Hidalgo
So I was watching Hidalgo the other day (for like the 15th time) and I wondered why I can watch some movies dozens of times but for most, once is enough.
I have seen Hidalgo over and over again, mostly in bits and pieces while I’m surfing the channels. Being the critter lover that I am, it probably isn’t all that surprising. But in truth, I find most critter movies go overboard on the smaltzy side of things. Hidalgo has some of that but is in general a good story.
It claims to be based on a true story. I tend to look at those claims with a critical eye, as most are extremely loosely based. For instance Dreamer (another horse movie) is “inspired” by a true story. But the only part that is true, is that a racing mare had the same kind of fracture and went on to race again. That’s it. Everything else was fabricated.
Frank T. Hopkins really did take his mustang named Hidalgo to race in Arabia in 1890 and won. However, all of the adventures during the race in the movie were fabricated to make it a more interesting story. Though wouldn’t you think it would have been a pretty good story anyway?
The part where I always catch my breath is when Hidalgo collapses from exhaustion near the end of the race. Frank pulls out his gun and puts it to his horse’s temple. As he builds his courage to shoot Hidalgo, he begins to talk about a race they had run in Missouri where they were 3 days in the lead and there was nothing but a sea of green. He says (paraphrasing here)” . . . If there is a heaven on earth that was surely it. And if there’s a heaven on earth, well then there must be a hell. We just couldn’t cross it, partner.”
The fact that I know in reality that never happened and Hidalgo won that race by 33 hours doesn’t diminish the emotional response I have, every time I see it. Maybe that’s what good story telling is all about.
Note: I got some of my information from the Frank T. Hopkins website which is dedicated to promoting the man. Though elsewhere, apparently there is some controversy over whether Frank T. Hopkins was in fact, a sharleton.
I usually have to watch films more than once just to understand them!
I understand you wanting to watch a film again and again just because of the critters in it - I recently bought the Golden Compass just because of the polar bear! (And that’s not even real!) And lets face it, when I was younger I only watched Lethal Weapon as often as I did because Mel Gibson was in it!
Actually, I’m gutted. I had Rosemarie on video and for the life of me I can’t find it.
When I’m calling yooooooooooooooo……
I enjoyed Golden Compass quite a bit. I read the trilogy several years back. Kinda complicated story. Also Mel Gibson is certainly worth watching repeatedly. Too bad he turned out to be such a nutjob. (You know, like if he wanted to run away with me I’d just have to turn him down. yeah right!)
You completely lost me on the last bit though. I imagine something in the translation. What does gutted mean (other than for like cleaning wild game) and who is Rosemarie?
Hehehe, lost in translation again!
Gutted = very disappointed.
Rosemarie (or Rose Marie?) is an old fim with the song “Indian Love Call” in it. There were two versions of the film, but I have only seen the 1954 version. In it, Rosemarie falls in love with Jim, a man who doesn’t settle anywhere. She’s undecided whether to go with him or not. He says he will wait for her in the mountains, but that if he hears her “call” he will know to go on without her. Meanwhile a Red Indian girl has killed someone with Jim’s knife and the police(?) are after him. He will hang for it. Rosemarie goes to the mountains and “calls” to Jim so that he will go and get away safe, but she knows she will never see him again. It’s such a moving part of the film. (That was the short version!) Here’s a clip of that part of the film.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=AEODi7DIQ9I
I only saw it once — but it is a great film. Glad you are enjoying it!
LOVE your site, will visit again
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