ISBN: 0025195055529

An impeccably produced throwback to Hollywood's Golden Age (and one of the year's true sleepers), this superb drama is very much like its real-life equine inspiration: a little slow out o… mais…

An impeccably produced throwback to Hollywood's Golden Age (and one of the year's true sleepers), this superb drama is very much like its real-life equine inspiration: a little slow out of the gate but full of heart and great fun to watch. Based on Laura Hillenbrand’s runaway bestseller, this is the (mostly) true story of Seabiscuit, an undersized racehorse who became a symbol of triumph over adversity to Depression-weary Americans during the '30s and '40s. Owned by millionaire Charles Howard ({|Jeff Bridges|}), trained by former cowboy Tom Smith ({|Chris Cooper|}), and ridden primarily by emotionally damaged jockey Red Pollard (top-billed {|Tobey Maguire|}), Seabiscuit beat the odds time and again, becoming a champion even after being sidelined with a crippling injury, and ultimately making a fortune for his handlers. But this movie isn't just about the horse; it's about the three men who guided his destiny, men who weathered hardships and endured the loss of loved ones. Maguire is achingly vulnerable -- yet not always sympathetic -- as the half-blind jockey who never quite gets over being abandoned by his parents in the Depression's darkest days. Bridges, in his best performance in years, shines as the perpetually optimistic auto magnate who survives the death of his young son and the dissolution of his once-happy marriage to see both his business prosper and his racehorse become a phenomenon. Chris Cooper is nothing short of amazing as the grizzled old wrangler whose knowledge of horses is positively uncanny, and who laments the loss of his all-but-obsolete way of life. Writer-director {|Gary Ross|} limns these three characters in great detail, and the actors bring them to life beautifully. Carefully produced to be evocative of the period, Seabiscuit takes some liberties with the facts and tinkers with the chronology of actual events. But minor deviations from the historical record don't affect the fundamental truth that Seabiscuit was a remarkable horse who achieved fame in remarkable times, due to the efforts of remarkable people. Their joint success is no less inspiring today than it was more than a half century ago, and this movie is a loving tribute to that success. DVD>DVD>BluRay Drama>BluRay Drama>BluRay Drama, Universal Studios Core >10<