Seabiscuit (Full Screen Edition)

Starring:Michael Angarano, Mariah Bess, Sam Bottoms, Cameron Bowen, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Annie Corley, Carl M. Craig, David Doty, Michael Ensign, James Keane, Ed Lauter, Noah Luke, Valerie Mahaffey, David McCullough (II), Paul Vincent O'Connor, Michael O'Neill, Jamie Lee Redmon, Gianni Russo
Studio: Universal Studios
Product Type: DVD

Product Description

A great American story from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Gary Ross, Seabiscuit stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper. Based on the inspiring true story of three men - a jockey, a trainer and a businessman - and the undersized racehorse who took the entire nation on the ride of a lifetime. This breathtaking film achievement is "a must-see moviegoing experience" (Chicago Sun-Times) and "a flat-out great movie!" (Larry King Live, CNN)

System Requirements:
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Tobey Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, William H. Macy, and Gary Stephens.
Directed By: Gary Ross.
Running Time: 141 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2003 Universal.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Proving that truth is often greater than fiction, the handsome production of Seabiscuit offers a healthy alternative to Hollywood's staple diet of mayhem. With superior production values at his disposal, writer-director Gary Ross (Pleasantville) is a bit too reverent toward Laura Hillenbrand's captivating bestseller, unnecessarily using archival material--and David McCullough's familiar PBS-styled narration--to pay Ken Burns-like tribute to Hillenbrand's acclaimed history of Seabiscuit, the knobby-kneed thoroughbred who "came from behind" in the late 1930s to win the hearts of Depression-weary Americans. That caveat aside, Ross's adaptation retains much of the horse-and-human heroism that Hillenbrand so effectively conveyed; this is a classically styled "legend" movie like The Natural, which was also heightened by a lushly sentimental Randy Newman score. Led by Tobey Maguire as Seabiscuit's hard-luck jockey, the film's first-rate cast is uniformly excellent, including William H. Macy as a wacky trackside announcer who fills this earnest film with a much-needed spirit of fun. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Seabiscuit.......2007-06-08

Very inspirational movie. It shows how close a person and an animal can relate to each other. You can see the true beauty and strength of a racehorse. It give a lesson on never giving up, and how you do need others to help at times.

Loved this film but know others who did not.......2007-05-23

This is a wonderful film. It's a story about a race horse who should not have won, ridden by a jockey who should not have won, owned by a man who pulls himself out of grief by his devotion to the horse, the jockey, the trainer, and a second wife.

The story starts with a man (Jeff Bridges) who moves to California and opens a bicycle shop. He is failing until he switches from bicycles to automobiles. He becomes a millionaire selling automobiles. He buys a ranch and uses the barn to store his car collection. After his son is killed in an auto accident, the cars are removed from the barn and taken away. His first wife never recovers from the death of their son, blames her husband, and leaves him.

He meets a young beautiful woman who becomes his second wife. His wife loves horse racing. He decides to buy a horse. He searches for just the right trainer to pick out a horse for him. He finds the trainer, a taciturn man living by himself, camping in the wilderness. The trainer sees Seabiscuit on a track and tells the millionaire to buy him. He sees a certain spirit in the horse who has been mistreated all his life. There's a certain irony that a man who made his millions selling cars which replaced horses should buy and become devoted to a horse.

Tobey Maguire's character was given away as a child to a horse trainer by his parents (virtually abandoned). He loves horses. For a time, he gets to race as a jockey but as he grows up he becomes too large to be a jockey and starves himself to keep his weight down. By the time he is hired by the millionaire to be the jockey for Seabiscuit, he is a broken down has-been jockey.

Both the jockey and the horse have to be retrained out of the self-destuctive habits of a lifetime. Together, they become winners.

All of the major characters associated with the horse Seabiscuit have suffered. They come together as a family of choice rather than one of blood and it is through their association with Seabiscuit and each other that they are each healed.

Some people will not love this film for various reasons. Let me tell you about two.

My parents grew up during the great depression. They have told me many stories about their life back then. For me, this movie made that period come alive, made me understand how bleak the depression was, the desperation that many people faced.

It gave me a better understanding of why my parents are they way they are, how they were shaped by the times they lived through as children and teenagers. But I think that is the reason my mother had difficulty watching this film. Its depiction of the great depression was too real. It reopened the wounds that had scarred over from the suffering my mother experienced during the depression.

My husband was lukewarm about this film too. Perhaps it is because his grandparents and parents were part of the middle class during the depression so there is no family narrative about suffering during the great depression. Also, my husband's attitude toward life is to pretend that nothing bad ever happens in the real world -- he would rather not face up to the less pleasant sides of reality. He does not mind watching violent movies with lots of gore and death because they are phony and not reality. I think this movie was too much unpleasant reality for him, something he'd rather pretend did not and does not exist.

We can all learn something from this Movie........2007-04-24

I just love this movie - and I have watched it many a times. Not only because it deals with horses, which I love, but more with the theme it is dealing with.

You will no doubt find out what the story is, or you would have seen it already (it was released around 2003 or 2004?), but there is a line which came up in the movie a couple of times, and I like it a lot. It goes something like:

"Just because someone's got banged a little, we are not gonna throw a whole life away".

It's vitally important we give ourselves or someone else a second chance. It is just equally important that we grab that second chance ourselves, whenever it comes, before it fades away.

There are many second chances out there to grab, it is just a matter if we would have the heart to grab them or not. Not everyone strikes out winning the first time, but to keep fighting without losing hearts is vital.

Both the Horse (Seabiscuit) and the Jockey (Red) made a comeback when everybody thought they were out for good; one (the Jockey) broke his leg in a riding accident, the other (the Horse, Seabiscuit) sprained its ligament in a race. All the doctors and vets told them they would not ride nor race again in their lives, one even suggested to put the horse down, but the Owner gave them both a second chance, they took the time to recover enough to make a comeback. And they did it, together.

It may sound an ordinary story, a plain sporting movie to try to inspire and draw a few tears in the audience, well, not for me. This actually happened in real life. And it happens on a daily basis to a lot of people. It matters if one has the heart to fight back.

Another part I like the movie Seabiscuit a lot is that:

The Horse Seabiscuit was a castaway whom nobody thought could achieve anything in racng - he was only 15 hands tall, not big enough for a racerhorse. The champion War Admiral he faced was a full 19 hands, and a thoroughbred.

"He may be little, but he is fierce" - and his hearts and racing spirits made up for it.

The Jockey was a losing jockey, a nobody who lost his family in the Great Depression, had to beg to ride for racings, but he had the fighting spirits to give it a go, never giving up.

The Trainer was an old man who knows his horses, but nobody thought well of hiring him because his ways were peculiar, even eccentric

The Owner was a divorced person who made out on his own, made his fortunes all by himself, but felt guilty for the death of his son. And he had had the hearts to give both the Jockey and the Trainer, and even Seabiscuit himself, a second chance(s).

When Seabiscuit won the races, people said the 3 of them, the Owner, Trainer and Jockey had fixed a broken horse. In a way, they all fixed each other.

It was a good story. It teaches me a lot. We could all learn something from it.

Accepting the challenge of life is difficult........2007-02-27

In this feature film about horseracing and one champion, we vicariously travel back in time to see the beginnings of a rich pasttime. In New York City 1910, the Ford Model T, off the assembly line developed by Ford Motors, competes with all the pretty horses for the attention and money of those who flaunt their status. The horses are on a ranch, encirled by something new then, barbed wire fence.

Across country, it is till a varied transportation in San Francisco where the horse and carriages races bucyckesm the Stanley Steamer and a very small locomotive. An optimistic repairman became a car salesman for Buick. The old race cars were something else. The future is in the finish line.

In Alberta, Canada, the sky is the limit! Betting on the horses was the thing to do in Tijuana, Mexico, as a mariachi band plays and the liquor flows where gambling proliferates. There is a Spanish bullfight, matadors all decked out for the kill. The 1929 Crash on Wass Street causes unemployment, homelessness, and the Great Depression is born. Tor those who have them, there is a national migration in their automobiles.

This is a disjointed story but, finally, the stars Sea Biscuit and Tobey Maguire, too big to be a jockey, are there in all their glory at the famous racetrack in Kentucky. Tom Smith made a good medicine man.

Red is all grown up telling his stories about Sultan. In Saratoga, New York, we've come full circle. After a successful team effort, Sea Biscuit, a real race horse, is put out to pasture ans is shown as Ferdinand, a fictional character, sitting under a Juniper tree. Thank goodness, he didn't have the same fate as Barbaro.

Mostly on the money...........2007-02-14

There were a couple of places in the movie that I thought were unlikely, but overall, it is a nice piece to watch. I watched the documentary (also sold on Amazon), on Seabiscuit before I watched the movie, and I found that to make the movie more interesting.

Average customer rating:

Seabiscuit
Loved this film but know others who did not
We can all learn something from this Movie.
Accepting the challenge of life is difficult.
Mostly on the money....

Seabiscuit (Full Screen)
Starring: Tobey Maguire , Jeff Bridges , Chris Cooper , William H. Macy , and Sam Bottoms
Director: Gary Ross
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000DCGT0
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Seabiscuit.......2007-06-08

Loved this film but know others who did not.......2007-05-23

We can all learn something from this Movie........2007-04-24

Accepting the challenge of life is difficult........2007-02-27

Mostly on the money...........2007-02-14

Average customer rating:

A place in history
Poor
Equine
If you love the Seabiscuit legend, you have to own this DVD.
Seabiscuit - The Lost Documentary - Wonderful Story

Seabiscuit - The Lost Documentary
Starring: Martin Mason (II) , Tom Smith (XIII) , Mrs. Charles Howard , George Woolf , and War Admiral
Director: Manny Nathan Hahn
Manufacturer: Arts Alliance Amer
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000DI4SB
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Customer Reviews:

A place in history.......2007-02-14

Very nicely done, explains WHY this horse uplifted all of America! Watch this, then watch the movie, if you are so inclined.

Poor.......2007-01-27

Some facts about the Biscuit and some scraps of original footage are crammed into the DVD with very predictable--almost seemingly scripted--commentary by trainers, jockeys, and the like. DO NOT waste your time on this. The only good part of the film was the stock footage of racehorses added to fill it up, and even that wasn't spectacular. Get the 'American Experience' film. It is way more informative.

Equine.......2007-01-14

This is one of the best books I have found on the biscuit. It was wonderful seeing all the pictures of him racing, in the stables and relaxing. He was such a grand animal. I like how the book took different facts from birth to his death in great detail. I really love this book and will cherish it always. I definitely recommend this book to all horsepeople and historians.

If you love the Seabiscuit legend, you have to own this DVD........2007-01-09

This is definitely a period piece made many, many years ago. It's like a home movie made by a doting father. Don't expect a modern documentary with all the fancy computer visuals and the discussions of positive and negative aspects of the time, the story, the people, the activity. How refreshing!

Lots of visuals of the *real* Seabiscuit whom you did not see in the recent movie except in the newsreel clips. This is the strength of this DVD. It's just the horse. If you buy it, you probably already know the story, so just enjoy what you see.

Seabiscuit - The Lost Documentary - Wonderful Story.......2007-01-06

I love the fact we have a story that is very unique,
with an animal so loveable too! The racing
days of Seabiscuit are documented here, and to have that
film is a part of our American Heritage, and I am proud to
be a part of that heritage.
The film is a wonderful addition to the book and film that
were recently made, to document and give us some insight to a
wonderful story and history of the sport of horse racing.
Great to have this piece of history for our viewing pleasure!!
Johnne in Seattle

Average customer rating:

There's No Photo Finish for this HD DVD movie, it wents by a long amound of distance!!!!
"The perfect horse to take him there" (BEST HD-DVD MOVIE I HAVE!!!!!)
Awsome !!!
Top notch HD-DVD !!
Beautiful HD Quality

Seabiscuit [HD DVD]
Starring: Royce D. Applegate , Jeff Bridges , George Baker , Samuel Bottoms , and Chris Cooper
Director: Gary Ross
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: HD DVD

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ASIN: B000GFLEAY
Release Date: 2006-09-12

Customer Reviews:

There's No Photo Finish for this HD DVD movie, it wents by a long amound of distance!!!!.......2007-05-15

Simply the best HD DVD movie out there! That's it! Its a great horse movie! King Kong was great on HD DVD, but this overwelming takes over the HD realm of Demos. If you want to show people how HD looks and feels, this is the Movie! I was so eager to see what this HD movie was going to be! I own about 12 HD DVD, and i love 'em all, but this Seabiscuit is by far the Best HD movie! Hands down! (not to say its the best movie out my collection, but in picture, this movie Blows them out of the tracks.) A great story about a Trainer, Jockey and Owner and the Horse that brought them together to conquer thier obstacles called Life. This is the one you HAVE TO get for HD! I am overwelm with joy with this purchase! Add it to your Collections and Show OFF the HD!!!!!

"The perfect horse to take him there" (BEST HD-DVD MOVIE I HAVE!!!!!).......2007-03-06

This HD-DVD movie is AWESOME in so many ways. The movie just pop's out at you in HD, the colors are so rich and Gary Ross did a wonderful job on directing this film. I think Gary Ross put every he had in this movie, I really like how he started the movie off in a documentary kind of way; with the narrator David McCullough and all history is really what made the movie come together. The acting was phenomenal, with Toby Maguire(Red Pollard), Jeff Bridges(Charles Howard), Chris Cooper(Tom Smith), Elizabeth Banks(Marcela Howard), and the great William H. Macy(Tick Tock McGlaughlin). I think this is one of Jeff Bridges best performances in along time, the same goes for Chris Copper I love when his character(Tom Smith) said "You don't throw a whole life away because its banged up a little bit". William H. Macy was hilarious as Tick Tock McGlaughlin and Toby Maguire was just born to play as Red Pollard in every way. I was really overwhelmed by Gary Stevens(George Woolf)performance which is not any actor, but was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1997 at the age of 34.
Every time I see this movie it just puts tears to my eyes, such an uplifting movie in every way! The movie should have got a lot of Oscars, but The Lord of the Rings- Return of the King- killed everything that year (which it really did deserved every Oscar it got). A must have for every HD-DVD collector!!! I don't think their will every be another horse movie that can be done like this again period!

Awsome !!!.......2007-02-20

The movie is great from start to finish , the story , the actors Toby Maguire, Jeff Bridges ,Chris Cooper etc.did a great job.

This has to be HD at it's best. True eye popping eye candy.
I recomend this movie to anyone. Truely a reference HD dvd.

Top notch HD-DVD !!.......2007-01-09

Sound and picture quality on this HD-DVD are mind blowing !!!
Highly recommended to everyone !

Beautiful HD Quality.......2006-12-27

Seabiscuit on HD-DVD is a stunning visual treat.

Numerous visual scenes are unforgettable:

* Jeff Bridges at the end of the road race is standing high in the mountains and states that 'the future is the destiniation' - the scenery in the background is breathtaking.

* Toby Maguire and Seabiscuit take a ride in the autumn countryside - the visual of the bridge and the countryside is amazing and worth the price alone.

* Numerous race scenes in the movie are captivating with the vivid colors.

The audio track was exceptional and the hoofs of the horses rocked our home Theater.

Highly recommend this excellent movie in HD; a cinematic pleasure!

Seabiscuit - America's Legendary Racehorse (Documentary)

Average customer rating:

A place in history
Poor
Equine
If you love the Seabiscuit legend, you have to own this DVD.
Seabiscuit - The Lost Documentary - Wonderful Story

Seabiscuit - America's Legendary Racehorse (Documentary)
Starring: Martin Mason (II) , Tom Smith (XIII) , Mrs. Charles Howard , George Woolf , and War Admiral
Director: Manny Nathan Hahn
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000098ZQX
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Description

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. The heroes of this true story entered the stage as minor players and left as champions...true life American legends.

In 1936 an unlikely cast of characters came together: SEABISCUIT: a burned-out knobby-kneed racehorse; RED POLLARD: a down and out and half blind jockey; GEORGEWOLF: the "Ice Man", a cool and cocky rider; TOM SMITH: an aging western trainer bypassed by the big time; CHARLES S.HOWARD: Buick dealer and horse owner, a self-made man.

Seabiscuit's story played out against America's Great Depression, when one in four breadwinners was without work. Spectator sports, radio programming and movie theaters offered an escape and created instant celebrity, even for horses. When America needed him most, Seabiscuit became the working man's hero and the most remarkable thoroughbred racehorse in history! He made us believe in ourselves, in courage, in perseverance, in America. No other racehorse has come close to Seabiscuit's fame or his hold over the nation's imagination.

-This program includes the complete archival Seabiscuit/War Admiral "Match Race," which is considered to be the greatest horse race in history.

-Riding Seabiscuit was George "Ice Man" Wolf, whom Laura Hillenbrand calls "the greatest jockey who ever lived."

-This documentary includes the real footage of jockey Red Pollard's (Tobey Maguire in the Universal film) thrilling victory at the 1940 Santa Anita Handicap.

-Also in this film is an extensive interview with Laura Hillenbrand, writer of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Seabiscuit: An American Legend," and Bob Baffert, trainer of Kentucky Derby Winner "Silver Charm" and "Real Quiet".

51 Minutes

Customer Reviews:

A place in history.......2007-02-14

Very nicely done, explains WHY this horse uplifted all of America! Watch this, then watch the movie, if you are so inclined.

Poor.......2007-01-27

Equine.......2007-01-14

If you love the Seabiscuit legend, you have to own this DVD........2007-01-09

Seabiscuit - The Lost Documentary - Wonderful Story.......2007-01-06

National Velvet/The Story of Seabiscuit/Black Beauty

Average customer rating:

National Velvet/The Story of Seabiscuit/Black Beauty
Starring: Shirley Temple , Barry Fitzgerald , Lon McCallister , Rosemary DeCamp , and Donald MacBride
Director: David Butler , Clarence Brown , and Caroline Thompson
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ASIN: B000HT38IA
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Description

Adventure gallops home in three films featuring the speed, power and grace of majestic horses. In two-time Academy Award winner* National Velvet (Disc 1/Side A), Elizabeth Taylor poses as a boy in order to ride her beloved steed in the Grand National. Mickey Rooney co-stars in this all-time thoroughbred of a family-film winner. Real-life racing footage of the legendary "the Biscuit" adds to the drama of The Story of Seabiscuit (Disc 1/Side B), starring Shirley Temple. And the heroic colt in Black Beauty (Disc 2) triumphs over adversity and changes lives as he passes from owner to owner. David Thewlis and Sean Bean lead the two-legged cast members in this splendid version of Anna Sewell's famed tale. Time to ride!

Average customer rating:

A supreme documentary and good companion to the movie
Incredible footage
Turned me on to horse racing
If you loved the film, then watch the real Seabiscuit run
Great gift...

Seabiscuit (American Experience)
Starring: Scott Glenn , Laura Hillenbrand , Farrell Jones , Norah Christianson , and Red Pollard
Director: Stephen Ives
Manufacturer: Pbs Home Video
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ASIN: B00008WI9P
Release Date: 2003-06-03

Description

While not looking the part, Seabiscuit was one of the most remarkable thoroughbred racehorses in history. In the 1930's, when Americans longed to escape the grim realities of Depression-era life, four men turned Seabiscuit into a national hero. They were his fabulously wealthy owner Charles Howard, his famously silent and stubborn trainer Tom Smith, and the two hard-bitten, gifted jockeys who rode him to glory. This film illuminates the precarious economic conditions that defined America in the 1930's and explores the fascinating behind-the-scenes world of thoroughbred racing.

Customer Reviews:

A supreme documentary and good companion to the movie.......2007-01-27

The 2004 movie, while excellent, cannot tell you the whole story and gives you no real footage. This is a matter-of-fact but exciting documentary. It is sleek, well put-together, and contains great photos, original footage, and narration. A must-buy!

Incredible footage.......2006-03-23

This is an amazing video of the actual story of Seabiscuit. A must-have for anyone interested in racing in general or this horse in particular.

Turned me on to horse racing.......2005-07-18

At the time I first received this DVD, I had not only no interest in horse racing, but probably a negative view of the sport. This film changed all that and turned me into a huge fan who follows several tracks around the world, without even betting.

This is a first class production, with outstanding commentary by Seabiscuit expert Lauren Hillenbrand as well as contemporaries of the Biscuit. The connection between Seabiscuit and his jockey, Red Pollard is brought to light on many levels, and makes this story all the more inspirational.

A must have and a great gift for almost anyone, not just horse lovers and sports fans.

If you loved the film, then watch the real Seabiscuit run.......2005-05-01

Okay, the only question here is whether you would enjoy watching this PBS "American Experience" documentary about Seabiscuit after watching the hit theatrical film. The answer is yes.

The match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral goes exactly like it was done in the film, but there is something to be said for watching footage of the actual race. Seabiscuit lets War Admiral catch up with him but holds off the challenger and blows past him on the straightaway, pulling away at the end. The footage and shots of Red Pollard sitting on top of the 7-year-old Seabiscuit after finally winning the Santa Anita $100,000 race are quite poignant and there is also the fact that you actually get to see Seabiscuit it all his awkward glory.

This documentary shows that the theatrical film is essentially faithful to the dramatic highpoints of Seabiscuit's racing career. In terms of the human beings in the horse's life that boils down to his trainer Tom Smith in the first half of the documentary and his jockies, primarily Red Pollard, in the second. This has to be because the idea that both horse and rider could come back from problems that left the pair with four good legs between them is a story that writes itself.

When ESPN put Secretariat on its list of the 50 Greatest Athletes of all time I had no problem with that. I have a pet theory that says you really fall in love with only one horse in your life; for some that would be Black Beauty or the Pie or Trigger or Citation or the one in their own stable. For me it was Secretariat. But I can see where lots of people could end up falling in love with this funny looking horse that died long before they were born could become the horse of their heart.

So, whether you come to the documentary from the theatrical film or go to the movies after catching this documentary on PBS during the current pledge drive, I think that you will be satisfied either way. My suggestion would be go to the movies for the Hollywood version and then check out the real thing on this nice little documentary.

Great gift..........2004-10-27

I got this as a gift for my father. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the movie and would like to learn and see more.

Average customer rating:

An Equine Rocky. What a great 'tail', I LOVED IT!!!
DON'T BOTHER WITH 2 DISC SET!!!
Remarkable Film!
seabiscuit

Seabiscuit (2-Disc Collector's Set)
Starring: Tobey Maguire , Jeff Bridges , Chris Cooper , William H. Macy , and Sam Bottoms
Director: Gary Ross
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000DFZZC
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Customer Reviews:

An Equine Rocky. What a great 'tail', I LOVED IT!!!.......2004-03-09

Sensitive, heartfelt and heartwarming yet not maudling or corny. This is one great Hollywood epic for everyone who roots for the underdog, er. . .horse. Seabiscuit is an Equine "Rocky" for sure. It may have you tearing up at times, but that's not bad in this case. It's a great story and there's a happy ending too. What more could anyone want? Wish that horse were still around.

DON'T BOTHER WITH 2 DISC SET!!!.......2003-12-23

Seabiscuit is a good addition to your DVD library, but save the extra money and buy the single disc. I feel taken by the 2 disc set. The only real addition is the Match Race footage which is only a few minutes. The Winner's Circle, HBO First Look and True Story are all re-edits of the interviews and commentaries on the first disc. It's too bad that the studio did this because I will never pay for extra features again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Remarkable Film!.......2003-12-20

This movie is proof that Hollywood IS capable of putting out a quality product. All the elements come together on this one-rare indeed. Gets my vote for Picture Of The Year.

seabiscuit.......2003-11-02

One of the best movies I've seen in a long time.. I think people fail to see what this movie is realy about..If you don't have a tear in your eye when George wolf and the biscuit break away from the admiral in the final stretch of the match race, than I think your realy missing the moment.. And you should be in full cry mode when Red Pollard breaks through the pack to win the Santa Anita Handicap.. Sure they could have talked more about events in the book,like Charles Howards other son, he's not mentioned once, or his friendship whith Bing Crosby, and how the biscuit had a rival with his horse. And lets not forget the Awsome performance by the Great Jockey Gary Stevens as the Ice Man himself George Wolf.. I think Gary was the perfect part for George and would have liked to see more of him.. His riding for the finish line in the match race was poetry in motion.. But all in all this movie is summed up in the end when they say this is about a horse that changed the lives of three men when in actuality it changed a country. It gave people light at the end of a dark tunnel, and showed with the right love and the Heart to do your best you can overcome anything. At least thats what I got out of it...

Average customer rating:

The Story of Seabiscuit
The Story of Seabiscuit (Snap Case)
A Nice Shirley Temple Movie, not so much for Seabiscuit fans
Actually, I was surprised at how much they got right
Talk About Streching the Facts!

The Story of Seabiscuit (Keep Case)
Starring: Shirley Temple , Barry Fitzgerald , Lon McCallister , Rosemary DeCamp , and Donald MacBride
Director: David Butler
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Seabiscuit - America's Legendary Racehorse (Documentary)
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ASIN: B000BRP4BC
Release Date: 2006-02-07

Amazon.com

Although it blithely rewrites the history of a legendary race horse, The Story of Seabiscuit is still an appealing example of Technicolor entertainment from Hollywood's studio system. It wasn't unusual for contract players (in this case Shirley Temple, Barry Fitzgerald, and Lon McAllister) to play fictional characters in fact-based stories, since factual fidelity was often considered a secondary priority. That's why this blandly charming drama makes no mention of the legendary Seabiscuit's actual trainer Tom Smith or jockey Red Pollard, who were duly recognized in 2003's Seabiscuit, based on Laura Hillenbrand's historically accurate 2001 bestseller. McAllister plays a loose rendition of Pollard (including his accidental chest injury), wooing a race-phobic nurse (Temple) while "the Biscuit" is trained for championship by luck-of-the-Irish Fitzgerald. A bit quaint by modern standards, but ironically, this is the only movie that features the real Seabiscuit in action, since vintage race footage is included in the black-and-white newsreel interludes. Plus, a bonus featurette from 1946 offers a still-valid primer on the backstage details of horseracing. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Sixteen times out of the starting gate. Zero times in the Winner's Circle. Those were the humble beginnings of the undersized, underdog bay colt who became one of the greatest thoroughbreds in horseracing history. With actual racing footage of "the Biscuit," The Story of Seabiscuit mixes fact and fancy into an endearing tale of rags-to-riches success. Shirley Temple plays the student nurse whose romance with the colt's jockey (Lon McAllister) is clouded by her fears about a sport in which a 100-pound rider must command 1,000 pounds of thundering horseflesh. And Barry Fitzgerald charmingly scores as the trainer who sizes up the short-legged, bulky-kneed colt and sees what no one else sees: the makings of a champion. The flag is up!

Customer Reviews:

The Story of Seabiscuit.......2007-01-14

An excellent movie for the whole family,with believable performances by the entire cast.this original is far better then the latest release.
*****stars

The Story of Seabiscuit (Snap Case).......2006-02-27

this is a wonderful story.The filming wes magnificent.Many truly great racing moments.

A Nice Shirley Temple Movie, not so much for Seabiscuit fans.......2005-01-07

Although the name of Seabiscuit is used, this movie is pure fiction. Shirley Temple stars as Margaret O'Hara, a comely Irish lass who is partial to a racehorse owned by her uncle, and falls in love with the jockey. Despite the liberties taken with the plot, there is some wonderful archival footage showing the real Seabiscuit in action (a race at Pimlico against War Admiral, and in 1940's Santa Anita Handicap).

Staci Layne Wilson

Actually, I was surprised at how much they got right.......2003-12-22

Books have been written about what Hollywood does to history when it makes a movie, so it is not surprising that "The Story of Seabiscuit" takes great liberties with the story of the famous thoroughbred. But I was actually surprised that so much of the true story made it into the movie. Screenwriter John Taintor Foote must have done some research, because some key details, such as training Seabiscuit to respond to the sound of the bell for the celebrated match race with War Admiral, are worked into the story. But you do get a sense for the film's priorities when you take the fact that Seabiscuit's jockey, Red Pollard, married the nurse who took care of him in the hospital when he was recuperating from this leg injury, and it turns into the big romantic plotline of the film with jockey Ted Knowles (Lon McCallister) falling for Margaret O'Hara (Shirley Temple), the neice of Shawn O'Hara (Barry Fitzgerald), who has come from Ireland to train Seabiscuit for glory. Margaret is studying to become a nurse and likes Ted, but since her brother was killed at the Grand National (a flashback using film from "National Velvet"), she cannot stand to be in love with a jockey. When he is injured (chest and arm rather than leg) they become closer and he agrees to stop racing, but then comes the big race and--well, you can just imagine.

Another way that you can tell where the focus of this film is would be that Shirley Temple gets top billing over Barry Fitzgerald, even though the strength of this film is Fitzgerald working his peculiar brand of magic on this horse and the actual footage of Seabiscuit's big races (at which point the movie suddenly goes from color to black & white so that the actual footage fits). This 1949 film was Temple's last movie, made 14 years after she received a special juvenile Academy Award, and besides the familiar smile why she shouts for "Biscuit!" from the box at the races, she adds little to the film. However, she is still better than the caricature of Wong the O'Hara's Cook.

It is a safe assumption that most people are going to come to "The Story of Seabiscuit" out of curiosity, having read Laura Hillenbrand's best selling novel or seen the critically acclaimed 2003 film, so all of the changes in the historical record are going to really stick out. Charles S. Howard (Pierre Watking), the owner of Seabiscuit gets to keep his name, but that is just about it. Besides, even the interest in seeing actual footage of Seabiscuit racing is less impressive when you can see it in the excellent "PBS American Experience" documentary. But if you have read the book, seen the movie and the documentary, and still have not satisfied your longing for all things Seabiscuit, then this film is certainly worth a look.

Talk About Streching the Facts!.......2003-11-19

This movie bothered me. None of the historiacal facts and names are correct. Though some were, I think "you can't see the forest because the trees are in the way"." The bad stuff blocked the accurrate information. Also, the film doesn't even focus on Seabiscuit, but on the romance that develops between Shirley Temple and the jockey. In spite of the enormous amount of faults, it is a cute movie.

Average customer rating:

A supreme documentary and good companion to the movie
Incredible footage
Turned me on to horse racing
If you loved the film, then watch the real Seabiscuit run
Great gift...

Seabiscuit (PBS American Experience)
Starring: Scott Glenn , Laura Hillenbrand , Farrell Jones , Norah Christianson , and Red Pollard
Director: Stephen Ives
Manufacturer: Pbs Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006FO8SY
Release Date: 2005-01-11

Customer Reviews:

A supreme documentary and good companion to the movie.......2007-01-27

Incredible footage.......2006-03-23

This is an amazing video of the actual story of Seabiscuit. A must-have for anyone interested in racing in general or this horse in particular.

Turned me on to horse racing.......2005-07-18

If you loved the film, then watch the real Seabiscuit run.......2005-05-01

Okay, the only question here is whether you would enjoy watching this PBS "American Experience" documentary about Seabiscuit after watching the hit theatrical film. The answer is yes.

Great gift..........2004-10-27

I got this as a gift for my father. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the movie and would like to learn and see more.

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