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4th Year Anniversary Variant Cover Editions
Another celebration to mention is the end of my second year at TNMC. I have been extremely happy since I moved here. One of the reasons for that is John Shea. TNMC's Editor in chief is one of the nicest guys to work for. It's been a breeze writing for and with him. He's the leader of our very hungry and youthful wolfpack. He's always open for suggestions and ready to help. John is really cool. He's also the only member of this crew who loves hockey. His unabashed adoration for the New York Rangers makes me laugh. No worry, my Canadiens will still kick their ass (Yeah right. - John). Without his generosity and his hard work, I wouldn't be here today writing for you guys. So this variant cover issue goes for the people behind that wonderful guy. Tina and Colin, this one's for you...
Hidalgo script Review
"In 1889, Frank Hopkins, a former US Army dispatch rider, now entertainer with Wild Bill's western show, accepted a challenge to enter his mustang Hidalgo in the Arabian "Ocean of Fire" endurance race. The 3,000 mile race had been run annually for a millenium and never once had it been won by an non-Arabian horse. The script Hidalgo, written by John Fusco (Young Guns, Spirit), tells the tale of Hopkins and his amazing mustang.
This script is labeled as a first draft from April 2001, so it should be assumed that it has been worked on since then and thus the final film could be considerably different from the story described here. Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) will direct with Viggo Mortensen starring. Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, let's sink our teeth into the subject. The script describes Hopkins as a messenger for the Army, with a massive collection of wins in endurance horse racing. The bulk of the story occurs years later when he works as a trick rider in Wild Bill Hickock's western show. It is here that he is challenged by an Arab prince to enter the "Ocean of Fire" race. From there it's on to the Middle East to actually take part in the race. I'll stay out of specifics of the plot for the most part.
I have mixed feelings on this script. On the one hand, Hopkins' performance with Hidalgo in the race is nothing short of astounding and thus should make a fine tale. On the other hand, the actual script leans heavily on the standards of sports movies and thus reduces much of the story to cliche. It felt like the writer wrote out a list of every known sports movie cliche and then proceeded to find a way to use every single one of them. This is unfortunate. A good part of this come from the Hopkins character. He has almost a split personality through the story. At times he's portrayed as one of the last cowboys, a true individual who goes his own way but with a sense of honor to his actions. At other times he's portrayed as a broken man, haunted by his past to the point where he wants to run from the present. When he's the cowboy, Hopkins is one cool character and easy to root for. When he's the broken man, he's tiresome and tended to grate on my nerves. It was hard to accept the extremes, so that when Hopkins is down, the urge exists to slap some sense into the character. I'm sure this was done to give him a character arc but it has the undesired effect of weakening the character.
Since this is a script based on historical events, it is certain to face criticism for inaccuracies. In fact, it took me only a few minutes of research on the topic to find some myself. My attitude with historical films has always been that as long as the movie doesn't horrendously mangle history, I'm not concerned with its accuracy. We shouldn't be looking to the movies for our history lessons. That's what schools and books are for. So I have to say that Hidalgo offends somewhat on the historical aspects. In the script it is never mentioned that Hopkins was a rancher who bred horses. Instead the script portrays him as something of a nomad, roaming the West on Hidalgo and then later touring with him in the East. That's a pretty major alteration. Another one involves the finish of the race. Beware, I've got a big spoiler here, although anyone who has seen more than two sports movies in their life will have already guessed it. In the script, Hopkins and Hidalgo win the race in a pulse pounding finale. In reality, the pair finished days ahead of the competition. Admittedly no one wants to sit around a theater that long waiting for the rest of the pack but it's still a pretty big alteration.
I was particularly appalled by the inclusion of a pseudo-love interest for Hopkins in the Arabian princess Jazira. This character just screams out the influence of political correctness. Not only is she an astoundingly independent Arab woman, decades before American women really asserted themselves, but she is simultaneously encouraged and chastised for this behavior by her father, who despite being a powerful Sheikh is apparently a closet feminist. This character seems an enormous historical inaccuracy and furthermore exists only as a plot device. She is the catalyst in a sub-plot designed to raise Hopkins' respectability to the audience and Sheikh. She also handily gives Hopkins all the tips he needs to survive and compete in the desert. It took little time for me to grow aggravated with this character, who (spoiler coming) doesn't even have the decency to ride off into the sunset with our hero.
On the subject of political correctness, the script is also heavy with sympathy for Native Americans. They are, to a person, portrayed as immensely noble spirits that have been severely wrong by the white man. Yes, the Native Americans got shafted seriously by the arrival of Europeans on this continent. That does not however make them all saints. Feeling guilty for what happened to them is fine, but let's not insult the viewer/reader by elevating them to saintly status.
Before you start to think that I hated this film, I want to emphasize what I did like. The writer does a fabulous job of writing the actual race sequences. These are full of action and do a great job of building Hopkins as a hero. The horse Hidalgo is given tremendous character and spirit that make him stand out as an actual character in the story. Clearly Fusco's strength lies in writing action and visuals, as these elements shine brightly in the script.
One thing is for certain about this script though. Despite being about events over a century ago, it remains highly topical and should work to great effect on American audiences. The theme of an American, riding a supposedly inferior breed against condescending Arabs, should go over huge in this country. It could easily tap into a vein of patriotism already surging in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So there you have it. I predict that this film will be highly successful at the box office while being simultaneously raked over the coals by critics."
(Review submitted by John Shea)
Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
4th Year Anniversary Variant Cover Editions
Another celebration to mention is the end of my second year at TNMC. I have been extremely happy since I moved here. One of the reasons for that is John Shea. TNMC's Editor in chief is one of the nicest guys to work for. It's been a breeze writing for and with him. He's the leader of our very hungry and youthful wolfpack. He's always open for suggestions and ready to help. John is really cool. He's also the only member of this crew who loves hockey. His unabashed adoration for the New York Rangers makes me laugh. No worry, my Canadiens will still kick their ass (Yeah right. - John). Without his generosity and his hard work, I wouldn't be here today writing for you guys. So this variant cover issue goes for the people behind that wonderful guy. Tina and Colin, this one's for you...
Hidalgo script Review
"In 1889, Frank Hopkins, a former US Army dispatch rider, now entertainer with Wild Bill's western show, accepted a challenge to enter his mustang Hidalgo in the Arabian "Ocean of Fire" endurance race. The 3,000 mile race had been run annually for a millenium and never once had it been won by an non-Arabian horse. The script Hidalgo, written by John Fusco (Young Guns, Spirit), tells the tale of Hopkins and his amazing mustang.
This script is labeled as a first draft from April 2001, so it should be assumed that it has been worked on since then and thus the final film could be considerably different from the story described here. Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) will direct with Viggo Mortensen starring. Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, let's sink our teeth into the subject. The script describes Hopkins as a messenger for the Army, with a massive collection of wins in endurance horse racing. The bulk of the story occurs years later when he works as a trick rider in Wild Bill Hickock's western show. It is here that he is challenged by an Arab prince to enter the "Ocean of Fire" race. From there it's on to the Middle East to actually take part in the race. I'll stay out of specifics of the plot for the most part.
I have mixed feelings on this script. On the one hand, Hopkins' performance with Hidalgo in the race is nothing short of astounding and thus should make a fine tale. On the other hand, the actual script leans heavily on the standards of sports movies and thus reduces much of the story to cliche. It felt like the writer wrote out a list of every known sports movie cliche and then proceeded to find a way to use every single one of them. This is unfortunate. A good part of this come from the Hopkins character. He has almost a split personality through the story. At times he's portrayed as one of the last cowboys, a true individual who goes his own way but with a sense of honor to his actions. At other times he's portrayed as a broken man, haunted by his past to the point where he wants to run from the present. When he's the cowboy, Hopkins is one cool character and easy to root for. When he's the broken man, he's tiresome and tended to grate on my nerves. It was hard to accept the extremes, so that when Hopkins is down, the urge exists to slap some sense into the character. I'm sure this was done to give him a character arc but it has the undesired effect of weakening the character.
Since this is a script based on historical events, it is certain to face criticism for inaccuracies. In fact, it took me only a few minutes of research on the topic to find some myself. My attitude with historical films has always been that as long as the movie doesn't horrendously mangle history, I'm not concerned with its accuracy. We shouldn't be looking to the movies for our history lessons. That's what schools and books are for. So I have to say that Hidalgo offends somewhat on the historical aspects. In the script it is never mentioned that Hopkins was a rancher who bred horses. Instead the script portrays him as something of a nomad, roaming the West on Hidalgo and then later touring with him in the East. That's a pretty major alteration. Another one involves the finish of the race. Beware, I've got a big spoiler here, although anyone who has seen more than two sports movies in their life will have already guessed it. In the script, Hopkins and Hidalgo win the race in a pulse pounding finale. In reality, the pair finished days ahead of the competition. Admittedly no one wants to sit around a theater that long waiting for the rest of the pack but it's still a pretty big alteration.
I was particularly appalled by the inclusion of a pseudo-love interest for Hopkins in the Arabian princess Jazira. This character just screams out the influence of political correctness. Not only is she an astoundingly independent Arab woman, decades before American women really asserted themselves, but she is simultaneously encouraged and chastised for this behavior by her father, who despite being a powerful Sheikh is apparently a closet feminist. This character seems an enormous historical inaccuracy and furthermore exists only as a plot device. She is the catalyst in a sub-plot designed to raise Hopkins' respectability to the audience and Sheikh. She also handily gives Hopkins all the tips he needs to survive and compete in the desert. It took little time for me to grow aggravated with this character, who (spoiler coming) doesn't even have the decency to ride off into the sunset with our hero.
On the subject of political correctness, the script is also heavy with sympathy for Native Americans. They are, to a person, portrayed as immensely noble spirits that have been severely wrong by the white man. Yes, the Native Americans got shafted seriously by the arrival of Europeans on this continent. That does not however make them all saints. Feeling guilty for what happened to them is fine, but let's not insult the viewer/reader by elevating them to saintly status.
Before you start to think that I hated this film, I want to emphasize what I did like. The writer does a fabulous job of writing the actual race sequences. These are full of action and do a great job of building Hopkins as a hero. The horse Hidalgo is given tremendous character and spirit that make him stand out as an actual character in the story. Clearly Fusco's strength lies in writing action and visuals, as these elements shine brightly in the script.
One thing is for certain about this script though. Despite being about events over a century ago, it remains highly topical and should work to great effect on American audiences. The theme of an American, riding a supposedly inferior breed against condescending Arabs, should go over huge in this country. It could easily tap into a vein of patriotism already surging in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. So there you have it. I predict that this film will be highly successful at the box office while being simultaneously raked over the coals by critics."
(Review submitted by John Shea)
Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
