The First Saturday in May

My wife and I saw this film at The Savannah Film Festival. Although having no expectations, we loved the film from the start. You actually care about the people and the horses, and it takes you on an emotional journey. I don't even like horse racing, but it is so well done that the horse racing is only a vehicle for the talented construction of this film.

You don't get lost for an instant, and you want to know what will happen next. It brushes upon the technicalities and behind-the-scenes work that goes into the theme of the movie, without becoming annoyingly too "in-depth". The bonus is that we learned something...a good thing to happen each day of our lives.

We weren't surprised that the film was an award-winner at the Festival. Well worth watching. I hope it is put on wide distribution so that everyone can see it.

Bravo!!!

I saw this wonderful film at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and was so happy that it will be seen nationwide. During the "Q & A" after a Tribeca screening a youngish member of the audience asked a question that I thought, by virtue of its content, was the ultimate compliment that could be paid to a documentary. "What that based on a true story?", the young lad wondered. With docs you can never know going in whether there will be a story to tell. Nor can you know whether the characters have enough depth and substance to make the telling of the tale compelling. First Saturday's editing accomplishes both. The Hennegan brothers had me shaking my head as I left the theater wondering how they did it.

"You have to do it with confidence." Michael Matz, Barbaro trainer

Out of the gate, the documentary First Saturday in May is a winner, whose neophyte directors, brothers Brad and John Hennegan, capture mostly the glamour of the kingly sport before and at Churchill Downs once a year. Although the editing is choppy, the camera angles uninspired, and the lighting weak—no doubt due to the fact that I saw it from projected DVD before prints were cast—it gently carries a romantic aura of the race to qualify and the big race.

This is the famous 2006 race with the incomparable, tragic winner, Barbaro. That the brothers had enough sense to spotlight this undefeated, favored thoroughbred is much in their favor; that the doc must end in the horse's eventual put down from a Preakness Stakes leg injury is a dramatic counterpoint to the upbeat scenario that went before it, a gift so to speak from the Fates to a film that could have been judged sugarcoated without the dark ending.

Prior to the big race the doc traces several stables and their trainers as they prepare to qualify for it or for the race itself. Notably from good ol' slow Kentucky boy Dale Romans looking for his first win to chatty New York assistant trainer Frank Amonte, whose kids take after him in accent and attitude but not in casual expletives from their dad every time he has a setback.

The usual goofballs are present on the day of the derby such as the rube with the spinning horses on top of his beanie and the chubby preadolescent kid who pulls a wad of money from his pocket while mom proudly exclaims, "Horses and poker, that's his thing right now." The doc doesn't need fancy photography to catch the regal nature of this all American event (notwithstanding an owner sheikh from Dubai). It's a winner.

absolutely fabulous film. I am an avid horse racing fan, so I was bound and determined to see this movie the day it opened. I was not disappointed! You can really tell the makers love horses and racing, and that love comes through loud and clear. The people, from the horses to the jockeys, trainers and grooms are well developed and captivating. You find yourself rooting for EVERYONE to win, even though you know what's coming. The horses are captured in a way that horse people (and non horse people!) can appreciate- shows their charming personalities and sometimes rogue behavior.

and then there's Barbaro.

I tried to tell myself I wasn't going to cry, but it was impossible. I know the story well, but it still pulls my heart strings to see the story unfold again. I believe this was a perfect tribute to this amazing animal, a horse that touched the hearts of so many people. It makes me happy to know that Barbaro has been immortalized in this wonderful movie.

Fabulous film that is more about people than horses. Tells a moving realty show of courage, skill and tenacity. Trainers overcome personal adversity (paralyses and M.S.),their wives bask in the excitement of the race-world (one is a jockey, another a fashion model), and the children can't resist cutting school to witness the race (one places a bet for the teacher, the other drops out to work full time at the stable). The by-line story of the rise and fall of famed horse Barbaro from the track is told with grace, respect and admiration. And the filmmakers' travel on-site to the tracks (including Dubai)coupled with the musical score add the spice and variety that make this film a sure winner.