"As Penny Chenery's youngest son..."
I received this comment on my blog entry about "Secretariat" the movie, Secretariat the horse and the discussion about Andrew O'Hehir's review of the film at Salon.com. It appears under the blog, as do comments by O'Hehir and Bill Nack, author of the Secretariat biography that informed the film. But it is so well-worded and wise that I wanted to call particular attention to it. RE
October 9, 2010
As Penny Chenery's youngest son, I am fascinated by "Secretariat's" reception by critics, and the dialogue between Ebert and O'Hehir is to me the most interesting so far. Rather than taking sides about whether the movie is "good" or "bad" (I am far too close to evaluate its merits), I want to comment on the value I see in both reviewers' perspectives. From their conflicting angles, each shines a light on something I believe to be true about both the movie and the events that gave rise to it.
I understand O'Hehir's perception of something relentlessly, indeed forcedly, upbeat about the story, perhaps masking a troubling reality underneath. The movie does, indeed, glamorize and improve on my family's situation in the early 1970s, as it sanitizes the cultural context of that era. In real life, we Tweedys were more riven and frayed by the large and small conflicts of the time, and by the pressures of celebrity into which we were suddenly thrust. The wars between our parents were more bitter, the marriage more broken, and we kids were more alienated and countercultural than the movie depicts. During the pre-race CBS broadcast at the Belmont, Woody Broun interviewed my dad, my siblings and me, asking Jack whether he was the "power behind the throne." He gamely (and for me now, poignantly) replied that he was proud of his wife, his kids, "and the horse." Mom had wanted us to be all together for that interview, but away from the cameras we were each living in a separate world. The movie navigates this terrain with a combination of erasure, gentleness, and tact, and from the point of view of my family's privacy, I am grateful.
But Ebert is right that there is something more -- and something better -- at work in the movie than simply airbrushing over painful truth. My mother has always known that the "Secretariat story," and her role in it, filled a deep cultural need. While the country was convulsed by feminism, Watergate and Vietnam, Penny took pains to present as a wife and mother, offering a wholesome, western, maternal female image that paired beautifully with the heroic, powerful male icon that Secretariat was becoming. Our President may have been a Machiavellian liar, our soldiers denounced as baby-killers, and our fathers excoriated as chauvinist pigs as they commuted grimly to work. But here came Secretariat, deeply male, muscular and graceful, his chest lathered with sublimated sex. And on that day in June 1973, when he blew away the field in the Belmont Stakes, he transcended argument, rivalry, even transcended sport itself. In that moment Secretariat gave my family, and gave the public, something like grace.
Now we are again in a cultural moment of war and dissension. My sense is that the movie's creators didn't feel the need to portray the convulsions of the early 1970s, in part because today's audiences carry the burdens of our current convulsions into the theaters with them, hoping to escape briefly to a world they can believe in and admire. I think the movie is offered to satisfy the old hunger for a kingly male and a queenly female, who together strive for something beyond themselves, who seek victory, and achieve grace. Disney has long been in the business of telling this kind of story. The best such films rise to the level of archetype, while lesser ones sink into the mire of cliche, or worse. Whether "Secretariat" succeeds in this mythic leap is for critics to argue, and for audiences to decide. Personally, I'm enjoying the ride, as well as the critical dust it's kicking up.
John Tweedy
Here is my blog entry, Secretariat was not a Christian.
My original review of "Secretariat."
Andrew O'Hehir's article in Salon.com.
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http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2010/10/08/130430916/the-projectionist
Ebert: Wonderful!
Secretariat, the film, was pure, unadulterated enjoyment and escapism. And I enjoyed every single minute of it. The addition of further political and historical references would have muddied the story, and as John Tweedy so rightly points out, would have burdened the audience.
I laughed & I cried. And I was happy. One of the best films this year.
Thank you for such a wonderful essay and for putting it probably better than anyone else has. I would be interested in hearing your story should you ever decide to write it. I was just a kid when Secretariat won the Belmont and to me, a hippie Topanga kid growing up a lefty, that horse was never a political symbol or even a representation of American might: he was something to feel good about. I think we all knew how special of a moment it was, and how it wasn't something that would ever be repeated.
The film captures enough of Secretariat to give us fans a chance to relive his victory. Maybe how much you enjoy the film depends on how much you loved that horse. Anyway, thanks to all involved in this discussion. It's been just great.
"In that moment Secretariat gave my family, and gave the public, something like grace."
Thanks so much for posting this. I am going to see the movie on Tues, I can't wait. Secretariat is greatness, I watch those races over and over and never stop being thrilled. What a gift he was to all of us.
This movie was amazing. Started crying as it started and never really stopped: That good.
John Tweedy's comment above is very insightful (and articulate). Thanks for sharing, Roger
My housekeeper and I just returned from seeing "Secretariat", the film. I am so glad that this wonderful, heart warming film focused mainly on this incredible horse, not on family/polical issues, which would have distracted the viewer. We cried, laughed, cheered, and sat at the edge of our seats "holding the reins" as if riding Secretariat to victory. Hats off to your mother, Penny Chenery, for being such a strong minded woman and believing in herself and her dreams. She's truly a woman of substance, a woman to be admired. Last but not least for giving the world Secretariat, who will always live in our hearts and be remembered as the greatest!!! All the best to you and your family.
WoW...well-worded and wise indeed. Thank you for republishing, and to the level of prominence to which the post belongs, Roger.
New story line underway everyone. Zenyatta on November 6th at the Breeders' Cup.
Glad I just enjoyed it back then as a horse race!
I LOVED the movie & I think Disney did a wonderful job making the movie. I believe the movie will attract new fans to horse racing. I was 15 years old in 1973 & I remember watching Secretariat on TV like it was yesterday. I will always admire Penny for making her father's dream of the winning the Derby come true. Penny is a TRUE Hero of all time. Thank you John, Kate, Sarah & Chris for sharing your mother with America. For those who want a documentary on Secretariat, you need to watch the DVD: The Life and Times of Secretariat. It is available through Secretariat.com. Keep the BIG RED Flame Burning.
What a wonderful post Mr. Tweedy. I went to see the movie and was rocking back and forth in my seat during every race scene. The entire movie captivated me and I was especially impressed by Penny Tweedy- what a strong, gutsy woman she is!
What a wonderful post Mr. Tweedy. I went to see the movie and was rocking back and forth in my seat during every race scene. The entire movie captivated me and I was especially impressed by Penny Tweedy- what a strong, gutsy woman she is!
I loved the movie!! I can't wait to go see it again, on Saturday. John, I can't thank you and your family enough for sharing your mother with us. I was 15 in 1973, and my parents had just split up. Secretariat meant the world to me back then & still does to this day. I will always admire your mother for standing up to the boys of racing & making her father's dream of winning the Derby come true.
I wasn't around when Secretariat was racing (sadly, born five years too late!), but I loved him because of a great-aunt who had, in response to a letter she'd written to Penny Tweedy about her admiration of Secretariat (she was a huge fan, like many people), received a lovely note and framed photograph of the horse. She gave the photo to me in her will, and I grew up with it hung proudly on my wall. Posters of rock bands and movie stars rotated on and off, but Secretariat was the constant.
Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever have another athlete like Secretariat, an athlete that isn't (inherently) politicized, but transcends political, social, and economic divisions. Maybe we can't have that anymore, given our super-saturated media lives, or maybe we're all far too aware of our differences now for us to find that common ground, and that's sort of sad.
Here's Secretariat in 1988, compliments of @francesjkaron :
http://j.mp/ddcknJ
I saw Secretariat today. It brought back memories of the best year of my life, the year I turned 14.
One historical problem is that the movie depicts an anti-war protest in April 1973. But, the war ended in January 1973.
The ending of the war is one event that pulled together a divided nation.
Within days of Secretariat's win at the Kentucky Derby, the Watergate hearings began and our nation divided again.
I thought I recall seeing the Tweedy children at the Preakness telecast. But, the movie shows them at home. My memory may not be too good on that point.
Also, I recall seeing the Tweedy boys wearing blue suits or sport coats at the Belmont. However, the movie shows them with no coats.
John, maybe you can clarify these descripencies.
Todd S. Bergmann
of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
What a GREAT movie. LOVED it! A well written piece by John Tweddy. Thanks for sharing.
I just saw the movie last night. While I think it was a very good movie, there were aspects of the story that were changed to fit the movie. Clearly some artistic license is allowed, but I think it took something away from the story.
The change in trainers is not the way it happened, at least according to other sources. Lucien Lauren was not the first of the replacement trainers, his son was.
According to other sources, Penny's father went into the hospital 1968 and lived the last 5 years of his life there, not at home.
The movie totally ignores the success of another horse owned by the farm, Riva Ridge, who won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont during Secretariat's two-year old season, which should have eliminated any financial burdens the farm still had.
So, while the film was a good movie, it can hardly be called a biography.
I have fond memories of Riva Ridge and Secretariat as a was a young teenager at the time, at they were the spark that caused me to get interested in horse racing, an interest that continues still today.
John Tweedy,
Thank you for your elegant perspective. I watched the movie with my husband and 2 young daughters yesterday. As horse owners and lovers, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Already knowing the outcome, we still sat on the edge of our seats and were entranced and emotionally engaged as if it were the first time. I had to fight back tears of joy and sadness. Although I know that some details were omitted or even inaccurate, I still feel that the story is more about a hero and heroine than anything else, and I applaud your mother and your family for such tenacity and courage. I live in Colorado, and I would be honored to meet your mother, and to have my daughters look up to an amazing role model such as Penny Chenery.
Was Secretariat still owned by Penny when he died?