Big Red Aka Secretariat

Big Red aka Secretariat

One of the most powerful and moving movies made in years. It is the struggle of a woman stepping into what is believed to be only a man’s world: horse racing. Penny Tweedy (Chenery) must overcome the early 1970’s stigmatism that women are only to be a stay at home wife and mother.

Many movies have been made depicting this; Secretariat does it with many different aspects on the subject. This movie touches on a woman being able to balance being a wife, mother and a business woman. Penny went against all odds and stepped into the world of horseracing despite the fact it was a man’s world, so to speak. This movie does support a great cast. Diane Lane who jumps into the role of Penny Tweedy; the woman who took a chance and beat the odds that a woman can’t succeed in the horse racing business and ended up raising one of the most phenomenal horses of all time Big Red aka Secretariat. All the while managing to be a wife and raise a family by commuting between her house in Denver and the horse farm in VA She took on something that most women in that era would not have. Penny took the bantering from the men in the business and made them eat their words that women only belong at home. After Penny found out that the trainer that had been at the farm for years was being dishonest. In comes the outstanding John Malkovich who portrays the veteran horse trainer Lucien Laurin and with his quirky style brings it to life even though Lucien is haunted about not training a winning horse. Lucien keeps the newspaper clippings in his wallet. All Lucien wanted to do was retire and play golf. Penny got him to come out of retirement and take a chance on a foal that hadn’t been born yet. A champion is born even though they did not know it at the time. Penny had to face the fact that no woman had ever been an owner in horse racing. After Big Reds first race, which he lost she didn’t give up she tried