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Seabiscuit (the 2003 film), the racehorse, who was written off by everyone including I think his horse friends as well, had lived such a persevering life during the Great Depression that gave the the Americans hope in those troubled times. Woven around its story are the stories of distinct characters of those times. This is inspired from a true story. They all have made history.
Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) is a usual cycle mechanic in the early 1900s but he is rewarded with a fortune for his adventurous and daring nature that happens upon the arrival of Henry Ford's world changing automobile. Highly successful and rich, happily married now Charles sells cars and inspires his young son to think that "future is literally the limit". Red (Tobey Maguire), called so partly because of his red Canadian hair, is a young kid who wins hearts in the way he rides horses. His parents tell to each other "he looks so perfect with a horse". Tom (Chris Cooper) a horse trainer wanders like a nomad searching for horses along the way.
The Great Depression strikes. Charles business' collapses, loses his son in an accident and his wife leaves him. Red, whose entire family reads the great works of literature dinner every night, helplessly watches his family brought to the streets and living in their car for no direct fault of their own. Red is given away by his family to a horse owner in the hope atleast living his dream. The nation is plunged into despair. I think back then the heomarraghe shattered and broke the people and their hearts more than it did to their bank balances and fortunes.
Fighting depression and their miserable lives in their own way, Charles in search of companionship, Red wanting to move away from boxing fights to horse riding to earn money and Tom, blowing along with the wind land in Mexico where there is no prohibition. Charles finds company and remarries. Having seen the horse races, he wants to own a race horse. His eyes fall on Tom who is fixing an injured good for nothing horse with unflinching care. In a remarkable scene Charles asks Tom why is he doing it. Tom says "every horse is good for some thing... you don throw your whole life away just coz' you banged up a little". Now this line means as much for Charles, Tom, Red and people then and even to us now as it does to the broken horse.
Charles and Tom now look out for a horse. Tom sees Seabiscuit, an undersized, beaten down, angry, supposedly lazy good for nothing horse. He says to Charles that the horse's spirit won over him. But they can't find a jockey who wants to ride him owing to his violent nature. Red meanwhile fights off his mates in the stables at the same time. Tom sees a parallel and Red is on board who proves him right. Red fearlessly endears himself to the horse and they develop kind of telepathic bond. Charles looks to Red like his son, who looks to Tom as his mentor. In another remarkable scene, Red and Tom though now staying with Charles hold on to what has kept them alive during the years. Tom still sleeps in the open grass in the bitter cold. Red thinks food in Charles' house is way too much and eats the same very little in fact as he did during his poverty.
They train the horse to race. Seabiscuit stuns everyone by conjuring up win after win after win. What makes him a darling of the masses are not his victories but the thought that an undersized, odd looking horse driven by very tall jockey is winning races. If he can't do it why can't we do it? People now had something to hold onto. Everything looks rosy as they are on the warpath to face the best in the horse in the country, the beastly War Admiral. But in the race which would have guaranteed a shot at the monster, Seabiscuit loses due to Red's negligence of not being alert enough of his rivals. Tom later learns that happenend as Red is blind in one eye due to boxing duels. Charles and his wife are stunned. Tom who holds truth in such high regard is seething. Charles reminds him "you don throw your whole life away just coz' you banged up a little".
Seabiscuit and Red continue to win. Seabiscuit had shown the people how to live their lives. Not to give up never ever. Repeated appeals for a title shot are turned down at which Charles quips "i would rather have only Seabiscuit than have a hundred War Admirals". Finally the gaunlet is accepted. The odds don't give Seabiscuit a chance against the monstrous War Admiral which is not helped by the fact that Red gets his foot very badly damaged due to foul play. Red is told he can never ride or run ever again. Everyone is heartbroken. But they hang on to the race. Red calls his best friend to ride the horse and trains him to ride the horse. The race captivates the nation and Seabiscuit wins the race. To everyone it was all about winning the race but to Red it was an opportunity to be with his soul mate and vice versa I would like to think.
Just when you thought its done, Seabiscuit gets badly injured in one of the races and can never race again. The soulmates finally are at home. Red catches up on his literature and reads it to be Seabiscuit who catches up on his sleep. They cure each other. Seabiscuit miraculously is ready to race again. Red is though not quite. Tom, Charles again line up Red's friend to ride. Red is hurt by the betrayal. Charles fears he will lose Red like his son. At this point Red's friend says one of the most memorable lines ever on screen for me "it is better to a break a man's leg than to break his heart". Red knows he can lose his legs. But he goes ahead and both he and Seabiscuit ride themselves to glory as he says "we are had fixed this horse but the truth is the horse fixed everyone one of us".
I was so grateful of the pacing of this movie. It is steady. It gives time to savour the scenes and stirs up our emotions. The entire movie is a triumph of team spirit including the horses. Jeff Bridges is super as the guilty father. The rest of the cast round it off very well. This movie is a must see. Whenever I'm down it's one of several I turn to and it always gives me goose bumps and raises my spirits no matter how many times I see it. The movie has got heart, spirit and soul just like Seabiscuit.
One of the reasons why many so called sports movies work is sports reflects our lives. During my engineering I was obsessed with table tennis. I used to play by bunking classes, play before college, play after college, play by pulling along my friends facing their wrath, play with anybody. I was very good at it by the way. Anyway I had a lecturer whom everyone would make fun of. But he played table tennis with us and that too quite well for his age. Once in the class he said something which I will never forget - "everyone should play sports... we will experience life in sports".
I think every one of our lives has downs from time to time. That is not in our hands. But what is, is how can we react to it. I think one should rather break one's career or life or whatever by getting up than break one's own heart by not trying.
For me the entity that encapsulates this is MANCHESTER UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB (MUFC). They can never be a Barcelona or an Arsenal which likewise can never ever be an MUFC. MUFC's spirit and heart to face everything thrown at them week in week out and that too sometimes elegantly is awe inspiring. It is one of the reason I live for and makes me alive just like I do for my family and friends. To each his own though.
Recently Nike has a new ad called - the human chain. Its theme says "everbody gets knocked down... how quick are you gonna get up?". Though aimed at selling Nike brand which you might buy also as the ad is amazing, the ad infact parallels life and is stirring. Check it out on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPO354_ugF8
Till next time - movies, movies and movies...
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