Phar Lap (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Phar Lap |
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Promotional poster from the 1983 Phar Lap film.
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| Directed by | Simon Wincer |
| Produced by | John Sexton |
| Written by | David Williamson |
| Starring | Tom Burlinson Martin Vaughan Ron Leibman Judy Morris James Steele |
| Music by | Bruce Rowland |
| Studio | Hoyts Edgley |
| Distributed by |
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| Release date(s) | 11 August 1983 (Australia) 13 April 1984 (United States) |
| Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$5 million |
| Money made | A$9,258,884 (Australia) |
Phar Lap (also known as Phar Lap: Heart of a Nation) is a 1983 movie. It tells the amazing true story of a famous racehorse named Phar Lap. The film stars Tom Burlinson and was written by David Williamson.
Contents
The Story of Phar Lap
The movie begins in 1932. A famous racehorse named Phar Lap, also called Bobby, dies in California. His best friend, Tommy Woodcock (Tom Burlinson), is with him. News of his death makes many people in Australia very sad. The rest of the movie shows what happened before this sad day. It tells Phar Lap's story as a long flashback.
Phar Lap Arrives
Five years earlier, Phar Lap arrives in Australia from New Zealand. He was bought for £168 without anyone seeing him first. His trainer, Harry Telford (Martin Vaughan), and his family watch as Phar Lap is brought off the ship. He looks thin and has warts on his face.
Phar Lap's owner, David Davis (Ron Leibman), is not happy. He thinks the horse looks like a "sheep dog" mixed with a "kangaroo." Mr. Davis tells Telford to sell the horse right away. But Telford says Phar Lap has a great family tree, with the famous horse Carbine in his background.
So, Mr. Davis agrees to let Telford train Phar Lap for three years. He will get one-third of any money Phar Lap wins. Telford must pay for the horse's care and keep Mr. Davis's name out of it.
A Special Bond
When Phar Lap comes to the stables, he quickly forms a strong bond with a young strapper named Tommy Woodcock. Tommy takes great care of the horse.
At first, Telford trains Phar Lap very hard. Tommy finds Phar Lap very tired and upset. He goes to Telford's house to tell him he is training the horse too much. Telford fires Tommy. But Phar Lap misses Tommy so much that he stops eating. He won't let anyone else near him. So, Telford has to give Tommy his job back.
First Wins
Phar Lap lost his first few races. Tommy Woodcock noticed that Phar Lap liked to come from behind in races. So, during training, Tommy would hold Phar Lap back. This helped the horse learn to save his energy for the end of the race.
When Phar Lap started training well, Telford took the credit. He told Mr. Davis that he had made the horse less lazy. Telford convinced Mr. Davis to pay the £30 fee for the 1929 Australian Derby race in Sydney.
The movie shows the Australian Derby as Phar Lap's first win. This win saved Phar Lap from being sold. The money won, £7,135, also saved Telford from losing everything.
Phar Lap's Success and Challenges
As the Great Depression began, Phar Lap started winning almost every race. Mr. Davis tried to use Phar Lap's success for his own risky betting plans. Telford did not want to be part of these plans.
Before the big Melbourne Cup race, Mr. Davis pressured Telford. He wanted Telford to pull Phar Lap out of another race, the Caulfield Cup. This would help Mr. Davis win more money from his bets. Telford needed money, so he sadly agreed.
One day, as Tommy Woodcock was walking Phar Lap, someone tried to shoot the horse. Tommy bravely jumped in front of Phar Lap to protect him. After this, Tommy and Phar Lap went into hiding at a farm outside Melbourne. They arrived at the Flemington Racecourse just in time for the 1930 Melbourne Cup. Phar Lap won the race, with jockey Jim Pike (James Steele) riding him.
New Challenges and a Big Trip
After three years, Phar Lap was fully under Mr. Davis's control again. Mr. Davis offered to sell half of Phar Lap to Telford for £20,000. Telford could not afford this. So, Telford pretended Phar Lap had a leg injury. He tricked Mr. Davis into thinking Phar Lap was hurt. Mr. Davis then agreed to sell half of Phar Lap for only £4,000. Mr. Davis realized he was tricked when Phar Lap easily won his next race.
The Victoria Racing Club, a group that controls horse racing, gave Phar Lap a very heavy weight to carry in the 1931 Melbourne Cup. They also threatened to ban Mr. Davis and Phar Lap from racing forever if Mr. Davis pulled the horse out of the race. Phar Lap tried his best but finished eighth. The crowd was very unhappy with the racing authorities.
After the 1931 Melbourne Cup, Mr. Davis was asked to race Phar Lap in the Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico. This was the richest race in the world. Telford did not want to go at first because of Australia's animal travel rules. But he agreed because of the big prize money. Telford said Phar Lap had brought him "nothing but trouble." He decided not to go himself. He made Tommy the horse's trainer, knowing Phar Lap would only listen to Tommy. Tommy traveled with his friend Cashy Martin (Richard Morgan), a veterinarian named Bill Nielsen (Robert Grubb), and jockey Billy Elliot (Paul Riley).
The Final Race
In the United States, Mr. Davis found out the prize money for the race had been cut in half. Tommy Woodcock and Mr. Davis also had disagreements. Tommy had his own ideas about training. He even took Phar Lap away from a press conference early. Tommy also did not listen to advice about special horse shoes for the track. Phar Lap's front hoof cracked badly, making it harder for him to prepare.
Before the race, there were rumors that some jockeys might try to stop Phar Lap from winning. This was to prevent gamblers from losing a lot of money. Mr. Davis told jockey Billy Elliot to lead the race from the start. But Tommy Woodcock immediately told Elliot to let Phar Lap run his normal race, starting slow and finishing fast. Elliot followed Tommy's advice. Phar Lap won the Agua Caliente Handicap, even though he had a problem with his hoof.
Cast
In order of appearance (Australian release)
- Tom Burlinson as Tommy Woodcock
- Towering Inferno as Phar Lap
- Richard Morgan as 'Cashy' Martin
- Robert Grubb as Bill Nielsen
- Martin Vaughan as Harry Telford
- Celia De Burgh as Vi Telford
- Ron Leibman as David J. Davis
- Henry Duvall as Aubrey Ping
- Pat Thomson as Edith Bone
- Gia Carides as Emma Bone / Woodcock (credited as Georgia Carr)
- Judy Morris as Bea Davis
- James Steele as Jim Pike
- Vincent Ball as Lachlan McKinnon
- Redmond Phillips as Sir Samuel Hordern
- Peter Whitford as Bert Wolfe
- John Stanton as Eric Connolly
- Maggie Millar as May Holmes
- Tim Robertson as Policeman
- Roger Newcombe as Jim Crofton
- Tommy Woodcock as trainer
- Len Kaserman as Baron Long
- Paul Riley as Billy Elliot
Movie Differences
The movie version released in the United States is a bit different. In Australia, the film starts with Phar Lap's death. But in the US, the movie begins with Phar Lap arriving in Australia. It then follows the story and ends with his death. This change was made because people in the US did not know Phar Lap's story. Starting with his arrival made the ending more dramatic for them.
Box Office Success
Phar Lap earned A$9,258,884 in Australia. This was a lot of money back then. The director, Simon Wincer, hoped more teenagers would watch the film. He thought maybe it needed more romance to attract them. Still, Phar Lap is one of the most loved Australian films ever made.
