‘Seabiscuit’ (2003)
Although there are dozens of past champion Thoroughbred horses with greater legacies and more wins (see “Secretariat” below), few have ever captured the hearts of more people (race fans and otherwise) than Seabiscuit (1933–1947). Writer and director Gary Ross’s 2003 “Seabiscuit” is one of 10 previous Seabiscuit-centric productions, but it is arguably the most critically acclaimed, financially successful, thorough, heartwarming, and entertaining.
In his adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand’s 1999 bestselling book “Seabiscuit: An American Legend,” Mr. Ross (“Pleasantville”) includes as much of the book as a 140-minute feature can handle while walking a fine line between often intense drama and feel-good uplift. As with many fact-based sports films of this ilk (“Rudy,” “Miracle,” “A League of Their Own,” “The Greatest Game Ever Played”), “Seabiscuit” is an underdog story where the titular and/or principal characters are vastly underappreciated or discounted, and prove their worth through heart, relentless drive, sheer determination, and results.
‘National Velvet’ (1944)
“National Velvet” features not the first, but arguably the breakthrough performance that launched the career of the then-early adolescent Elizabeth Taylor. Based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Enid Bagnold, it is set in 1920s England and stars Taylor as Velvet, the youngest of three daughters with a healthy kinship for all things having to do with horses.
Not long after the arrival of former (American) jockey “Mi” (Mickey Rooney) to her small seaside hamlet, Velvet, through a local raffle, is awarded ownership of a stallion she dubs “The Pie.” It takes awhile, but Velvet convinces Mi and her parents (Donald Crisp and, in an Oscar-winning performance, Anne Revere) to allow her and Mi to prepare The Pie for the Grand National Steeplechase competition.
‘The Black Stallion’ (1979)
The first of just six features made by retired director Carroll Ballard (“Fly Away Home,” “Duma”), “The Black Stallion” is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Walter Farley, and is easily the least conventional title on this list.
Presented in two halves rather than the standard three acts, the first portion is set on an inhabited island off the coast of North Africa. Teen actor Kelly Reno was cast as Alec, the only human survivor of a ship fire who saves the title Arabian horse in the process.
After a testy, getting-to-know-you stretch, Alec and “Black” become inseparable and, in the wake of being rescued, are given a hero’s homecoming welcome.
Mr. Ballard and his three screenwriters make the dicey yet right choice of including relatively little dialogue and instead rely mostly on non-verbal communication, inventive action sequences, and an eclectic score composed by producer Francis Ford Coppola’s father, Carmine.
‘Dream Horse’ (2020)
Pooling together every possible narrative hook from practically every uplift movie ever made (but in a good way), “Dream Horse” tells a simple story of an unaffected group of people united in a cause that will tug at the heartstrings of viewers, especially those who ever had a close connection to an animal, meaning about 99 percent of the entire human population.
Offering further proof she is one of the most underrated and versatile of all living actresses, Toni Collette stars as Jan Vokes, a Welsh woman deprived of sleep by her snoring husband, who whittles away days as a grocery store cashier and her nights as a bartender at the local watering hole. Bored out of her mind, Jan is looking for a diversion and finds it by checking out the details of becoming a racehorse owner.
‘Secretariat’ (2010)
In 1973, Secretariat became the first Thoroughbred in a quarter-century to win the coveted Triple Crown, and he still holds the speed records for all three legs.
Penny Chenery (Diane Lane) is the daughter of a breeder (Scott Glenn) who became a major player in the sport by default. After her father passes, she takes over his estate, and rather than liquidate it as her brother (Dylan Baker) and husband (Dylan Walsh) suggest, she decides to keep the in-the-red enterprise afloat.
Penny puts her metaphorical blinders on and throws caution to the wind. She hires the flamboyant, fashion-challenged trainer Lucien Laurin (a loopy and acerbic John Malkovich), and embarks on a high-stakes venture in an overwhelmingly male-dominated sport.
Neither Ms. Lane nor Mr. Malkovich is capable of turning in anything resembling poor performances, no matter the material, and they, along with the incredible race recreations, collectively save the production. Her unwavering pluck and his wing-nut bravado more than counter the low-risk, take-no-chances aspirations of the screenplay.
