Secretariat

Cecil says: We saw this American film about a star race horse in the 1970s just the day before we went to the races ourselves in Virginia. Secretariat seems to have had a place in the heart of the American people in the same way Red Rum or Desert Orchid did for the UK in the 1970s and 1990s.

This film is actually about his owner on the stud farm, which has got into difficulties after her father has a stroke and is no longer able to run the business. It's one of those typical feel-good American movies about family, about personal development, about resilience and fighting for what you believe in, while running the risk of losing all.

In the background of it all is the horse - we have lots of lovely views of the horse being groomed, being fed, being exercised on the gallops; and some lovely red-eye ball close-ups as the horse is about to race.

It's not great cinema but it was an easy watch and, so we thought, a good introduction to American horse racing, just a day before we went ourselves to a race track.

After our day at the races next day, where no betting was allowed (apparently it is illegal to gamble in the state of Virginia), we realised that throughout the film only one reference was made to someone who wished they'd had a bet on Secretariat. Obviously a bow to the moral stance on gambling in some US states: makes me wonder what else was kept from the great American audience in the storyline of this film to make sure that it had the moral message the director wanted to get across.

Maybe I'm being unfair, though. It was a fun evening and definitely a feel-good movie.

**.5

Bea says: When Cecil suggested this film I thought it was going to be about politics! I had not heard of Secretariat, but quickly got the idea that he was a famous horse in American history - the Phar Lap of the USA, if you like (thought I'd throw that in for my Australian readers!).

This was an enjoyable film, which did at least try to take a serious look at life in the late 60s/early 70s for women - Secretariat's owner had many difficult experiences trying to establish herself as a race horse owner; not least extricating herself from her expected role of wife and mother, and being taken seriously by other owners and the press. It did however have a lot of rather hackneyed Disney hallmarks - the sudden and rather unlikely scenario of Penny's husband being won over to the idea of his wife being a race horse owner in Virginia, when he and the kids lived in Colorado, and of course absolutely no mention of the situation of black people in the state of Virginia in the 1960s/70s, despite the plot featuring a black man as a key character. There was the inevitable tension build up in the final minutes - will Secretariat win the triple crown?? Of course, neither Cecil or I knew if he actually did, until we got to those final moments...

The real saving grace of this film is of course John Malkovich, as the nearly-washed-up trainer - his performance is funny, poignant and eminently watchable. A pleasant evening out, suitable for all the family, as any good Disney film should be.
***