Bibliographic Information
Title: Seabiscuit
Starring: The horse, really. But it also has Toby McGuire and Jeff Bridges
Producers: Gary Barber, Roger Burnbaum, Robin Bissel
Director: Gary Ross
Writers: Laure Hillenbrand, Gary Ross
Released: 2003
Awards: Nominated for seven Oscars, numerous other awards
Plot Summary
In a nation being crushed under the weight of the Great Depression, fearing an ascendent Hitler and Mussolini, the leading news of the day wasn’t politics, or Joe DiMaggio’s brilliant baseball, or FDR, or war.
It was a horse. And a rather odd-looking horse at that. Seabiscuit was his name, and he could run faster than any other horse in the world. Special trains were commissioned to carry fans to watch him race. The new-common merchandising tie in was invented for him – you could get Seabiscuit-branded wallets, gloves, hats, and various parlor games. Forty million people – one third of the nation – tuned into radio broadcasts of his races. In what was to be his final race, 78,000 people attended – a record for a sporting event not soon surpassed.
Critical Evaluation
A first-class movie that deserved every award it won.
Reader’s Annotation
Seabiscuit – the greatest athlete you never heard of.
Genre
Biopic
Reading Level/Interest Age
Interest Level: Ages 10 and up
YA Books 