[QUOTE=Kenike;2490561]
You know, I don’t think the leg break would’ve been so graphic to me if it wasn’t a network TV movie, or if they gave a quick “viewer disgression is adviced” thingy for parents and those who are like my mother. I truly feel for the parents who will be dealing with kiddos nightmares from that tonight.[/QUOTE]
There was a warning at the very beginning of the movie
I agree that the leg break was badly done, unneccessary and cheesy. it wrecked an otherwise ok movie.
Great book and a good job with the movie. Sorry to hear about the legal troubles. I hope all parties are compensated at the end so it doesn’t interfre with the story about a great horse.
One of the tragic parts of racing, young horses, underdeveloped bones in the legs. This story goes on everyday after the country at tracks, although not to the level of severity as Ruffian or Barbaro
Give your horse a hug today
Just had a friend call. Her 10 and 11 year old girls stayed up to watch it:no:. Didn’t have a good night.
She felt blindsided. The opening disclaimer just said “intense horse racing action”. She assumed it meant horse racing against each other. Was not familiar with what happened here and I suspect many others really did not know either.
Can’t blame her. They needed a specific warning at the commercial break containing the words “graphic scences depicting injury may be too intense for younger viewers”. Many others have inserted that into movies and documentaries.
Have to say I was pretty surprised too and think it was gut wrenching enough to just hear that gosh awful sound and see the jockey holding up her shoulder and thought that was it…until they cut to the leg laying on the floor of the ambulance. Knowing full well it was Disney and PG13 rated with that mild warning with the opening credits, I wonder how many other little girls got to stay up to watch it…
Mind you, I KNOW what happens and it was fair enough to depict it. But they should have rated it more mature or ran a stronger disclaimer prior to the match race and vet clinic scenes to give parents a chance to either be prepared or switch it off at 10:30 for “bedtime”.
All I have to say is, I wasn’t expecting it and I gasped and about lost my lunch when they showed the leg break and then again when it was dangling there. I’m not one to cry, but the ending of the movie had me cryin like a baby!
Ruffian was definately one of the best horses out there. :sadsmile:
AwwThanks Tory!
[QUOTE=Tory Relic;2490870]
Her barn name was Sophie.
Incidentally, my mare’s barn name is Sofie (registered name So Fine). She’s a “cousin” of Rags to Riches. :lol:[/QUOTE]
Pretty neat about your mare. 
They showed Ruffian’s real breakdown in the HBO Barbaro documentary. It wasn’t pretty by any means, but nowhere near as graphic as in the movie.
For what its worth, this is one of the first horse “movies” that didn’t have me screaming about what they were doing incorrectly throughout the entire thing. They did a decent job realism wise.
It did kind of piss me off that the trainer called the owners who were home in their jammies to tell them that she needed to be put down. Not quite on par with the Jackson’s in my book who were truly at New Bolton every single day. I saw them with my own eyes and that was at a point when he was doing well and they were talking about releasing him. You know there were no calls from Matz while they were in their jammies…
watched it live on tv…
all those years ago, living out here in the boonies, and before cable and computers, you had to really really want to know what was going on. I have seen every Derby [on tv] since 1965, except 1984 when I was at a horse show…] but back then it was very hard to follow. I too loved Ruffian, and was horrified in that race. Only watched about half the movie-I knew how it ended and couldn’t bear to see it again.:sadsmile:
I also used to tape all racing, post vcr of course, and have the tragic horror of Go for Wand going down in the stretch. Truthfully, even though I STILL LOVE racing, I almost always now watch thru my fingers, worring 'was that a bad step? Ohhh how bad was that bump? Is that hole big enough to get thru? I cheer loudest when they all finish on four legs.
Janis in Independence
[QUOTE=findeight;2491047]
until they cut to the leg laying on the floor of the ambulance.[/QUOTE]
!!!
Please tell me I shouldn’t be picturing what I’m now picturing.
I didn’t watch the movie, but did kick a post up on my blog saying, “Hey, this isn’t going to have a happy ending.” Felt a little silly doing it, given that it’s a 25+yo historical event…but kept seeing the commercials and thinking, “Someone’s kid is going to want to watch this.”
Yikes.
Dead serious. I love that filly as much as anybody else could, but she was bred to break down just as much as she was bred to be brilliant. I’m not talking about her thrashing during recovery; I’m referring to her injuries. Sure, there are factors other than genetics that can result in fracture, but her sire Reviewer broke down repeatedly. Would you want to bring a mare to that? I stand by my post that it’s something we should be aware of and learn from.
[QUOTE=Barnfairy;2491483]
I stand by my post that it’s something we should be aware of and learn from.[/QUOTE]
I’m with you.
And as sickening as it was to see the break down on the show, that’s what happened. It’s like showing a WWII movie and keeping it clean. What do you learn? I think they actually kept a lot out. Read this transcript by Nack and you’ll see what I mean.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/talkinhorses/BN052407.asp
The very very end of the movie (with her real footage) made me tear up the most. What grace.
I watched half of the movie and then turned it off. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the ending and I get upset about such things… so I couldn’t watch.
I have seen enough tragedies in real life to know what happens…
I am glad though they did make the movie realistic… I thought they did a good job with the other parts.
Not a movie I would want kids to watch though… too scary at the end.
RIP Ruffian.
Let’s not base our opinion of the owners on a movie that has been questioned for accuracy by some of the people who actually lived it. Who knows what they were wearing when when they were advised and who knows why they chose to be at home in the middle of that particular night 30 years ago. Not unreasonable for an older couple that were told the horse had less then a 10% chance.
I just hate it when they script these things to create good guys and bad guys or create situations that may never have happened.
[QUOTE=findeight;2491533]
Let’s not base our opinion of the owners on a movie that has been questioned for accuracy by some of the people who actually lived it. Who knows what they were wearing when when they were advised and who knows why they chose to be at home in the middle of that particular night 30 years ago. Not unreasonable for an older couple that were told the horse had less then a 10% chance.
I just hate it when they script these things to create good guys and bad guys or create situations that may never have happened.[/QUOTE]
Right, they could have created it any way they wanted to, and they went with an owner who went for the money against his trainer’s advice, and then went home to bed when things went sour. Whether that is accurate in this case or not is irrelevant. Should I tell you how Waki Saint died in my arms with his leg literally dangling from the extensor tendon from the knee down? I didn’t not own nor train this horse. I was an innocent bystander to the whole horror show, but he did not die alone thanks to me. More than could be said for his owner or trainer. I don’t even know who they are, but I know no one was there besides me. Maybe that whole thing in the movie hit a little too close to home…
Biggest thing to remember about a made for TV movie or any hollywood movie even is that they are made for the general public not the specialists of that particular topic.
I always watch movies-based on true stories or based on nothing at all-with the intent of entertainment only. This keeps me from getting mad when I see dead quiet puppy-dog like geldings taking a mosey to the track for a big history making race. :winkgrin:
I am not an expert on Ruffian but I do know the basic details. I was OK with the movie. It is not a greatly acted movie and had it’s discrepancies but it’s nice to see someone putting money into creating movies about racing legends as they are a huge part of American history.
I too was quite surprised and horrified at the slow motion visual of the leg and the ear piercing sound that accompanied it and of course all I could think of was Go For Wand–especially in the scene following the break when the jockey was trying to pull her up. I felt they didn’t need to be so “close” to the break and didn’t need to be so graphic but if you didn’t know horses at all–would you know what happened if they didn’t spell it out for you?
Most people think we still shoot a horse because of a broken leg. In many cases-yes being euthanized is the only option but I did appreciate the surgery and the cast scenes to show the public that even a break as horrific as the one they showed stood a chance of possible recovery. We all know what the chances were–slim to none and no doubt Ruffian would’ve faced the same complications Barbaro went through–but the general public wants a happy ending so they showed major tragedy and then a possibility of hope. With a true story the ending isn’t always happy so they made short of the recovery from anethesia and breaking of the other leg. I just wish they had thrown in a blurb about the lessons learned from Ruffian’s untimely and tragic death so the public can see that we really have come a long way since then even though many days it doesn’t seem like it.
It wasn’t a terrible movie. I won’t buy it but I did tape it. I doubt I’ll ever watch it again but I was born 2 years too late for Ruffian so I’ll keep it as a memory even though I already knew what happened and have seen the real footage.
OK, I don’t think it was any more graphic than anything I have seen on between 9-11 on network TV (CSI for instance). Yes, it may have hit a little closer to home for all of us horse people who knew the ending, but I’m sure lots of people see lots of things on TV that hit close to home that we don’t think twice about. Next time one of the 763 cop programs shows someone hit by a drunk driver, remember someone watching it may have some personal experience with that particular experience.
As for Disney and PG-13? Doesn’t anyone remember the Disney of MY youth? Old Yeller, anyone? I do believe that one aired on the Wonderful World of Disney … 7PM Sundays, Prime Kid Watching Time.
And its not like Old Yeller stands out as some sort of anomaly. What about The Yearling? The Red Pony? Where the Red Fern Grows? Oh hell, even Bambi, fer chrissakes. Beloved Pet/Animal + Tragic Death sure was a staple of MY childhood classics.
OK, I better stop right now. I’m treading dangerously close to old fogey-dom, where I start ranting about how gratuitous violence and random killings are just fine on TV, but actual portrayals of real life (along with its inherent emotional highs and lows) are not to be tolerated. 
Didn’t Ruffian’s cast slip in recovery and that was when they put her down?
I don’t remember that she broke a different leg in recovery. Does anyone know?
I liked the movie ok, but do think they should have alluded to the sad outcome at the start of the movie. Maybe showing her grave at the beginning and then telling the tale of the champion who left too soon. I think many people who were not familiar with Ruffian’s story were blindsided at the ending and really did not expect that. They should have alluded to that at the start, so some of the parents watching with children would be prepared.
I heard she did break another leg in recovery and damage the original cast.
Anyway, posted elsewhere, you didn’t see the bullet rip into Old Yeller or watch the deer bleed out in the Yearling.
Death is one thing-and I am sure parents were prepared for the fact Ruffian did die. I just don’t think they did anybody any favors by not even hinting at the graphic depiction a la CSI.
[QUOTE=BenleaSealily10;2490393]
i thought the movie was absolutely wonderfully done…i was of course balling my eyes out, but i think it was once of the most raw, emotional, beautiful films i have ever watched. I think ABC did a WONDERFUL job, and i applaud them for showing what they did of the breaking down scenes/broken leg views. They showed every aspect of horse racing, even the ugly, and i say “good for them”. It’s not every day that horse racing enthusiasts enjoy admitting this is what actually goes on in their sport…pretty much daily all over the nation, and I think its a part of the sport, and it should be televised. And not that just it should be televised for those reasons, but basically for the truth behind Rufian’s story. It’s a part of the sport, and it should not be hidden for the sake that “we need to get more people to start liking racing”… or “racing is loosing interest”. I thought the acting…especially by the head trainer was EXCELLENT. He really captured the spirit, bond, emotion a true horseman has. And what an ending…whew[/QUOTE]
Couldn’t agree more!
I was not planning on watching it since I saw the race on tv all those years ago. I was crushed then and it still brings a tear to my eye thinking about that day. Curiosity got the best of me and I watched the second hour. I sobbed the whole time especially during the ending. Not a movie I’d want my kids watching. What an amazing horse and an amazing time in our country when you think of women’s rights and equality coming to the forefront at the same time as the match race. I thought that was well depicted in the movie. I am looking forward to the Secretariat movie next year!
I thought the movie was about as well done as I expected it to be. Some parts were good, some were bad; Sam Shepherd was his usual splendidness, and the random sheath was kinda funny.
I guess I expected the breakdown to be about as graphic as it was. I found it painful to watch, but not in a “why are they showing that much?” kind of way. I agree that a second warning in the prior commercial break along the lines of findeight’s suggestion:
“graphic scences depicting injury may be too intense for younger viewers”
I only stayed up through the decision to put her down, so I missed the actual shots/footage of Ruffian at the end. My bad.
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