An old-fashioned tale of adventure and courage, this film pits a down-on-his-luck cowboy (Viggo Mortensen as Frank Hopkins) and his un-pedigreed mustang, Hidalgo, against a hostile desert environment, the purest-blooded Arabian racehorses, and their riders, some of whom are determined to win at any cost.
Film Review
Though the story is implausible in many scenes, the movie’s earthy, wholesome values, gorgeous horses, beautiful cinematography, and solid performances by Viggo, Omar Sharif and the rest of the cast make for good family entertainment.
Articles about Hidalgo
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Reluctant hero riding high in the saddle
Interview addresses Hidalgo, Viggo Mortensen's films, and his other pursuits: "As a kid, you wonder about all the adventures you are going to have and you imagine exploring the world," he says, in his soft, deliberate manner. "Most people, after a while, sort of repress that desire and instead live in a box and never attempt it but I wanted adventure, still do, and so I try a lot of things." -
Interview: Viggo Mortensen for Hidalgo
Viggo talks about Hidalgo as a story that appeals to his love of mythology and the hero's journey. "I like the big stories and the big landscapes. I guess I am interested in ordeals, whether you are in the Sahara desert or you're in New Zealand or wherever, but I also like small stories that can take place in a room, in a kitchen sink drama.... Any ordeal clears and purifies your vision of yourself and how you fit in or don't fit into the world. Those are the stories I am drawn to." Other topics include Frank Hopkins, mustangs, history, politics, and the Middle East. In other words, just a typical Viggo Mortensen interview.
Production Stills
These are the best Hidalgo still images we’ve managed to find, plus one sneaky behind-the-scenes photograph. They’ve come from all over: the official Hidalgo site back in 2004, Outnow.ch, MovieStillsDB, and others I can’t recall.
Trailer & Video Clips
Trailer, video clips, documentaries, and interviews featuring Viggo Mortensen in the 2004 movie Hidalgo.
Movie Posters and Magazine Covers
I love seeing movie posters from different countries. Most of these Hidalgo posters (and one DVD cover) are part of the collection at CineMaterial. They have a LOT more variations. Personal use only; it’s strictly forbidden to reproduce them as printed posters.
We also found two nice horizontal versions of the Hidalgo movie posters. In interviews, Viggo often referred to the style on the left as the “big head” poster, with a bit of embarrassment, and would emphasize the contribution of the other cast members, including of course TJ and the other horses who played Hidalgo.
Film Soundtrack
Hidalgo features an original soundtrack by James Newton Howard.