Boston Herald gives the film an A-.
“The First Saturday in May” so truly captures the indomitable spirit of not only the trainers, their friends and families, but those of the jockeys and stable hands that you want to hug every one of them.
Posted on Apr 18 2008
Filed Under: News
Despite their quibble with digital our cameras, AV club gives us a solid B.
Hennegans’ affable, engaging love letter to everything equine and tradition-bound, getting there is way more than half the fun.
Posted on Apr 17 2008
Filed Under: News
But while this documentary by the filmmaking Hennegan brothers has a great story - seven of them, in fact - this is also primer for the uninitiated, the curious, and anyone who thinks racetracks are the most beautiful places on Earth.
Posted on Apr 17 2008
Filed Under: News
Rafer Guzman of NY Newsday does an entertainment feature on the film.
Among the characters they found are Dan Hendricks, a trainer who uses a wheelchair but who still rides his thoroughbreds; Kiaran McLaughlin, a Southern good ol’ boy who hobnobs with wealthy sheiks; and Frank Amonte, a hardscrabble trainer so devoted to his work that he lives across the street from Aqueduct.
Posted on Apr 17 2008
Filed Under: News
Sports Illustrated features a write up (”Animal Magnetism”) on the film in SI Players in the April 21st Issue.
The film, directed with a taste for salient, often humorous detail by brothers John and Brad Hennegan maintains a subtle tension.
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Posted on Apr 16 2008
Filed Under: News
Michael Veitch of the Saratogian reviews the film.
With their connection to racing, the Hennegans succeeded in filming a story that captured the drama of backstretch life, particularly when it involves the annual dream of making it to Louisville.
Posted on Apr 16 2008
Filed Under: News
Joshua Rothkopf of Time Out New York gives the film 5 stars!
The doc culminates in a sequence of extraordinary power, set to a ghostly choral version of “My Old Kentucky Home,” the traditional riders-to-post song. We see young boys in their new suits, the smiles of nervous trainers and grooms, the NASCAR-like circus of paparazzi, Southern ladies and jockeys. In mere moments, the film evokes the whole of Americana. The bell rings, and your heart is already in your throat. Essential.
Read it here.
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Posted on Apr 16 2008
Filed Under: News
SNY News interviews John & Brad.
“My brother Brad and I are fans of film, so we set out to create a fun, entertaining movie that people would actually want to see.”
Their goal has been accomplished according to Sports Illustrated, Washington Post, New York Post and Newsday, which all gave “The First Saturday in May” their endorsement.
Posted on Apr 15 2008
Filed Under: News
Listed in “New This Week”, New York Magazine recommends the film. Only 18 of the 54 movies listed have earned that honor!
A generally upbeat film, it could easily work as a promotion for the sport.
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Posted on Apr 15 2008
Filed Under: News
Susan King of the LA Times promotes the film in the print edition.
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Posted on Apr 15 2008
Filed Under: News
