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, Omar Sharif, Zuleikha Robinson

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:

glacier national park | horse movie | horse | race | cowboy | 

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Taglines:

Experience the incredible true story of a man who left behind the world he knew, and found the courage to do the impossible

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | Sport | 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:

Océano de fuego

Filming Locations:

Sierra Railroad, Jamestown, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,829,435, 7 March 2004, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$67,286,731, 18 July 2004

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,800,000

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

The design team created edible locusts out of paper, sugar, onion skin, and a pretzel-like material. Each one took four hours to make.

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Goofs

One of the purebred Arabian horses is actually an Andalusian. Although it's not totally implausible that such a horse would be there, claiming it is an Arabian purebred is akin to claiming that the Chimichanga originated in Great Britain.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

The film begins with a "Touchstone Pictures presents" credit, and the logo only appears at the end.

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Connections

Featured in America's First Horse: Hidalgo and the Spanish Mustang (2004)

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Soundtracks

Wyoming Days
Written by Karl King (uncredited)
Performed by The Americus Brass Band

User Reviews

Forget the "Based on A True Story"

If you can get away from the "claim" to be based on a true story, you will probably enjoy this film. I found myself, however, unable to get away from that claim, and it ruined the film for me. I just kept sitting there saying to myself, "Now, that was about as unreal as it could get." I mean, the horse is down, blood comming from its nose, and the next minute up he gets, and not only runs to the finish line, but passes 2 other horses on the way, get real. I have no doubt that something like the race could have happened in which Hidalgo ran, but that is where the reality ends.

Ignore the claim, and you can enjoy a good story, find yourself thinking this actually happened, and you might not like it too much.