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A sandstorm of epic proportions. A swarm of locusts so massive it obliterates the relentless sun. Deadly traps that defy imagination. These are just a few of the astonishing obstacles Frank T. Hopkins, the greatest long-distance racer ever, faces in the rousing action-adventure Hidalgo. Based on a true story and starring Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), Hopkins (Mortensen) and his mustang Hidalgo enter the ultimate extreme sport of its time--the Ocean of Fire. Underdogs challenging the finest Arabian horses and riders, they must not only survive the grueling race across 3,000 miles of the Arabian Desert's punishing terrain, but they must thwart the evil plots of competitors who vow victory at all costs! A great story of personal triumph, amazing special effects, and memorable characters make Hidalgo one of the most thrilling adventures ever.
"It will take you on the ride of your life." Boston Herald
"...compelling adventure, awesome cinematography and dynamic stunt work..." Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
"...[Mortensen] has the measured pace and steady gaze of a Cooper or a Stewart." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"...Mortensen eases into the role of Hopkins with the athletic grace and sly humor of a born movie star..." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
"...action sequences are lively and engaging, the location photography (mostly Morocco) is breathtaking..." William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Editor's Note
A breathtakingly photographed, epic western like none produced for decades, HIDALGO recounts the life of legend Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen). Set in the 1800s, this family film chronicles the triumphant victory won by Frank and his mustang Hidalgo in the Ocean of Fire, an often-fatal competition in which the best riders and thoroughbreds race across Middle Eastern deserts. For Frank, who is known in the west for his prowess as a Pony Express rider and the winner of long-distance horse races, the lure of the Ocean of Fire is not only the $100,000 purse but also the clear challenge--both of which prove irresistible, and inspire him to travel across the world for this life-altering experience.With sweeping landscapes that evoke John Ford westerns like STAGECOACH and THE SEARCHERS, HIDALGO features enough racing, rivalry, and romance to befit any action film. But the race also provides a vehicle for the story of Frank forgiving himself for his participation in the Wounded Knee slaughter and accepting his part-Indian ancestry. The film's message, highlighted in a particularly moving scene where Frank invokes the spirits of his Native American ancestors, is that the key to happiness is accepting yourself as you are.
| Features | Audio: English DTS 5.1 Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: French, Spanish | | This Is A Blu-Ray DVD Made For Blue-Laser Format Players Which Produce Higher Quality Picture & Sound |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 1/10/2010 |
| Running Time: 136 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2004 | | Catalog ID: 5653203 | | UPC: 00786936756159 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"HIDALGO was obviously inspired by Carroll Ballard's landmark 1979 horse film, THE BLACK STALLION. This movie also has the handsome, weathered look of BLUEBERRY." 03/05/2004 p.E12Los Angeles Times
"HIDALGO has a sweet-natured appeal that welcomes sentiment without overdoing it." 03/05/2004 p.E1 Entertainment Weekly
"[D]irected with love for scale and location by Joe Johnston..." 03/12/2004 p.88 Box Office
"[T]he film makes its points about character, courage and perseverance in crowd-pleasing fashion." 04/01/2004 p.157 USA Today
"HIDALGO is an old-fashioned saga with adventure writ large, grand vistas and a stalwart hero." 03/19/2004 p.7E ReelViews 7 of 10
Disney's Hidalgo, about a late 19th century long distance horse race across the Arabian Desert, is a sporadically entertaining adventure movie that is hampered by poor pacing, a badly focused screenplay, and cheesy special effects...The historical basis of a movie is largely irrelevant to whether it's good or bad, entertaining or not. But there's something disturbing about Disney's insistence of marketing Hidalgo as being based on a true story, when there's as much honesty here as in Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook" statement. Stripped of that simple marketing tagline, Hidalgo and Disney would be controversy-free in this instance, but the determination of the marketing department not to come clean places another stain on the Magic Kingdom's already splotchy complexion. The Internet Movie Database's message boards for the movie quote Nina Heyn, Disney's Executive Director of International Publicity, as having made the following comment in the May 13, 2003 edition of The Saudi Gazette: "No one [at Disney] really cares about the historical aspects... If it transpires that the historical aspects are in question I don't think people would care that much. Hidalgo is a family film. It has little to do with reality." Yes, Hidalgo is a family film (albeit a mediocre one), and it deserves to be seen for what it is, not as the centerpiece of a controversy that has resulted from Disney's dishonesty. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
"Hidalgo" is the kind of movie Hollywood has almost become too jaundiced to make anymore. Bold, exuberant and swashbuckling, it has the purity and simplicity of something Douglas Fairbanks or Errol Flynn might have bounded through. Modern movies that attempt the adventure genre usually feel they have to tart it up, so in "Pirates of the Caribbean," which once would have been played straight, we get animated cadavers and Johnny Depp channeling Keith Richards. Well, OK, "Pirates" was fun, but "Hidalgo" is a throwback to a more innocent time when heroes and their horses risked everything just because life was so damned boring in the slow lane...Hopkins is played by Viggo Mortensen, fresh from "Lord of the Rings," as a bronzed, lean loner who (if I guess right) enters the race as much for the sake of his horse as for the prize. He respects and loves Hidalgo, especially after the scornful Arab riders scoff at the notion that a mixed-breed mustang could challenge their desert stallions with their ancient lineages. Of course Hopkins is a half-breed, too, and so we're dealing with issues here. - Roger Ebert
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