Hennegan Brothers Derby Film
 

(Pillow Pants and Cardus, just ignore ...)

Steve Haskin talked about this film again today on ATR - that the H brothers are having a tough time finding a distributor.

I cannot believe that nobody in the horse industry hasn't a contact in the film industry - after all, someone is currently shooting a film about Man O' War, and that Ruffian TV film was B-grade at best. Seabiscuit made money (I thought).

I don't understand why this film hasn't been purchased. Somebody 'esplain it to me.

OK, I'll explain it......


It can't make money.


Look, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and have thrown away a great deal of my life at the racetrack ( and I regret none of it ), but nobody cares about us. This movie could simply not make money in movie theaters and no distributer, in all likelihood, would want to spend the necessary money to promote a movie with next to no audience.

I mean none of this as a slight whatsoever to the producers and the fine job they did with this movie. I highly recommend it to everyone here, but in the grand scheme of the movie business, this movie sadly has little chance....at least in theaters.

Sure, I realize that, I suppose. I'm just comparing it to some of the other mindless (and immediately to DVD) crap that graces the local theatre screens every week.

I guess I'm just surprised that there are no CA owners within the film industry willing to find a token spot for it in one of their lesser distribution companies, in order to help out the sport.

How much do you know about the movie business?

I don't know a lot but I know enough to know that, unfortunately, this movie is a very hard sell.

Then again, Jake Romans is bigger than life.

Fun after-dinner activity, that's it.

Seriously, I figured some owner in the horse business would want to pick up this orphan and do a favor for the sport. I know why the big studios wouldn't touch it.

I hear it's playing at the 2010 Anchorage International Film Festival. I can't wait!!

I think the only place it will be seen regulary is the Derby Musuem. It may become a standard there. And like BTW says it's nothing against the connections, just a no win situation financially. Good luck to them though, they were cool people, alot of fun hanging out with them at Aqueduct...

Their problem is that they are east coast guys, and the "friend of the friends" are all west coast.

what would it take to put it on dvd and sell it from there?

this movie has got to be better than the majority of the crap that makes into theaters.

Yeah, but the majority of crap that makes it into movie theaters have movie stars in them. Documentaries seldom make money to begin with, and one about a pretty marginalized sport is really up against it.

They might still make a profit on DVDs, if they can get a distributor. Or if they can figure out a way to sell it via download over the Internet.

It's a shame; I'd have liked to have seen it, but much like horses being retired at 3, it's about the $$.

i just visited a film website where your doppleganger was bemoaning the fact movie producer's don't have enough juice to get a claimer into the kentucky derby.

and save your charismatic posts. you get the point.

What are the chances that it is picked up by either HBO who has done a documentry on the sport, NBC who could show it during derby week or maybe TVG/HRTV to show on Christmas maybe Easter when there is no live racing? Are any of those scenarios possible?

I'd hope HBO, or the network, prior to Derby.