Hidalgo (2004)

In 1890, a down-and-out cowboy and his horse travel to Arabia to compete in a deadly cross desert horse race.

Director:

Joe Johnston

Writer:

John Fusco

Stars:

Viggo Mortensen, Zuleikha Robinson, Omar Sharif

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Viggo Mortensen	...	Frank Hopkins
Zuleikha Robinson	...	Jazira
Omar Sharif	...	Sheikh Riyadh
Louise Lombard	...	Lady Anne Davenport
Adam Alexi-Malle	...	Aziz
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Prince Bin Al Reeh
Silas Carson	...	Katib
Harsh Nayyar	...	Yusef
J.K. Simmons	...	Buffalo Bill Cody
Adoni Maropis	...	Sakr
Victor Talmadge	...	Rau Rasmussen
Peter Mensah	...	Jaffa
Joshua Wolf Coleman	...	The Kurd
Franky Mwangi	...	Slave Boy
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman	...	Chief Eagle Horn (as Floyd Red Crow Westerman)

Storyline

Held yearly for centuries, the Ocean of Fire--a 3,000 mile survival race across the Arabian desert--was a challenge restricted to the finest Arabian horses ever bred, the purest and noblest lines, owned by the greatest royal families. In 1890, a wealthy sheik invited an American, Frank T. Hopkins, and his horse to enter the race for the first time. During the course of his career, Hopkins was a cowboy and dispatch rider for the U.S. cavalry--and had once been billed as the greatest rider the West had ever known. The Sheik puts his 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 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 impossible.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | race | cowboy | sheik | desert | 

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Taglines:

The True Story Of A Man Who Went Halfway Around The World To Find Himself.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and some mild innuendo

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Terra [Spain]

Country:

USA Morocco

Language:

English Arabic Sioux

Release Date:

5 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

A tűz óceánja

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$158,772 (South Africa) (23 July 2004)

Gross:

$325,601 (South Africa) (6 August 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Casey Silver Productions, Dune Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In movie theaters was released as a Disney movie but was changed to Touchstone Pictures for the VHS/DVD release.

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Goofs

It is mentioned that the race goes through Iraq and Syria, but they did not exist as nations until the British drew the borders after World War I.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Frank T. Hopkins: [to Hidalgo] C'mon little brother. Checkout time. Yeah.

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Connections

Spoofed in Shrek 2 (2004)

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Soundtracks

"On the Warpath"
Performed by The Americus Brass Band

User Reviews

A dispatch rider lives in two worlds! He is 1/2 Indian 1/2 white. He needs to reconcile those two worlds in himself to succeed in a race for his life and a big purse!

I just wanted to state that this movie is very enjoyable, no matter how many times I watch it. I am impressed in how the filmmaker portrayed the very sensitive topic of the Wounded Knee Massacre! It was handled tactfully and with sincere empathy! Additionally this film shows an American traveling overseas! He learns of new customs and great differences in cultures. No matter what situation he finds himself in, he is courteous, polite and he accepts that these are the customs of these people! He doesn't try to change the people or push his ways on them, he knows he is a guest in this country and as that, he is downright charming! It is refreshing to see people carry themselves well and with honor, rather than being the "wild Americans" foreign countries have come to expect us to be! Well done Viggo, Joe Johnston and John Fusco!