minor inconsistencies

Rating: 9/10 (29 January 2005)

Although I found the movie Seabiscuit to be fabulous, and purchased both the DVD and the book, there are several items, that I, as an avid horse affecienado and write for our local horse club journal, must say that theinformation in another comment on the relationship of Seabiscuit to War Admiral, although was not directly addressed, Seabiscuit's sire, Hard Tack, and his sire Man of War was narrated and then is implied by any thinking viewer that these two horses are indeed related. there were also minor fictional dates that did not follow the true story. Charles Howard was in San Francisco by 1906 and helped with the earthquake showing horses can, at times be impractical. The fact he had more children was omitted. The movie opened with Howard in New York in 1910 and that's wrong too. At the dinner he gave when the Depression was announced via a telephone call, the date was showed as 1925, unfortunately the Depression was October 29, 1929. I'm sorry for being such a stickler for details, but it is my job. Also, there was a scene where Seabiscuit pulls the shirt off a jockey, which is an identical scene from the Australian movie-Pharlap-as a matter of fact some of the music from Pharlap was used-briefly in Seabiscuit. Again, I apologize for such scrutiny, but Ms. Hillenbrand, as both author of a terrific book and technical adviser on the film should have insisted for accuracy instead of Hollywood fictional hype, it wouldn't haven't had deviated from an already marvelous film. sincerely, Fran Wagner