Hidalgo
You already know the story of Hidalgo if you've watched Seabiscuit. In that movie, the jockey keeps referencing a tall tale of how he "raced in Arabia." Well, Hidalgo is that story.
Unfortunately, people have come to expect that any film about a horse is a kid-friendly film. One false assumption and a few severed heads later, it was obvious that Hidalgo is not for children.
Here's one of the many things that kept me from enjoying this movie fully: there are lots of subtitles.
This, in and of itself, is not a problem, as I'm a fast reader. But a child under 13 years of age can't read that fast.
Viggo Mortensen, reprising his rough and tumble role as Aragorn, is Frank T. Hopkins. He's a half-Native American, half-white cowboy who has seen better days. He and his horse (Hidalgo) perform in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. I was tickled to see this connection, as Wild Bill figures prominently in the Devil in the White City (see my review). It's the end of an era - Indians are being shuttled off to reservations, whites are taking over, and the open prairies are no longer free lands where horses and cowboys can roam. Frank drowns his sorrow in alcohol, sorrow made all the worse by his witnessing the massacre of Indians at Wounded Knee.
Haunted by his heritage and feeling like a traitor to his people, Frank sees the "Ocean of Fire" race as a chance to find himself in a new, unforgiving land. It is journey Frank must make to find his inner Indian, because there are no longer any wild lands to test him.
And off he goes. The tale is wild and wooly and full of adventure. There's an excellent supporting cast, including Omar Sharif in his best role ever as a "Sheik of Sheiks." There's also a host of competitors, rival horsemen, and plenty of horses.
In a lot of ways, this movie has much in common with The Last Samurai (see my review). It's a white man (okay, half-white) co-opting the experience of another land for his own. In that regard, Hidalgo steals both the Arabian experience and the Native American experience. When John has a vision of his ancestors and begins chanting in his native tongue, I couldn't help but wonder if there were any Native Americans who felt slighted.
Hidalgo is a fun movie, but it's also a bit jumbled. Viggo is soft-spoken, a trait that made him unobtrusive as the unknown king in Lord of the Rings. Here, he's practically unintelligible. The plot also wanders - sometimes John is out to win the race, sometimes he's on a rescue mission, sometimes he's wandering around lost.
Hidalgo's a good old fashioned pulp yarn, complete with fist fights, sword fights, gun fights, killer leopards, Arabians, cowboys, slavery, American Indians, and princesses. If you like your horses fast, your men tough, and your landscapes harsh, then Hidalgo will be a real treat.
But for the love of God, don't bring a child under 13. Thank you.
Unfortunately, people have come to expect that any film about a horse is a kid-friendly film. One false assumption and a few severed heads later, it was obvious that Hidalgo is not for children.
Here's one of the many things that kept me from enjoying this movie fully: there are lots of subtitles.
This, in and of itself, is not a problem, as I'm a fast reader. But a child under 13 years of age can't read that fast.
Viggo Mortensen, reprising his rough and tumble role as Aragorn, is Frank T. Hopkins. He's a half-Native American, half-white cowboy who has seen better days. He and his horse (Hidalgo) perform in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. I was tickled to see this connection, as Wild Bill figures prominently in the Devil in the White City (see my review). It's the end of an era - Indians are being shuttled off to reservations, whites are taking over, and the open prairies are no longer free lands where horses and cowboys can roam. Frank drowns his sorrow in alcohol, sorrow made all the worse by his witnessing the massacre of Indians at Wounded Knee.
Haunted by his heritage and feeling like a traitor to his people, Frank sees the "Ocean of Fire" race as a chance to find himself in a new, unforgiving land. It is journey Frank must make to find his inner Indian, because there are no longer any wild lands to test him.
And off he goes. The tale is wild and wooly and full of adventure. There's an excellent supporting cast, including Omar Sharif in his best role ever as a "Sheik of Sheiks." There's also a host of competitors, rival horsemen, and plenty of horses.
In a lot of ways, this movie has much in common with The Last Samurai (see my review). It's a white man (okay, half-white) co-opting the experience of another land for his own. In that regard, Hidalgo steals both the Arabian experience and the Native American experience. When John has a vision of his ancestors and begins chanting in his native tongue, I couldn't help but wonder if there were any Native Americans who felt slighted.
Hidalgo is a fun movie, but it's also a bit jumbled. Viggo is soft-spoken, a trait that made him unobtrusive as the unknown king in Lord of the Rings. Here, he's practically unintelligible. The plot also wanders - sometimes John is out to win the race, sometimes he's on a rescue mission, sometimes he's wandering around lost.
Hidalgo's a good old fashioned pulp yarn, complete with fist fights, sword fights, gun fights, killer leopards, Arabians, cowboys, slavery, American Indians, and princesses. If you like your horses fast, your men tough, and your landscapes harsh, then Hidalgo will be a real treat.
But for the love of God, don't bring a child under 13. Thank you.
posted by talien | 8:24 PM
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