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List Price: $19.98 | | Label: PBS Home Video
Salesrank: 69715
Released: June 3, 2003 |
| Our Price: $2.99 |
| Used Price: $3.00 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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| Features:
Closed-captioned Color DVD NTSC | |
Seabiscuit (American Experience) Reviews:
Better than the movie 
2009-07-06 - It's extremely difficult for us in this day and age to conceive of how a broken-down animal could possibly lift America out of the Great Depression, but that's exactly what Seabiscuit did. This documentary conveys that in a beautiful way, revealing facts about the horse and jockey not addressed in the movie.
Seabiscuit was an angry horse when Tom Smith first saw him on the track. He'd been trained to lose and was considered lazy with a lopsided 'eggbeater' gait caused by a lack of calcium in his feed. Tom immediately put him on a diet of Timothy hay, far more expensive than alfalfa and fairly rare in California. He was tired and depressed. There is footage in this film showing the horse kicking out in a mean-spirited way as he was getting a bath and he really hated people at the beginning.
This is a rich documentary that's well-done. In case you're interested, Seabiscuit has a few descendants still living at the American Legend Horse Farm in Northern California.
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.
