Hidalgo
Short description
In 1890, Frank T. Hopkins is a Pony Express rider and cowboy whose reputation as one of the American West's finest horsemen reaches across the ocean. An invitation arrives from a wealthy Arab sheikh, who wants Hopkins and his mustang, Hidalgo, to take part in a long-distance endurance race across the Arabian desert. No foreigner has been allowed to compete before, and the arrival of an American outsider among the region's most skilled Bedouin riders provokes hostility from those determined to keep him from finishing. Hopkins accepts, seeing the race as a chance to prove himself and recover the standing he has lost; by this point he has been reduced to performing in Buffalo Bill's circus.
Joe Johnston directed the film, his seventh feature, arriving between Jurassic Park III and The Wolfman. John Fusco wrote the screenplay, and Casey Silver produced. Viggo Mortensen plays Hopkins, with Zuleikha Robinson, Omar Sharif, Louise Lombard, J.K. Simmons and Adoni Maropis among the cast. The production, shot partly in Morocco, was a large undertaking: its reported budget of 100 million dollars was only narrowly matched by a worldwide gross of 108 million. Audiences responded mildly positively, with the film averaging 6.7 out of 10 on IMDb from around 89,000 votes and 6.9 out of 10 on TMDB, while a critics' rating of 5.7 out of 10 from 162 reviews is noticeably lower than both audience figures.
What's left behind the scenes
- In the dubbed Spanish version of the film, Viggo Mortensen voiced his own character. This was possible because the actor has excellent command of the Spanish language.
- After filming was completed, Viggo Mortensen acquired one of the horses used as Hidalgo's mustang.
- The final scene was filmed in the vicinity of Browning, Montana. 550 horses were used, borrowed from a wide variety of owners for the duration of the shoot.
- The film claims its plot is based on the true story of the life of the famous American horseman Frank Hopkins, however, before the film's release, many expressed serious doubts about the veracity of his stories. Thus, Arab researchers not only failed to find any documentary evidence that such a race took place, but even that Frank Hopkins had ever been to those parts. Similar doubts about the reliability of his testimonies and stories were also expressed by descendants of Native Americans.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
