Seabiscuit's Triple Crown

Universal Pictures' Seabiscuit, a film that may well land in the winners circle at next year's Academy Awards. The movie Seabiscuit retains the main story, but the screen play alters some facts and rearranges others. These changes do no damage to the story; rather, they enhance the cinematic tale.

Chris Cooper's Oscar worthy performance as trainer Tom Smith is supported by the solid performances of Toby Maguire as Red Pollard and Jeff Bridges as Charles Howard. William H. Macy creates a fictional radio sports personality (loosely based on turf writer Jolly Roger), who acts as comedy relief and, through his radio program, helps explain the background of races portrayed in the movie. Serving a similar role, David McCullough narrates black and white footage, spliced throughout the movie, of FDR, bread Lines, the dust bowl and other reminders of the film's backdrop, the Great Depression. Randy Newman's direction is top notch, the racing scenes are exciting, and the movie successfully evokes the '30s. At the performance I attended, when Seabiscuit crossed the finish line of his final race the screen went dark and the audience applauded.

Just as the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes are three different horse races on three different tracks; so too books, documentaries, and movies are three different ways of telling a story in three different mediums. After more than a half century a winning book, a winning documentary, and a winning movie have given Seabiscuit a triple crown.

Sources: Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand; Seabiscuit: An American Experience Documentary; Seabiscuit; Universal Studios.

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