The Barbaro Documentary

I attended a screening of the HBO Barbaro documentary in the guise of representing my department at a school event (which is my excuse at any horse-related event). The crowd was large and included quite a wide spectrum - other Penn Vet folks, the main Barbaro players and families, some FOBs, the press and the bloggeratti (represented by yours truly and Alex Brown from TWR). Despite the lack of alcohol (the screening was held at a high school, which apparently means you can't have alcoholic yumminess -- that's not how I recall high school, but there you are), the catering was fantastic -- right down to the horseshoe-shaped cookies and chocolates. The film was introduced by Frank Deford who has always been one of my favorite writers, so seeing him in person was rather exciting. There was applause for the key individuals as they were introduced and a rock star welcome for Dean Richardson -- hardly the usual day-to-day reception for most of my colleagues, but a lovely recognition nonetheless. The documentary itself is tremendous; it's a masterclass in quality film-making. It includes commentary from Andrew Beyer, Dick Jerardi and William Nack; as you would expect, Nack is especially eloquent. The pacing of the film is particularly welcome - the earlier portion focuses on Barbaro's early days and the period leading up to the Derby (although I would disagree with Beyer's assertion that despite his great grass form almost no one was picking him for the Derby - hey, I did!). Barbaro's Derby was particularly wonderful to see with an audience - everyone cheered as he won. As with the NBC film, there is a gut-wrenching inevitability about the Preakness segment; the scenes of great confidence and cheer just before the race are particularly heartbreaking to watch. It is impossible to watch the scenes of Barbaro being loaded into the Pimlico gate without willing history to change -- it seems that somehow, this time you watch it, the outcome will be different. It isn't. However, the strength of this film is that it balances tragedy with a lighter touch; there is welcome (and very real) comic relief in the interviews offsetting the horror of the Preakness. The editing and score add marvelous support to the documentary -- they keep everything moving forward seamlessly without drifting (or driving) into pathos. Obviously the longed-for happy ending is not on the cards, but the film remains upbeat without becoming treacley. It treats its subject appropriately as a history rather than a news package -- this is what horse racing documentaries should be.