its name comes from the Louisiana Creole word for buzzard: the spot was one where large flocks of buzzards roosted in the bald...
. The film was released on October 8, 2010. It has since received generally positive reviews.
Plot
Denver housewife and mother Penny Chenery (Tweedy) agrees to take over her ailing father’sChristopher Chenery
Christopher Tompkins Chenery was an American engineer, businessman, and owner/breeder of Thoroughbred horse racing's U.S. Triple Crown champion Secretariat....
Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horse racing knowledge. With the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (Malkovich), Chenery manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years
Citation (horse)
Citation was the eighth American Triple Crown winner, and one of three major North American Thoroughbreds to win at least 16 consecutive races in major stakes race competition...
and one of the greatest racehorses of all time.
The film begins with Penny learning of her mother's death and returning to her childhood home. She reunites with Mrs. Ham, her father's secretary, and comforts her confused and elderly father. At her mother's funeral, Penny meets Arthur "Bull" Hancock
Arthur B. Hancock, Jr.
Arthur B. "Bull" Hancock, Jr. was a breeder and owner of thoroughbred racehorses at Claiborne farm in Kentucky. He acquired European horses to breed in the United States, in particular Nasrullah and Princequillo, and gained great standing in the racing world as a result.-Early life:Hancock was...
and his son, Seth Hancock, of Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm
Claiborne Farm is a thoroughbred Horse breeding operation in near Paris, Kentucky. It was established in 1910, by Arthur B. Hancock, owner of Ellerslie Farm in Albemarle County, Virginia, and has been operated by members of his family ever since.-Owners:...
in Kentucky. The Hancocks offer to Penny any help she may need during her efforts to bring Meadow Stables back to profitability. Penny's brother Hollis informs her of a bad and dishonest sale that was about to be made by the trainer until their mother stopped him. Penny fires the trainer and asks Bull Hancock to help her find a new trainer. He recommends Lucien Lauren, an aging French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
, who initially turns down Penny's offer.
Penny's father had made a deal with leading owner Ogden Phipps
Ogden Phipps
Ogden Phipps was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist...
that if he would breed his best stallion (Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler
Bold Ruler was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse.Bred by the Wheatley Stable of Gladys Mills Phipps, Bold Ruler was foaled on April 6, 1954 at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky to Nasrullah and Miss Disco by Discovery...
) with Penny's two best mares (Somethingroyal
Somethingroyal
Somethingroyal was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was the dam of U.S. Triple Crown champion and Hall of Fame inductee, Secretariat ....
and Hasty Matilda) that when the mares were close to term they would flip a coin to see who got which foal. Bold Ruler, the stallion was fast but couldn't last over distances. Hasty Matilda was the obvious choice due to her young age, but Somethingroyal's bloodline was made up of many horses with good stamina. Penny hopes to win and choose Somethingroyal's foal due to the interesting mix of speed and stamina. Phipps picks Hasty Matilda and Penny wins Somethingroyal's foal, Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
.
When Big Red (Secretariat's nickname) enters his first race at Aqueduct
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
race track in Queens, New York, everyone has high expectations. The jockey, Paul, is very young with little experience which worries Penny but Lucien reassures her and says they will do fine. During the race, Red repeatedly is hit. First when he comes out of the gate, and repeatedly in the pack and on the rail. Red comes in 4th due to running like he was afraid of the other horses due to their hitting. Penny and Lucien fight and Lucien blames Paul for the loss. Penny realizes the only way Red could ever win is if he had an experienced jockey. Penny's flight back home is canceled on the day of the race and she misses her daughter Kate's solo in the play. Her son holds up the pay phone so Penny can hear her sing. The scene closes with Penny covering part of the phone and crying over missing important parts of her children's lives.
Penny gets experienced jockey Ron Turcotte
Ron Turcotte
Ron Joseph Morel Turcotte, CM is a Hall of Fame thoroughbred race horse jockey best known as the rider of Secretariat, winner of the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973....
to ride Red who leads him to many victories. Secretariat is named horse of the year after a successful two-year-old year, but all the colts of Bold Ruler can't handle the distances that three-year-olds run. Penny's father suffers a stroke and dies, leaving Penny and her brother Hollis to inherit the estate. Penny needs six million dollars to pay estate taxes, but refuses to sell Secretariat.
Instead she syndicates Red, selling 32 shares worth more than six million dollars, as long as he can win a three year old distance race. She tries to sell a share to Ogden Phipps, who instead offers to buy Red for eight million dollars. Penny refuses to sell him. When Phipps demands to know why, she tells him Red's value will triple when he wins the Triple Crown – a feat no horse has accomplished in twenty-five years. During this time Frank "Pancho" Martin
Frank "Pancho" Martin
Frank "Pancho" Martin is a United States' Hall of Fame trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses. He is often remembered as the trainer of Sham, the horse that placed second to Secretariat in two legs of the 1973 U. S. Triple Crown series...
, trainer of rival horse Sham
Sham (horse)
Sham , an American thoroughbred race horse, was one of the fastest horses of the 20th century, but was overshadowed by his larger-than-life peer and half-cousin, Secretariat. He was a dark seal brown in color. While racing, he wore green and yellow blinkers...
, provokes a match race with Red.
Red is taken to the Wood Memorial three weeks before the first of the Triple Crown races to take on Sham
Sham (horse)
Sham , an American thoroughbred race horse, was one of the fastest horses of the 20th century, but was overshadowed by his larger-than-life peer and half-cousin, Secretariat. He was a dark seal brown in color. While racing, he wore green and yellow blinkers...
and attempt to earn Penny her syndication money. Ronnie notices that Red's breathing is heavy and he refuses to eat, and is reluctant to allow the bit into his mouth. Red loses the race, after which it's discovered he has an abscess
Abscess
An abscess is a collection of pus that has accumulated in a cavity formed by the tissue in which the pus resides due to an infectious process or other foreign materials...
which may have caused the loss.
Red recovers and wins the Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and Preakness
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
in record time, then wins the Belmont
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
by 31 lengths (over 82 yards (75 m)) to secure the Triple Crown.
Cast
- Diane LaneDiane LaneDiane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
as Penny CheneryPenny CheneryHelen Bates "Penny" Chenery Tweedy is an American sportswoman who bred and raced Secretariat, the 1973 winner of the Triple Crown... - John MalkovichJohn MalkovichJohn Gavin Malkovich is an American actor, producer, director and fashion designer with his label Technobohemian. Over the last 25 years of his career, Malkovich has appeared in more than 70 motion pictures. For his roles in Places in the Heart and In the Line of Fire, he received Academy Award...
as Lucien LaurinLucien LaurinLucien Laurin was a French-Canadian jockey and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer.-Life and career:... - Amanda MichalkaAmanda MichalkaAmanda Joy "AJ" Michalka , often credited as AJ, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and musician. She used to be a model prior to becoming an actress, and was best known as one-half of the duo 78violet with her sister, Alyson Michalka. AJ recently recorded the theme song for the film...
as Kate Tweedy - Graham McTavishGraham McTavishGraham McTavish is a Scottish television and film actor.He has played the character Warden Ackerman in Red Dwarf in five episodes of series 8. McTavish has also had many supporting roles in British dramas and films such as Casualty, Jekyll, The Bill, Taggart and Sisterhood...
as Charles Hatton - Kevin Connolly as Bill NackWilliam NackWilliam Nack is an American journalist and author. He wrote about sports, politics and the environment at Newsday for 11 years before joining the staff of Sports Illustrated in 1978 as an investigative reporter and general feature writer. Since leaving S.I. in 2001, Nack has freelanced for numerous...
- Carissa Capobianco as Sarah Tweedy
- Drew RoyDrew RoyDrew Roy is an American actor. Roy was raised in Clanton, Alabama. He moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career.Roy appeared in mostly independent film projects from 2006 to 2008, although he scored an uncredited recurring role in Greek in 2007. In 2009, he landed a role on the television...
as Seth Hancock - Scott GlennScott GlennTheodore Scott Glenn is an American actor. His roles have included Wes Hightower in Urban Cowboy , astronaut Alan Shepard in The Right Stuff ,Emmett in Silverado , Commander Bart Mancuso in The Hunt for Red October , Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs and The Wise Man in Sucker Punch -Early...
as Christopher CheneryChristopher CheneryChristopher Tompkins Chenery was an American engineer, businessman, and owner/breeder of Thoroughbred horse racing's U.S. Triple Crown champion Secretariat.... - James CromwellJames CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
as Ogden PhippsOgden PhippsOgden Phipps was an American stockbroker, court tennis champion and Hall of Fame member, thoroughbred horse racing executive and owner/breeder, and an art collector and philanthropist... - Nelsan EllisNelsan EllisNelsan Ellis is an award-winning American film and television actor and playwright. He is well known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series True Blood, which he has been playing since 2008.-Early and personal life:...
as Eddie SweatEddie SweatEdward "Eddie" Sweat was an American groom in Thoroughbred horse racing who was the subject of the 2006 book by Lawrence Scanlan titled The Horse God Built: Secretariat, His Groom, Their Legacy.-Career:... - Dylan WalshDylan WalshDylan Walsh is an American actor. He is best known as Dr. Sean McNamara in the FX television series Nip/Tuck.-Early life:...
as John Tweedy - Fred Dalton Thompson as Bull HancockArthur B. Hancock, Jr.Arthur B. "Bull" Hancock, Jr. was a breeder and owner of thoroughbred racehorses at Claiborne farm in Kentucky. He acquired European horses to breed in the United States, in particular Nasrullah and Princequillo, and gained great standing in the racing world as a result.-Early life:Hancock was...
- Eric LangeEric LangeEric Lange is an American television and movie actor, best known for his role as Stuart Radzinsky on the ABC television series Lost. He also plays as Mr. Sikowitz, an acting teacher from the television showVictorious. Lange was born in Hamilton, Ohio...
as Andy BeyerAndrew BeyerAndrew Beyer is an American expert on horse race betting who designed what has become known as the Beyer Speed Figure.In the early 1970s, while working for the Washington Daily News, Beyer did extensive work on the concept of speed figures and wrote books that helped popularize their use... - Margo MartindaleMargo MartindaleMargo Martindale is an American stage, television and film actress. In 2011, Martindale won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance as Mags Bennett on Justified.-Early life:...
as Elizabeth Hamm - Otto Thorwarth as Ron TurcotteRon TurcotteRon Joseph Morel Turcotte, CM is a Hall of Fame thoroughbred race horse jockey best known as the rider of Secretariat, winner of the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973....
- Dylan BakerDylan BakerDylan Baker is an American actor, known for playing supporting roles in both major studio and independent films.-Early life:...
as Hollis B. CheneryHollis B. CheneryHollis Burnley Chenery was an American economist well known for his pioneering contribution in the field of development economics.-Early life:... - Stephen StantonStephen StantonStephen Stanton is an American voice actor, impressionist and visual effects artist. He is well known as an "audio double" or "voicematch" for actors: Alec Guiness, John Cusack, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Nicolas Cage, Robert Downey Jr., and Peter Cushing among many others...
as Chic AndersonChic AndersonCharles David Anderson was an American sportscaster and public address announcer specializing in Thoroughbred horse racing...
(Triple Crown race announcer) - Nestor SerranoNestor SerranoNestor Serrano is an American film and television actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law.Serrano began his acting career in off-Broadway plays in the late 1970s. His first film was the 1986 Tom Hanks comedy The Money Pit...
as Pancho Martin
Production
According to one of the film's producers, the horse wrangler who worked on SeabiscuitSeabiscuit (film)
Seabiscuit is a 2003 American biographical film based on the best-selling non-fiction book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand...
cast several horses to play Secretariat. The film is based largely on William Nack's book Secretariat: The Making of a Champion. He was also a consultant for the film. Part of the film was shot on location in both Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky for three weeks then moved to Louisiana to reproduce the Triple Crown infields at Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs
Evangeline Downs is an American race track and casino located in St. Landry Parish, just east of Opelousas, Louisiana. With a seven furlong oval track, the facility provides close to 1,000 horse stalls for Thoroughbred flat racing and American Quarter Horse racing...
, located in Carencro, Louisiana.
Critical reaction
Secretariat has received generally positive reviews. Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 67% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 109 reviews, with an average score of 6.2/10. The critical consensus is: "Rousing, heartwarming, and squarely traditional, ‘Secretariat’ offers exactly what you'd expect from an inspirational Disney drama – no more, no less." Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave this movie four out of four stars claiming that "...this whole movie feels authentic".
CBN.com gave Secretariat a "Jumbo Popcorn" rating, saying: "Though many may consider ‘Seabiscuit’ as the preeminent horse-racing film, ‘Secretariat’ beats it by lengths."
Controversy
Film critic Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.comSalon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
created some controversy with his review of the film, writing that, although he "enjoyed the film immensely," that didn't "stop [him] from believing that in its totality ‘Secretariat’ is a work of creepy, half-hilarious master-race propaganda almost worthy of Leni Riefenstahl
Leni Riefenstahl
Helene Bertha Amalie "Leni" Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer widely noted for her aesthetics and innovations as a filmmaker. Her most famous film was Triumph des Willens , a propaganda film made at the 1934 Nuremberg congress of the Nazi Party...
, and all the more effective because it presents as a family-friendly yarn about a nice lady and her horse." He cited what he felt was the possible xenophobic undercurrent to the film, as well as its 'unpleasant' and 'stereotypical' presentation of non-white characters as justification for his theory.
In response, fellow critic Roger Ebert posted that O’Hehir's review of ‘Secretariat’ was "so bizarre I cannot allow it to pass unnoticed. I don't find anywhere in ‘Secretariat’ the ideology he discovers there."
Bill Nack, the author of the book the film is based on, pointed out that Pancho Martin’s verbal attack on Laurin before the Kentucky Derby was not intended to create an image of Martin as 'evil' or 'vaguely terrorist-flavored,' as O'Hehir claimed in his review. The film lifted Martin’s diatribes against Laurin from Nack’s book, which were a transcription of Martin's actual words as recorded by Nack. Nack wondered who O’Hehir could claim as a source to say that Martin wasn’t boastful.
Conservative film critic John Nolte and Conservative media personality Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
also took issue with O’Hehir’s review.
In response to Ebert, O’Hehir wrote that he was being hyperbolic: “My hyperbole in the ‘Secretariat’ review was supposed to be funny, and also to provoke a response."
Box office
The film opened in third place at the box office in its opening weekend, grossing $4 million on opening day and $12,694,770 over the three-day weekend, just falling behind The Social NetworkThe Social Network
The Social Network is a 2010 American drama film directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. Adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires, the film portrays the founding of social networking website Facebook and the resulting lawsuits...
and Life as We Know It
Life as We Know It (film)
Life as We Know It is a 2010 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Greg Berlanti, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. It was released on October 8, 2010, after sneak previews in 811 theaters on October 2, 2010...
. The film had an average of $4,132 from 3,072 locations. In its second weekend, the film held extremely well with only a 27% slide to $9.3 million and finishing fourth for a $3,032 average from 3,072 theaters. It then held up even better in its third weekend, slipping only 25% to just over $7 million and finishing sixth for a $2,254 average from 3,108 theaters. The film was a relative box office success, grossing $60 million by the end of its run.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the film was released on 4 December 2010 with no promotion and was withdrawn from most UK cinemas after just one week.
Home media
Secretariat was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on DVD,as well as a 2-disc Blu-rayBlu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
& DVD combo pack on January 30, 2011. Bonus features on the DVD will include: Deleted scenes and a director introduction. The Blu-ray bonuses include; a look at how the racing scenes were filmed, an interview with Penny Chenery, and a profile of Secretariat's 1973 Preakness race.
External links
- Secretariat at FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...