Secretariat -- a truly American story

Mon, 18 Oct 2010
an AIP News commentary exclusive
[reposted at American Cowboy with permission]
by: Tom Kovach

Movie reviews are not the ordinary foundation for an AIP News commentary. But, this is a review of no ordinary movie.

If you only go see one movie the rest of this year, go see Secretariat. Take the family (a rare endorsement in modern times!). Take your neighbors. Tell your co-workers. When the DVD comes out, buy it. Go online and write a review....

I love horses. I've loved them since long before I worked as a wrangler on two trail-riding ranches. I've loved them since long before owning two horses in the mid-1980s, and learning to ride in Civil War cavalry re-enactments. I've loved them since long before I visited the obscure grave of Exterminator, another giant of horse-racing history. I've loved them, even though my first childhood solo meeting with a horse involved him biting me.

The movie starts with a Bible quote -- rare, indeed, among modern movies. It is not merely a Bible quote, but it is the discourse in the Book of Job, when the authority of God is asserted by His description of various aspects of His Creation. The most detailed, and proudest, description that God gives to Job is that of the horse. During the many trail rides that I've led, and the "cowboy campfire cookout" storytelling sessions that I've been asked to give, one of the high points is when I tell people that the horse is the only animal that the Holy Bible specifically describes as being in Heaven (in three different passages of Scripture). As soon as I heard that quote at the start of the movie, I knew that this would be a departure from anything that Hollywood has put out in recent years. Thank God ... literally. (Also, unlike many purportedly "Christian" modern movies, there was no specific marketing to church groups, etc. Disney Studios simply put out a great movie, which can stand on its own without such marketing techniques.)

The movie is named after the horse for a reason: it is his story. He was literally bred for that place in history. The humans in Secretariat's life were seemingly "along for the ride" to the top. The fact that the horse's owner, Penny Chenery, was a consultant for the movie underscores the authenticity of both the movie itself and the central focus upon the horse.

The direction and cinematography of the movie are breathtaking. If you've ever spent time -- really spent time -- with a horse, then you will appreciate the intimacy of some of the close-up shots. If you've ever ridden a horse, and especially if you've experienced the thrill of racing another person on horseback (even once!), then you will recognize that the camera work truly captured that almost-indescribable feeling. You will be "inside" the races -- in a way that no other movie has done. (If you listen closely, you will hear the dirt from the horses hooves striking the lens of the camera, and the dirt from the leader's hooves striking the chest of the next horse. Now, that's reality!) You will feel the power of this horse, and of this story. And, even if you've never been near a horse in your life, this movie will convey to you the feeling of being near a great horse.

And, as the "Legacy page" of the Secretariat site explains, the story of Secretariat is the story of an "Equine Everyman". Although born on a professional horse-racing farm, "The Big Red Horse" comes up through circumstances that threaten to forestall his eventual destiny. Without spoiling the movie, it becomes virtually impossible to mention those circumstances. Overcoming those circumstances becomes the life-quest of Penny Chenery. And, how she gets into that position is its own great story. The story of Penny and the story of Secretariat are inexorably intertwined. They are two unlikely champions in their respective worlds. But, as the parallel stories unfold, you will also see that this movie is destined to become a classic, because it is an American Dream story come true. In fact, the movie's subtitle is "The Impossible True Story". The movie Secretariat is truly an "everyman" story.

The movie is based upon a book: Secretariat: The Making of a Champion, by retired Sports Illustrated writer William Nack. Like the horse's owner, the book's author was also a consultant on the movie. People that knew the real-life characters said that the portrayals were authentic. One of Secretariat's real-life exercise riders, Charlie Davis, had a small role in the movie: walking Secretariat onto the track with the actor that portrayed groom Eddie Sweat. (The real Eddie Sweat is deceased.) All of the jockeys in the movie were real jockeys, and not actors portraying jockeys. The track scenes were done at (or near!) racing speed. (Some of the horses had to be held back a little, so that the truck-mounted camera could maintain its relative position with the racing field.) I was a teenager when the real-life Secretariat made history. As the movie unfolded, I saw many details that triggered memories from the news stories of the early 1970s. It seemed to me that the main characters, especially the women, even wore the same clothing as the real people did at that time.

This degree of authenticity was part of the vision of the film's director, Randall Wallace -- who also wrote Braveheart, produced Pearl Harbor, and directed We Were Soldiers. The vision is adroitly captured by director of photography Dean Semler, who was also DP for Dances With Wolves and We Were Soldiers. The way that the camera gets the viewer inside the horse race is as captivating as the classic scene in Dances With Wolves, when the Army captain portrayed by Kevin Costner, along with a young Lakota girl, are stranded inside a bison stampede. (I was once charged by a bison; thus, I cannot figure out how that scene was shot safely.)

The owner's vision for Secretariat's potential, the never-give-up attitude, the sweeping drama of the life of The Big Red Horse that captured the heart of a nation -- all of these elements combine with a powerful chemistry that makes Secretariat more than an entertaining movie, although it is certainly that. Secretariat is truly an American story.

Tell me another time in the past 20 years when the audience actually applauded in a movie theater.

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Tom Kovach (rhymes with "watch") lives near Nashville, is a former USAF Blue Beret, and has written two books plus columns for several online publications. Tom is an inventor, a horse wrangler, a certified paralegal, and former network talk-show host. He has worked as a background actor in two movies, and is currently writing two historically-accurate Western movie scripts. Tom has also run for Congress, and is the AIP state chairman for Tennessee. To learn more, click: www.TomKovach.US.

The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of America's Independent Party or of any other specific organization.