DVD Review: Hidalgo

08/04/04

Hidalgo is a movie with a wonderful identity crisis. Is it an action-adventure movie in the same vein as Indiana Jones? Is it a grown-up coming-of-age story in the same vein as Big Fish? Or is it a preservation-evangelizing film a la Dances with Wolves? Where many movies would struggle to decide between these options, Hidalgo does a wonderful job balancing all three, and it throws in some artistic editing and gorgeous cinematography for god measure. Hidalgo, based on the true story of Frank Hopkins, tells the story of a ?mixed blood? who faces an insurmountable obstacle but finally comes through after an unwitting return to his roots. In the case of the rider, Hopkins, the return is a rediscovered comfort in his Native American heritage. In the case of the horse, Hidalgo, the return is his ?rediscovered? pedigree as a never-say-die Mustang from the American frontier. During the two co-stars? 3,000-mile endurance race across the Arabian peninsula, the story takes some comic, action-filled and surprisingly unpredictable turns, but the director, screenwriter and actors do an effective job ensuring that the story never gets too sappy or static, both of which are risks that many a lesser film with a similar plot has taken and failed. Having seen the movie for the first time in the theater, I was interested to see how the bonus features included on the DVD, which was released yesterday, expanded on one of the most exhilarating films of Spring. The big-picture version attempted to fill-in the blanks with a brief narrative at the end, but it created more questions about Frank Hopkins and Hidalgo than it ever answered. As a result, I hoped the DVD would answer many of those questions in the form of documentary-like materials and explanations. Well, one out of two ain?t bad. The first feature, ?Sand & Celluloid,? provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, but don?t expect a Lord of the Rigs-like tome of a featurette. ?Sand & Celluloid? is surprisingly brief. Various members of the production team discuss elements such as scouting locations in Morocco, building expansive mud sets in the traditional Bedouin manner and creating locust props for Viggo Mortenson?s run-in with the winged won-ton fillers. Clocking in at little more than five minutes, though, the featurette feels almost like an afterthought. The second featurette, ?America?s First Horse,? compensates for this feeling entirely, as its 15-minute presentation provides a PBS-quality documentary on the history of the Spanish Mustang in America and the ongoing efforts to preserve the animals. It also discusses the aspects of the Mustang breed that made horses like Hidalgo so dominant for generations, shedding some subtle light on the characteristics that drove Hidalgo to success in the desert. It?s impossible to comprehend, though, why ?America?s First Horse? is only accessible via a PC with a DVD drive. The featurette, presented in QuickTime format, has in many respects a higher production value than ?Sand & Celluloid,? and its length is much more appropriate for a bonus feature that accompanies a movie of this magnitude. Whether it was a software tie-in deal or a measure to trim DVD production costs, making ?America?s First Horse? a PC-only featurette is a disservice both to the outstanding film and to the DVD renters and owners who would benefit from this informative documentary but don?t have a DVD-enabled computer. The Dolby Digital, DTS and THX support are well-used in Hidalgo, and the widescreen support captures the feel and presentation of the film perfectly. But those post-production touches are almost wasted on the bonus features, with the best of the two only presented in a compressed QuickTime format for PC. The movie itself, though, is as amazing as it was on the big screen, and there are several sequences where audiophiles will revel in the quality of the surround-sound effects. When it comes to presentation, it?s hard to top this film on DVD. If you?re one of those DVD owners who crave a multitude of bonus material, you?ll be let down by the brevity of Hidalgo?s bonuses, and even more so if you don?t have a DVD-enabled PC with which to watch the longer of the two documentaries. But, if you?re one of those DVD owners who just likes good entertainment, a good story and good old-fashioned action, Hidalgo is worth every cent. -- Jonas Allen
Send News to N4G | |