Hidalgo (film)
| Hidalgo | |
|---|---|
| File:Httpwww.movie-source.comstills549 4.jpg Hidalgo film poster | |
| Directed by | Joe Johnston |
| Written by | John Fusco |
| Produced by | Casey Silver |
| Starring | Viggo Mortensen, Omar Sharif, Zuleikha Robinson, Saïd Taghmaoui, Harsh Nayyar, Louise Lombard |
| Edited by | Robert Dalva |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
Release date | 17 February 2004 |
Running time | 136 minutes |
| Languages | English, Arabic (with subtitles) |
| Budget | ~ US$78,000,000 |
Hidalgo is a 2004 film based on the life and tales of former horse rider Frank Hopkins and his endurance horse Hidalgo, a mustang. The movie was written by John Fusco and directed by Joe Johnston. It stars Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson and Omar Sharif.
Plot summary
Held annually for centuries, the Ocean of Fire-a 3000-mile survival race across the Arabian desert--was a challenge restricted to the finest Arabian horses ever bred of the purest and noblest lines and owned by the greatest royal families. In 1890, a wealthy sheikh invited an American, Frank T. Hopkins, and his mustang horse to enter the race for the first time. During the course of his career, Hopkins had been a cowboy and dispatch rider for the United States of America (U.S.) government. In this capacity he had carried a message to the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment, authorizing what became the Wounded Knee Massacre. Currently working as a stunt rider in Buffalo Bill's Wild West shows, Hopkins is advertised as the greatest rider the West had ever known. The Sheikh puts this claim to the test, pitting the American cowboy and his mustang, Hidalgo, against the world's greatest Arabian horses and Bedouin riders, some of whom are determined to prevent a foreigner - and especially an "impure" horse - from finishing the race. For Frank, the Ocean of Fire becomes not only a matter of pride and honor, but a race for his very survival as he and his horse attempt the supposedly impossible desert crossing.
Throughout the story, there are many who attempt to kill Hopkins and Hidalgo; some of these are working for the Sheikh's treacherous nephew, who wishes against his uncle's decree to marry his cousin, the sheikh's daughter Jazirah. A spirited girl and a horse-rider in her own right, who's been somewhat indulged by her father because he has no sons, she is rescued from raids at some point by Frank and Hidalgo, whom she grows to trust. Eventually, Hopkins wins the race and travels home to America, later to buy many mustangs who had been sentenced to death by the Government. These he releases into the wild, allowing Hidalgo to go with them.
A recurring theme in the film is the fact that Hopkins' father was White American and his mother a member of the Native American Lakota tribe. The tribespeople refer to him as "Blue Child" or "Far Rider". As a half-breed, he feels sympathy and pity for his mother's people, who are being driven to extinction by the settlers. However, he does not generally reveal his heritage, especially after the Wounded Knee massacre for which he feels partly responsible. Jazirah, who has become his friend, compares her desire not to wear a veil with Hopkins' heritage; that he mustn't "go through life hiding what God made you... like me." In the end, he casts in his lot with the tribal ways and rides bareback for the final length of the race.
Reception
The movie recieved mixed reviews from the critics, garnering a 46% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes (46% also from the Cream of the Crop of that site) and a 54 from Metacritic. IMDb users, however, give the movie an average rating of 6.5/10.
The events on which the movie were based are disputed by some as nothing more than tall tales.[1] Others view them to be slightly exaggerated true stories.[2] In either case, Roger Ebert offers a positive review of the film, saying it's the kind of fun, rip-snorting adventure film Hollywood rarely makes anymore, adding, "please ignore any tiresome scolds who complain that the movie is not really based on fact. Duh."[3]
John Fusco won the Spur Award for Best Western Drama Script, notwithstanding the fact that the bulk of the film was not set in the West, nor even on the North American continent.
Native American reviewers disparaged the film because they saw it as furthering white stereotypes of Indian culture and behavior. Pointing out that Hopkins himself lied continually about his experiences and background, they claim that Hopkins was among many white men to claim Indian ancestry for personal gain. Saudi reviewers state that there never was a race like the Ocean of Fire, and there exists no documentation that Hopkins was even there.[4]
Box office
US Gross Domestic Takings: US$ 67,303,450
- + Other International Takings: $40,800,000
= Gross Worldwide Takings: $108,103,450
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (July 2007) |
In the film, Hopkins speaks Lakota and is portrayed as a member of that tribe.
The horses used in the film were not all purebred Arabian horses. Because of the configuration of its back, the Arab hoists its tail to a near-upright position when running. None of the horses in Hidalgo do this to the full extent that a pure Arabian would.
Viggo Mortensen later bought RH Tecontender, one of the American Paints that played Hidalgo.
The plot follows the classic hero's journey construction defined by Joseph Campbell.
The film portrays a venal Englishwoman, Lady Davenport (Lombard), with a financial interest in Arabian horses, who has paid off another Arab man to foul up the chances of any horse other than her own winning the race. The real Davenport Arabians were Ambars, imported by an American political cartoonist, Homer Davenport, who had fallen in love with the breed after a trip to Arabia.[5]
References
External links
- Hidalgo at IMDb
- Hidalgo at Rotten Tomatoes
- Hidalgo at Metacritic
- Hidalgo at Box Office Mojo
- "Hidalgo - from myth to movie" by Basha O'Reilly
- Frank Hopkins Articles Contains several articles about the Hidalgo film.