Reviewer's Rating 3 out of 5 Ìý User Rating 4 out of 5
Seabiscuit DVD (2003)

Sadly, "what should lift your spirit only threatens to eject your lunch" as unlikely nag Seabiscuit races to glory against all the odds. That's about the kindest thing our reviewer could say about the movie, but for those of you who disagree, you'll be cheered to know that the DVD is worth a flutter.

Seabiscuit DVD screengrab

Hearing Double

A director's commentary has become a staple feature of even the lamest DVD, but it's unusual to have two directors talk on the same track. For this DVD, Gary Ross is joined by Steven Soderbergh, who takes on the role of interviewing Ross. It's an interesting idea and works well in that both reveal a fair amount about their working processes through their conversation. Steven picks up on types of scene he finds hard to direct and muses with Gary why this should be the case. Both compare experiences on different movies and approaches to making films with the end result that this is an insightful commentary into making movies the Hollywood way.

Ten Nags: One Character

The 'making of' featurette picks up once it dispenses with story development and concentrates on production instead. Ten horses played Seabiscuit and the way the movie was filmed makes for some unusual behind-the-scenes footage. The disc also includes footage of the real Seabiscuit in the great 1938 race it had with War Admiral.

EXTRA FEATURES

  • Audio commentary with Gary Ross and Steven Soderbergh
  • Bringing The Legend To Life 'making of' featurette
  • Anatomy Of A Movie Moment featurette
  • Seabiscuit Vs War Admirial archive race footage
  • This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-N5 DVD player.

    Technical Information

    REGION SOUND MENUS RATIO
    2 Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 Animated, with music 2.35:1 (anamorphic)
    CHAPTERS SUBTITLES AUDIO TRACKS
    25 English English, Audio Descriptive
    CAPTIONS EXTRAS SUBTITLES CERTIFICATE
    English None of the special features come with subtitles PG

    End Credits

    Director: Gary Ross

    Writer: Gary Ross

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

    Genre: Drama

    Length: 134 minutes

    Cinema: 31 October 2003

    DVD: 23 February 2004

    Country: USA