Secretariat (film)

Last updated
Secretariat
Secretariatposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Randall Wallace
Written by Mike Rich
Sheldon Turner
Produced by Mark Ciardi
Gordon Gray
Starring
Cinematography Dean Semler
Edited by John Wright
Music by Nick Glennie-Smith
Production
companies
Distributed by Walt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures [1]
Release dates
  • September 30, 2010 (2010-09-30)(Hollywood)
  • October 8, 2010 (2010-10-08)(United States)
Running time
123 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million [3] [4]
Box office$60.3 million [4]

Secretariat is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film produced and released by Walt Disney Pictures, written by Mike Rich and Sheldon Turner based largely on William Nack's 1975 book Secretariat: The Making of a Champion, with music by Nick Glennie-Smith and directed by Randall Wallace. The film chronicles the life of Thoroughbred race horse Secretariat, winner of the Triple Crown in 1973. Diane Lane plays Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery, who takes over the Doswell, Virginia, stables of her ailing father Christopher Chenery despite her lack of horse-racing knowledge. With the help of veteran trainer Lucien Laurin (played by John Malkovich), she navigates the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and widely considered the greatest racehorse of all time.

Contents

Filming took place on location in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, and around Lafayette and Carencro, Louisiana. The film premiered in Hollywood on September 30, 2010, and was released in the United States on October 8, 2010, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. [5] It received generally favorable reviews from critics and earned $60 million on a $35 million budget.

Plot

In 1969, Denver housewife and mother Penny Chenery learns of her mother's death and returns 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 any help she may need during her efforts to bring Meadow Stables back to profitability. Penny's brother Hollis informs her of a 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 Laurin, 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 Phipps bred his best stallion (Bold Ruler) to Chenery's two best mares (Somethingroyal and Hasty Matelda), the two owners would each receive one foal, flipping a coin to decide who would choose. Bold Ruler, the stallion, was fast but couldn't last over distances. Hasty Matelda is the obvious choice for her young age, but Somethingroyal's bloodline is made up of many horses with good stamina. Penny hopes to choose Somethingroyal's foal for the interesting mix of speed and stamina. Phipps wins the toss and chooses Hasty Matelda's foal, leaving Penny with Somethingroyal's foal, Secretariat.

When Secretariat enters his first race at Aqueduct race track in Queens, New York City, everyone has high expectations. The jockey, Paul Feliciano, is very young with little experience, which worries Penny, but Lucien reassures her. During the race, Secretariat is repeatedly hit by other horses and comes in fourth. Penny and Lucien fight, and Lucien blames Paul for the loss. Penny realizes the only way Secretariat will ever win is if he has 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 a play. Her son holds up the pay phone so Penny can hear Kate sing.

Penny gets experienced Canadian jockey Ron Turcotte to ride Secretariat to many victories. Secretariat is named horse of the year after a successful two-year-old season. Penny's father suffers a stroke and dies, leaving Penny and her brother Hollis to inherit the estate. Although she needs six million dollars to pay estate taxes, Penny refuses to sell Secretariat.

Instead she syndicates the horse, 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 the horse for seven million dollars. Penny refuses to sell him. When Phipps demands to know why, she tells him Secretariat'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, tries to provoke a match race with Secretariat.

Secretariat 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. Turcotte notices that the horse's breathing is heavy, he refuses to eat, and he is reluctant to allow the bit into his mouth. After Secretariat loses the race, an abscess in his mouth is discovered that may have caused the poor performance.

Secretariat recovers and wins both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness in record time. Sham comes in second place in both races and Pancho Martin tells Sham's jockey, Laffit Pincay, to stay with Secretariat through the Belmont in an attempt to tire him early and win. However, Secretariat runs an unbelievable race, finishing 31 lengths (over 82 yards (75 m)) ahead of the next horse to secure the Triple Crown. An exhausted Sham ends up in last place, having failed to keep up with Secretariat's record-breaking pace. Penny and her family receive the Triple Crown trophy at the end of the race.

Cast

Production

William Nack, who wrote the film's source book Secretariat: The Making of a Champion (1975), was also a consultant for the film and made a cameo appearance. [6] 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 Opelousas, Louisiana. [7] Several horses were used to depict Secretariat in the film, chief among them Trolley Boy, whose great-great-grandsire was the real-life Secretariat, and Longshot Max, whose bloodline includes Secretariat's sire, Bold Ruler, as well as his grandsire, Princequillo. [8]

Reception

Critical response

As of June 2020, the film holds a 63% approval rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 154 reviews with an average rating of 6.11/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Rousing, heartwarming, and squarely traditional, Secretariat offers exactly what you'd expect from an inspirational Disney drama – no more, no less." [9] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale. [11]

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars saying that "...this whole movie feels authentic". [12] Hannah Goodwyn of Christian Broadcasting Network gave Secretariat a "Jumbo Popcorn" rating, saying: "Though many may consider Seabiscuit as the preeminent horse-racing film, Secretariat beats it by lengths." [13]

Controversy

Film critic Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com 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. [14] 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." [15] 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. [14] 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. [15] Ron Turcotte, who rode Secretariat to victory, said about Martin's portrayal in the film: "It wasn't that way." [16] Conservative media personality Rush Limbaugh also took issue with O'Hehir's review. [17] 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." [15]

Historical inaccuracies

Bill Christine, a former long-time racing writer for the Los Angeles Times , pointed out that the film made some significant departures from Secretariat's actual history. These include:

Steve Haskin, a sportswriter for The Blood-Horse , had some of the same issues, particularly the omission of Riva Ridge and the staging of the Wood Memorial. He also added: "Although the horses who played Secretariat did not capture the majesty and physical presence of Big Red, the equine stars did well enough, considering there isn't a horse alive who could have done justice to him." [19]

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 Network 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. [4] In the United Kingdom, the film was released on December 4, 2010, with no promotion and was withdrawn from most UK cinemas after just one week.[ citation needed ]

Home media

Secretariat was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on DVD, as well as a 2-disc Blu-ray & DVD combo pack on January 30, 2011. [20] 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 Belmont race. [20]

Accolades

AwardCategoryNomineeResult
Christopher Award Feature FilmRandall Wallace, Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray, Bill Johnson, Mike RichWon
ESPY Award Best Sports MovieNominated
MovieGuide Awards Best Film for Mature Audiences Mark Ciardi (Producer), Gordon Gray (Producer), Randall Wallace (Director), Bill Johnson (Executive Producer)Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society AwardsBest Live Action Family FilmNominated
Satellite Award Best Youth DVDNominated
Best Cinematography and Best Sound (Mixing & Editing)Kami Asgar, Sean McCormack, David O. Daniel, Kevin O'Connell, Beau Borders and Dean SemlerNominated
Women's Image Network Awards Actress Feature FilmDiane LaneNominated

Soundtrack

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretariat (horse)</span> 1973 US Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winner

Secretariat, also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who was the ninth winner of the American Triple Crown, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three of its constituent races. He is widely considered to be the greatest racehorse of all time. He became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and his record-breaking victory in the Belmont Stakes, which he won by 31 lengths, is often considered the greatest race ever run by a thoroughbred racehorse. During his racing career, he won five Eclipse Awards, including Horse of the Year honors at ages two and three. He was nominated to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1974. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century, Secretariat was second to Man o' War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Turcotte</span> Canadian thoroughbred jockey

Ronald Joseph Morel "Ronnie" Turcotte, is a retired Canadian thoroughbred race horse jockey best known as the rider of Secretariat, winner of the U.S. Triple Crown in 1973.

Lucien Laurin was a French-Canadian jockey and Hall of Fame Thoroughbred horse trainer. He was best known for training Secretariat, who won the Triple Crown in 1973.

Helen Bates "Penny" Chenery was an American sportswoman who bred and owned Secretariat, the 1973 winner of the Triple Crown. The youngest of three children, she graduated from The Madeira School in 1939 and earned a Bachelor of Arts from Smith College, then studied at the Columbia Business School, where she met her future husband, John Tweedy, Sr., a Columbia Law School graduate. In March 2011, Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, awarded Chenery an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Christopher Chenery was an American engineer, businessman, and the owner/breeder of record for Thoroughbred horse racing's U.S. Triple Crown champion Secretariat.

Riva Ridge was a Thoroughbred racehorse, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogden Phipps</span> American businessman

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. In 2001, he was inducted into the International Court Tennis Hall of Fame.

Angle Light was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who defeated the champion Secretariat in the 1973 Wood Memorial Stakes.

Onion was a U.S. thoroughbred whose victory over Secretariat in the 1973 Whitney Handicap is considered to be among the most dramatic upsets in the history of horse racing.

Edward Sweat was an American groom in Thoroughbred horse racing. He was the subject of a 2006 book by Lawrence Scanlan titled The Horse God Built: Secretariat, His Groom, Their Legacy.

Sigmund Sommer was a Brooklyn, New York–based building contractor, philanthropist, and racehorse owner of Sham, the horse that placed second to Secretariat in two legs of the 1973 U.S. Triple Crown series. At the time of Sommer's death at 62 in 1979, his estate was valued at almost $1 billion.

Frank "Pancho" Martin was 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. Martin was the racing industry's leading purse winner in 1974 and the leading trainer in New York state from 1973 to 1982.

Arthur B. "Bull" Hancock Jr. was a breeder and owner of thoroughbred racehorses at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky, United States. 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.

Roger Laurin is a trainer of Thoroughbred racehorses in the United States and Canada. He has trained Champions Numbered Account, the 1971 American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly, and Chief's Crown, the 1984 American Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Kentucky Derby</span> 99th running of the Kentucky Derby

The 1973 Kentucky Derby was the 99th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Secretariat won the Derby in a record time of 1:59+2⁄5, 2+1⁄2 lengths ahead of Sham, while Our Native finished in third position. Of the thirteen horses that entered and started the race, all horses completed the event. The event was viewed in person by a then-record crowd of 134,476, while also being broadcast both on television and over the radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Preakness Stakes</span> 98th running of the Preakness Stakes

The 1973 Preakness Stakes was the 98th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland held on May 19, 1973. Six horses entered, and Secretariat won by 2+1⁄2 lengths ahead of Sham in front of a record crowd of 61,657 spectators. The race was viewed on television and broadcast over the radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Belmont Stakes</span> American thoroughbred horse race

The 1973 Belmont Stakes was the 105th running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, held on June 9, 1973. Facing a field of five horses, Secretariat won by 31 lengths going away, the largest margin of victory in Belmont history, in front of a crowd of 69,138 spectators. His winning time of 2 minutes and 24 seconds still stands as the American record for a mile and a half on dirt. The event was televised and broadcast over the radio.

James Dee "Jimmy" Nichols was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey and horseman who, after retiring from race-riding, played a key role in the two U.S. Triple Crown race wins of Risen Star.

<i>Thoroughbred Racing on CBS</i> American TV series or program

Thoroughbred Racing on CBS is the de facto title for a series of horse races events whose broadcasts are produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States.

Seth W. Hancock is an American breeder of thoroughbred racehorses. He was the owner of Claiborne Farm.

References

  1. 1 2 "Secretariat". American Film Institute . Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ Honeycutt, Kirk (October 14, 2010). "Secretariat — Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  3. ↑ Fritz, Ben (October 7, 2010). "Movie projector: 'Secretariat' and 'Life As We Know It' will battle 'Social Network' for No. 1". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 "Secretariat (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-02-12.
  5. ↑ Copley, Rich (April 28, 2010). "Secretariat returns to Derby in movie form". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 2010-04-28.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ Szkotak, Steve (October 11, 2009). "Production begins on Secretariat; 2010 release eyed". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  7. ↑ Kiesewetter, John (October 11, 2009). "Will Hollywood come back to town?". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  8. ↑ "Secretariat the Actor". Bloodstock in the Bluegrass. October 9, 2010. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
  9. ↑ "Secretariat". Rotten Tomatoes . Flixster . Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Secretariat Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Secretariat" in the search box). CinemaScore . Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Secretariat". ROGER EBERT. October 6, 2010.
  13. ↑ Secretariat: Movie Review, CBN.com. Hannah Goodwyn
  14. 1 2 Andrew O'Hehir. ""Secretariat": A gorgeous, creepy American myth". Salon.com.
  15. 1 2 3 "Secretariat was not a Christian". Chicago Sun-Times. October 7, 2010. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Secretariat's jockey says the movie is 'alright'". Talking Horses. 19 October 2010.
  17. ↑ "Rush Limbaugh hates our review of "Secretariat"". Salon.com.
  18. ↑ Christine, Bill (October 4, 2010). "The Tales the Secretariat Movie Forgot". Horserace Insider. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  19. ↑ Haskin, Steve. "Big Red on the Big Screen". cs.bloodhorse.com. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  20. 1 2 "Follow us close 'Secretariat' DVD/Blu-ray Release Date Announced". Box Office Magazine. 13 December 2010. Archived from the original on 24 December 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.

Further reading

Christine, Bill (October 3, 2010). "'Secretariat's' Loss: rival Angle Light". Los Angeles Times. p. 24

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.