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Title: Seabiscuit

Region: One

Genre: Drama

Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Gary Stevens, and William H. Macy

Writer: Gary Ross

Based On The Book By: Laura Hillenbrand

Director: Gary Ross

Feature length:141 minutes

Extras: Feature Length Audio Commentary With Writer and Director Gary Ross and Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, Featurettes, Photo Gallery, Cast and Filmmaker Biographies and Credits, Production Notes

Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Keep Case

Chapter Stops: 25

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2003/DVD Release: 2003

Theatrical Distributor: Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

I’ve heard of Seabiscuit, but did not know anything about the horse or the story around it. To me it was just a name so I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining the film turned out to be. “Seabiscuit” is a metaphor for the American Dream where circumstance brings a group of individuals that will inspire a post great depression America with hope. Jeff Bridges is perfectly cast as the man who created the car company we know as Buick. He brings a sense of wonder at the films opening that is somewhat reminiscent of his leading role in “Tucker: The Man And His Dream,” but then tragedy changes his life and new characters step in. Chris Cooper is a horse trainer with an uncanny connection to these fine animals while Tobey Maguire plays the young jockey whose parents practically sold him off into slavery when he was a teenager. Each character is a person that reflects the disillusionment of the country and even the horse itself reflects that as a true character in the film and with no CGI necessary to get the horse’s character arc across too. Together they form a bond of hope and an American legend.

Universal Studios Home Video’s DVD edition of “Seabiscuit” is presented in a beautiful anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) aspect ratio that preserves the manner in which the film was presented theatrically as close as possible for home video users. This is one of the finest transfers Universal Studios Home Video has produced for a DVD this year with deep and vibrant colors and no anomalies to note. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is very well mixed with a nice ambient quality. English Captions for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded onto the dual layered DVD as options too.

Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and Writer and Director Gary Ross share a conversational feature length audio commentary that is quite enlightening with elements of the Ross’ own philosophical approach toward writing and directing discussed in an interesting manner. Soderbergh always delivers good commentaries and knows how to discuss another person’s film in such a way that he gets Ross to open up more freely that he might have on his own with regard to the making of this motion picture.

There are a few short featurettes included on this DVD too that begins with “Bringing The Legend To Life: The Making Of Seabiscuit” (15:04), which is more or less the traditional behind-the-scene EPK featurette most DVD consumers are used to seeing now. The more interesting vignettes include “Seabiscuit: Racing Through History” (14:53), which is quite engrossing because it focuses more on the real historical context of the story with archival newsreel footage and various interview clips that include Author Laura Hillenbrand and Writer and Director Gary Ross. Gary Ross also gives an articulate if not passionate look at how he develops his shots on paper with vivid descriptions of what he wants to catch in “Anatomy Of A Movie Moment” (4:56). There is a short motion still gallery with a voice over introduction by Jeff Bridges for the panoramic black and white photos he shot during the film’s production (5:22) in the heading “Photo Finish.”

There is also a short featurette about the birth of the “Buick” automobile (3:19) as well as onscreen text production notes and cast and filmmaker biographies and credit listings. A soundtrack spot (: 33), a Universal Master Card spot (: 33) and a spot for the upcoming DVD release of “Schindler’s List” (: 42) wrap up the extra DVD-Video features on this DVD. The disc is InterActual enhanced for Windows based DVD-ROM users. The main menu features some opening motion scenes from the film with animated transitions to the subsequent menus, which are standard interactive still frames and all are easy to navigate.

“Seabiscuit” is a touching film and a good DVD that is definitely worth a look. “Seabiscuit” is available at retailers on and offline now from Universal Studios Home Video.

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