We saw the film Secretariat (2010) last night as a family. About what we expected. Decent dialogue, good story, stunning visuals. It was wonderful to see a story about a strong woman of vision (played by Diane Lane) who follows her dream and supports her father. (Although, she kind of ditches her husband and children. She watches from a distance as her oldest daughter grows up to be a hippie–the film is set in the early 1970’s.)
The writing and acting weren’t fantastic, but three things I loved about the film. First, it was filmed in Kentucky, much of it in and near Lexington, the place of my birth. Beautiful countryside.
Second, the race scenes were incredible. It felt like you were riding in the race as a jockey. The horses were snorting, the dirt was flying, the hooves were stomping. Visually stunning. The only problem is that we knew what was going to happen. (Spoiler alert: Secretariat wins the Triple Crown in 1973.)
Third, the film begins by quoting the book of Job. The context is God speaking to Job from the whirlwind, questioning him. They begin, “Do you give the horse its might? Do you clothe its neck with mane?… (Job 39:19-24). I loved it. Here’s the clip. We’re discussing God speaking from the whirlwind in class on Thursday, so I’ll show this clip.
Job 39 emphasizes that we should be humbled by the power and speed of a horse. If that’s the case, even more so by the creator of the horse.
Have you seen Secretariat? What did you think? Comparisons to Seabiscuit?