“Secretariat,” (2010). Randall Wallace, director. Disney Studios, 123 minutes.
What is it about horseracing films that captures our attention? We already know the outcome, whether the movie is based on a true story like “Seabiscuit” (2003) or the current “Secretariat” (2010), or pure fiction, like “National Velvet” (1944) or “The Black Stallion (1979). We just can’t seem to get enough of watching those horses pound the turf to a breathtaking photo finish while the horse’s owner/trainer/jockey sheds tears of joy.
But there is so much more to racing than the couple of minutes the horses spend thundering down the track, and it is often the back story that makes horseracing movies so compelling. What personal risks are at stake? “Secretariat” is no exception. The titular chestnut with his memorable three white socks was possibly the greatest race horse of all time. His records, set in 1973 at the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, still stand. Yet he almost didn’t make it to his first race. He got there through the faith and determination of a housewife, a has-been, and a ham.
Penny Chenery Tweedy (Diane Lane) is the housewife. She is happily rearing four active children in suburban Denver when her mother’s sudden death and her father’s dementia lead her to take over the family’s Virginia horse farm rather than sell it. With her bouffant flip and demure sweater sets, Penny is a model of the Southern lady. But she has the inner fire and backbone of a rancher. She knows she has to produce a champion in order to save the family farm.
Lucien Laurin (John Malkovich) is the has-been. Recommended to Penny as one of the best trainers in the business, he nevertheless has never been able to take a horse all the way to the top. As the film opens he is playing golf, trying to convince himself that he has retired. But he carries in his wallet the clippings of his losses, goading him back to the track. He has unfinished business to address, and Chenery knows it.
The “ham” is Miss Ham (Margo Martindale), Penny’s secretary and right-hand woman. She helps Penny stand up to the old boys’ network that would like to see Penny get out of the business — a network that includes Penny’s own brother Hollis (Dylan Baker) and her husband, Jack (Dylan Walsh), who encourage her to sell the horse before he starts losing. Together with Eddie Sweat (Nelsan Ellis), Secretariat’s groom; and Ron Turcotte (Otto Thorwarth), his jockey; this unlikely group manages to train the greatest racehorse who ever lived.
As a film, “Secretariat” starts awkwardly but builds to a thrilling finish. It has to rush through three uneventful years, from Secretariat’s birth to his racing eligibility. The colt is born and suddenly he’s two, while Penny’s family seems to still be eating the same meal, wearing the same clothes, and preparing for the same school production. At times, too, it seems that Diane Lane is trying too hard to act the part of Penny Chenery, especially in the early part of the film when we can see her thinking about where she is going to place her arm, when she is going to look down, and how soon she is going to turn her head. But this may simply be the way Penny Chenery really moves.
The story takes place in the early dawn of the feminist movement, when pioneers like Penny Chenery opened many doors that now swing freely for women today. The film’s backdrop of peaceniks and hippies reminds us of the mood of the nation during this time, when Nixon was still in office and the Vietnam War was just winding down.
Money is at the root of Penny’s problems. After her father’s death, the family faces a dilemma that affects thousands of small business owners around the country when a key person dies: In order to pay their estate taxes, part of the family business has to be sold. In the Chenerys’ case, they must either sell the farm or sell the horse. Instead, Penny comes up with a masterful plan on par with Deal or No Deal — one that will either work triumphantly or fail utterly. This conflict creates an urgency that drives the film.
Penny’s quest to develop Secretariat as a racer begins as a tribute to her father, but it ends as a validation of herself. She virtually abandons her family to follow her dream of racing this horse, at a time when women were still mostly housewives, working at part-time jobs as long as it didn’t interfere with dad and the kids. Revealingly, Jack is completely against Penny’s dream and refuses to contribute any of “his” money — until the horse starts to win big, that is. Like Torvald Helmer in “The Doll House,” her husband supports her only after the crisis has passed and victory is sure. Then he’s all smiles and sunshine.
Another element contributing to the thrill of this film is the horse itself. Like Olympic short-track skater Apolo Anton Ohno, Secretariat was a come-from-behind winner. Not only was he the fastest horse to win the Triple Crown, but he did it while starting in the back of the pack and increasing his speed all the way. Audiences held their breath then, and they do so now while watching this fine film. Secretariat reminds us not to give up, even when everyone else seems to be ahead.
The film also gives audiences a fascinating look at the background of horseracing, including the breeding, training, racing strategy, handicapping, preparation, and financing. But the true star of this movie is the horse. Gorgeous, powerful, magnificent, he seems to speak with his eyes. The joy of running is in his movements. When Penny joins Eddie in soaping Secretariat down after a workout, we want to moosh our hands in the lather and help rub him down too.
If you think “Secretariat” is just another film about a race horse, you would probably be right. But that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with another film about following dreams, taking risks, and facing seemingly insurmountable odds. And there’s nothing like cheering for that come-from-behind horse that just might make it across the finish line first.
Jo Ann Skousen teaches English literature at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and has served as the entertainment editor of Liberty Magazine since 2005. She is the founder and producer of Anthem Film Festival, which will premiere at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas next summer.