Why It Ranks
Secretariat features Diane Lane's most commanding performance. The Belmont Stakes sequence is breathtaking. The true story of the greatest Triple Crown winner ever is inherently cinematic. Malkovich's eccentric turn provides perfect comic relief.
The Film
Secretariat tells the story of the greatest racehorse who ever lived and the housewife who defied her family and the racing establishment to let him run. Diane Lane is luminous as Penny Chenery, and John Malkovich brings eccentric brilliance to trainer Lucien Laurin. The Belmont Stakes sequence — where Secretariat won by 31 lengths — is filmed as a religious experience, and the film earns that treatment because the real event was exactly that extraordinary.
Fun Facts
Five different horses played Secretariat — none could replicate his actual speed.
The real Secretariat's Belmont victory margin of 31 lengths remains the largest in Triple Crown history.
Diane Lane visited Penny Chenery multiple times to study her mannerisms.
Secretariat's heart was found to be twice the size of a normal horse's heart after his death.
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