Prescreening of Hidalgo
The Hidalgo Preview!
I am not going to go into specifics about the movie, as I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. This will be more about my feelings and reactions to the movie than anything else.
The great thing about premier preview thingies, is that you don't have to sit through all the stupid commercials and previews that are shown at regular movies! There was one preview for a new Disney movie/cartoon coming out. It looked stupid at first, but I have to admit, most of us were laughing by the end of it.
But I am digressing and that won't keep this part of the report short.
The movie was fabulous. I have to admit that I didn't know much about the story or the movie at all before I went. I just new that it was about a man, who was of mixed heritage, raced a mustang, Hidalgo, and was invited to the Middle East to race in a big race and that it was somewhat based on a true story. Pretty much only what you get from the trailers.
***** This next paragraph does contain story spoiler … you have been warned …
SPOILER!!
*****
I was not prepared for the beginning part of the movie, which I found very difficult to watch and sit through. Note that it was NOT because it wasn't good. I t was very good and actually for a Disney movie, pretty close to historically accurate. But I was just not prepared for seeing what occurred at Wounded Knee, South Dakota in December of 1890 on film. Its one thing to read, research, hear about, listen to stories, etc. Its another thing to see it portrayed somewhat accurately for really the first time on film. It was horribly gut wrenching, deeply moving, and heart wrenching, and I was left an emotional wreck about 15 minutes into the movie.
*****
End spoiler
*****
The riding, as I have stated before, was magnificent, absolutely beautiful. It was obvious that Viggo and Hidalgo were as one and it was a work of art seeing the two of them move together. The race itself was heart pounding and I found that I was holding my breath at several different places, especially at the end.
Besides being exciting and emotional it's also a thought-provoking piece, dealing with many different issues. One of the central ones is accepting yourself for who you are. There were several times where I found myself identifying with Viggo's character and felt like he was speaking directly to me.
Not to leave the rest of the cast out, the performances given by everyone were very well done. I thought that it had been cast well and that they all gave strong performances.
It was a really wonderful film, with gorgeous locales, fabulous performances, exciting and literally heart-pounding action with the race, and stunning riding.
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