DALLAS -- The attempt seems audacious, for no film ever could capture the bravura and the majesty of Secretariat. Still, "Secretariat" gets it right.
Not in the details, of course, for the film distorts much, such as the eccentricity of trainer Lucien Laurin, and it omits much more, such as those first workouts where the big red colt couldn't keep up with more precocious youngsters. But essentially the film, which will be in theaters Oct. 8, nails horse racing's capacity to inspire and Secretariat's iconic heroism. And, of course, that's what it's all about.
"He was a very real hero for me," said Diane Lane about the horse who swept the 1973 Triple Crown and who remains vivid in cultural memory as one of the greatest of all-time. On Wednesday, the accomplished actress who has the role of Secretariat's owner, Penny Chenery Tweedy, was in Dallas on a promotional tour, along with director Randall Wallace.
"There are many heroes in the film," Wallace said. "But Secretariat is the magnet that draws them all towards greatness."
In 1973, the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War dominated the nation's and much of the world's attention. In April, President Richard Nixon asked for the resignation of two of his aides. That summer, during a Senate investigation, chief minority counsel Fred Thompson asked the fateful question about listening devices in the oval office. And fighting continued in Vietnam, despite the Paris Peace Accords.
And then there was Secretariat, setting a track record while winning the Kentucky Derby, another record, albeit unofficial, while cruising to an easy victory in the Preakness and a world record in his 31-length domination of the Belmont Stakes, which became a showcase for his incomparable virtuosity.
Lane was a child at the time. But even a child, as she recalled, felt some relief and took pride in hearing of Secretariat's accomplishments.
Most sports movies are about a triumphant underdog. But Secretariat, an overwhelmingly powerful colt who was Horse of the Year even as a 2-year-old, could hardly be characterized as an underdog. And so the film focuses not just on him, but on his owner.
A housewife in Denver, far removed from the competitive and contentious world of racing and breeding horses, Tweedy assumed responsibility for Meadow Farm after the death of her father. It was not an environment that would yield to a soft motherly hand. But Tweedy was as tough as she was charming.
Instead of selling the farm to escape the debt that her father's death had placed on it, she resolves to save it. And with some advice from Bull Hancock of Claiborne Farm, who's played by Thompson -- yes, that same Thompson -- Tweedy hires Laurin, played entertainingly by John Malkovich, as a trainer.
Before beginning work on the film, Lane spent two days with Tweedy. After that, the actress left Colorado, she said, with tremendous respect for the woman from Meadow Farm and, even more, a profound sense of responsibility to her role in the film.
As it turned out, Wallace said, Tweedy's stewardship of Meadow Farm was the role she was born for. And in being faithful to herself, she becomes as much a hero as the movie's titular star.
"We all look at heroes and wonder how they became heroic," said Wallace, who wrote "Braveheart" and wrote, directed and produced "We Were Soldiers." "In most movies, the guy with the biggest biceps or the best dimples prevails. But for me, heroism comes from the heart."
Yes, "Secretariat" gets the essentials right. Secretariat didn't run just to win, but he ran, as Wallace said, to become whom he was meant to be, one of the greatest horses of all-time. And in Wallace's world, as well as the world of Secretariat, that's true heroism.
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