How Powerful The Editor

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2003)

Deft touch, the orientation by David McCullough. His historical voice soothingly assured us of the story's honesty. In the early scenes the actors did so well to act out the narrator's quasi-documentary assertions, in a manner superior to the camera's common combing through still photos, ala American Experience.

Melodramatic film techniques are employed for character development, reminiscent of the film's period, which followed by only a few years the overacting required by silent films. Maguire and Cooper take the dramatic direction well and the script is thus fulfilled. As Jeff Bridges takes to playing his assigned part, we wonder about his wandering about with his scowl or look of perplexion. Suddenly, right before our eyes, Bridges transcends the docudrama's regulatory schema and we find ourselves in awe of a skilled promoter, while we enjoy the sets blossoming behind him, sets that reflect the growing value of his character's accomplishments.

If only the scenes of Seabiscuit's achievements could have been as linear, expanding, and inspiring.

Seabiscuit's McCullough-described emergence out of a fog and into the picture promises to endear us to him but such feelings are dissipated during the efforts to derive humor from his feigned, and often off-camera, frustration.

Finally the four roles are known and the common thread is a common cliché, `you don't throw a whole life away just 'cause it's banged up a little.' We're now ready for a journey of 'boy meets girl (horse), boy loses girl,' and etc. But we are denied. There are fits and starts, as though behind the camera a committee agrees to keep in all shots. We know what will happen, but when will it happen?

There are races and fascinating angles and interesting jockey experiences and promotional material, interrupted or interpreted by a wonderful actor, William H. Macy, playing a local radio clown's role while apparently and unbelievably popping up at venues across the nation (making one wonder how long IS his microphone cord?), and it all should add up to our emotional investment in the men and their steed. But it doesn't.

And the reason is editing. A great motion picture is believed to be hidden in the footage. One hopes a future editor will be empowered to search for it.