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Seabiscuit - America's Legendary Racehorse (Documentary)

Seabiscuit - America's Legendary Racehorse (Documentary)

List Price: $9.99
Your Price: $9.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Amazon has their information CONFUSED!
Review: Amazon has mistakenly listed the stars of "Seabiscuit the Lost Documentary" as Jeff Bridges & Chris Cooper and the director as Gary Ross. This is incorrect. "Seabiscuit the Lost Documentary" is the ORIGINAL Seabiscuit film from 1939 which was made by Charles Howard himself, and stars Charles and his wife Marcella. And also the REAL Seabiscuit is in it. Don't let Amazon's incorrect information stop you from buying this special piece of horseracing history.


Rating: 4 stars
Summary: YEAH SEABISCUIT
Review: EXCELLENT PRESENTATION. REALLY LIKED IT. I HAVE THE ORIGINAL MOVIE AND LAURA HILLEBRAND'S BOOK AND WHATEVER ELSE I CAN FIND ON THIS FANTASTIC LITTLE HORSE. ONLY PROBLEM WAS A LOT OF NOISE FROM THE ANNOUNCERS WHO CONSTANTLY RATTLED ON.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very informative DVD for lovers of Seabiscuit and horses
Review: I found this in a bargain bin, and what a bargain it is!

First of all, the details: This is a single- sided DVD (which is not enhanced for 16X9 viewing) with a single page insert that has a list of chapter stops. There is not a single frame of matted, widescreen, or letterboxed video. And this DVD is not at all any sort of promotion of the Universal dramatic film release of 2003 (and I think there is one mention of the movie that took all of 4 seconds, so it isn't a platform or publicity release). The DVD has a slide show, a "Seabiscuit Trivia Game," and "Races on the Radio," which has lengthy radio broadcasts of some Seabiscuit matches.

I was expecting a lame production, but the producers found some very informative people to give insight into the story. Even the music was better than I expected. It was a mix of period- style music with a dab of modern every now and then, but the music wasn't overbearing.

I still have yet to view the Tobey Maguire movie or any other documentary of this incredible story and was prompted to purchase this while shopping for other items after I saw its price. Honestly, the video doesn't dazzle you with the lighting or recreations (the producers saved some money by simply inserting stock footage of generic horses, jockeys, and races to add additional color) and is by no means an award- winning presentation a la "Ken Burns" style. But the DVD is information- rich, which kept me entertained. One really neat item is that narrator J.J. Johnson explains the origion of the phrase, "So long, Charlie!" that is so popular.

Those in love with horses or caught by the story of Seabiscuit and the humans that rallied behind him are encouraged to grab this DVD. The staff interviewed people who had direct or indirect knowledge of Seabiscuit, its owners, trainers, or jockeys (so you'll see a good share of talking head segments). But they mix enough footage and archival photos that yield a decent balance for the documentary. There is even some footage of some stars like Bing Crosby, Joe E. Brown, Jimmy Durante, and Lucy and Ricky.

One final note: I tried the trivia game and although it's somewhat elementary (it took me back to memories of the pop quiz in school), its quirkiness was still entertaining. Just check out the reactions the DVD plays when you fail to answer a question correctly. It kinda humbles you when you hear the jeering!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Lost Documentary" is a Great Piece of Horse Racing History
Review: I really enjoyed "Seabiscuit - The Lost Documentary". First, I am a diehard Seabiscuit fan so I am biased. But it takes the viewer through Seabiscuit's life, from his birth as a colt in the stables, and culminates in his great match race with War Admiral. When we see him as a baby with his mother, it's very cute. In between, you get a peek at Charles Howard and Marcela, and Seabiscuit's rise to fame. I wish it would have been a little bit longer because I found it very interesting, but you get to see Charles Howard's original tribute to this special horse in both black and white and color, and for a 60-year old film, it looks remarkably good. "Seabiscuit - The Lost Documentary" is a nice complement to the major motion picture Seabiscuit. Buy it if you are a Seabiscuit fan or a horse racing history fan!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Piece of Horse Racing History
Review: I really enjoyed this DVD. First, I am a diehard Seabiscuit fan so I am biased. But it takes the viewer through Seabiscuit's life, from his birth as a colt in the stables, and culminates in his great match race with War Admiral. When we see him as a baby with his mother, it's very cute. In between, you get a peek at Charles Howard and Marcela, and Seabiscuit's rise to fame. I wish it would have been a little bit longer because I found it very interesting, but you get to see Charles Howard's original tribute to this special horse in both black and white and color, and for a 60-year old film, it looks remarkably good. Buy it if you are a Seabiscuit fan or a horse racing history fan!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Seabiscuit DVD
Review: I would have rated this DVD higher but I found it disappointing that the great match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral is not covered in greater depth. You do not get to hear that race being called in its entirety. It is nice to see some of the people who were around when Seabiscuit raced and get their comments, but the whole production seems rather disjointed to me. I would recommend the PBS documentary over this one, but together they would make a nice combination.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Enjoy actual footage of the real Seabiscuit.
Review: If you enjoyed the 2003 film starring Jeff Bridges and Toby Mcquire half as much as I did, then you are sure to enjoy the documentary on this famous horse. I'll be the first to admit that I'm a sucker for the underdog and after seeing this year's blockbuster movie about this awesome animal, I wanted to learn as much as I could about this inspirational true life story. Originally filmed in black & white and now available in vibrant color, this documentary shows footage of Seabiscuit as a colt through his triumphant victory over War Admiral. The story of Seabiscuit allows me to appreciate the struggle we face in life and reminds my that obsticles can be overcome. So if this story has any effect on you and you're interested in seeing some exceptional footage of this incredible animal, then this documentary is a must have.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Of some interest, but not a true "Seabiscuit" documentary
Review: Now that "Seabiscuit: The Lost Documentary" is no longer "lost" we should also admit that it is not exactly a "documentary" either. In 1939, after Seabiscuit beat War Admiral in the celebrated match race, his owner, Charles Howard, put together this half-hour film, which combines recreation of Seabiscuit's life with footage of a couple of his most celebrated races, including the famous photo finish at the Santa Anita Handicap. The film has been restored, both as a colorized version and in its original black & white format. The result is of passing interest to fans of the legendary horse, whether you made his acquaintance through Laura Hillenbrand's best selling novel or the popular 2003 film, and given its brevity "The Lost Documentary" would have been a perfect choice for being included in the DVD of the theatrical film. However, if you are really looking for a solid documentary about Seabiscuit, then that would have to be the episode from PBS's "American Experience," which is much more of a keeper than this one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This was the Original Seabiscuit Movie!
Review: Sadly, the profound story of Seabiscuit was completely lost in this documentary. None of the special highlights were brought to light in this worthless film. Narrartor was benign and drab. The only part of the film worth salvaging was the footage of Seabiscuit as a baby. Very dissapointed that I chose the wrong documentary.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: So dissapointed in "Lost Documentary"
Review: Sadly, the profound story of Seabiscuit was completely lost in this documentary. None of the special highlights were brought to light in this worthless film. Narrartor was benign and drab. The only part of the film worth salvaging was the footage of Seabiscuit as a baby. Very dissapointed that I chose the wrong documentary.


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