Wolf's Howl Newsletter April 2004 
HIDALGO - Moview Review - Howdy, fans of the Western!
Hidalgo... Take a trip with me back to the 1940's and '50's. The local movie theater was showing films for what--a dime? A quarter? And you could stay and watch all day. What were the most-watched movies? Well, Westerns, of course!
Those thrilling days of "yesteryear" returned to theaters recently with the release of Hidalgo. The dime or quarter admission, unfortunately, did not accompany this return, but I would go back and drop my six dollars once again to see a film the likes of Hidalgo.
Hidalgo is literally the same caliber of movie that drew so many children to the theater in the '40's and '50's. Sure, we've grown up since then, and you never saw The Lone Ranger or Hopalong Cassidy suffering alcoholism because of the terrible things in their past. But just like in those old Westerns, we were treated to a spectacular tale of a man and his horse, and an incredible race against time, the elements, and enough bad guys to fill the devil's Dutch oven. There was a touch of romance in Hidalgo, but for all intents and purposes, this was a love story about a man and his horse.
Now, in this day and age I'd better clarify that a touch. Don't drop this review like a hot match thinking I'm bragging up some bizarre, kinky film about bestiality. No, I don't remember the lead character in the movie, Frank T. Hopkins, even once KISSING his horse. But the love is there, all the same, and for good reason. This horse, a red and white overo mustang, is spectacular. Not only can he run like the wind, but he can keep it up forever, as well as surviving on cactus and sand, and being smarter than a whole den full of foxes. Yeah, and he's pretty, to boot!
Speaking of pretty, there are two women in the film as well. One of them is the conniving rich woman who thinks she can obtain anything she desires through her wealth. No more satisfying moment has been seen in film than when our hero, Hopkins, turns casually from this temptress and walks from the room without lowering himself to offer her so much as a kiss. The other woman is an Arab, and she is tough. But she is also sweet and somewhat innocent, and once they are alone in the desert she even allows the "infidel," Hopkins, to lower her veil and see her face. That, for this movie, is as sexual as the romance gets. Is that a breath of fresh air, or what? Not only did they NOT show things that might better have been left to the imagination, but nothing even happened off screen! I mean, Frank T. Hopkins was virtuous! In fact, the only explicit part of THIS movie was the trailers they showed before the movie started!
Back to our story. Hidalgo is purported to be based on part of the life of Frank T. Hopkins. You can take that for what it's worth. You will see a lot of elements in Hidalgo of the Raiders of the Lost Ark movies. If you want to believe that is truth, then more power to you. Enjoy the movie. I, for one, choose to believe that while there probably really was a Frank T. Hopkins, it's doubtful that much of this movie came from his real life.
Yet even having said this, and in spite of what you all know about me, that I'm generally a stickler for authenticity, this movie was such a refreshing adventure that I would have forgiven a lot more of the "far-out." There are many moments when it is doubtful if Hopkins would truly have survived, and his gunmanship leaves a lot to be desired, like most Hollywood fare, but who cares? When the movie has you on the edge of your seat like this one did, when you're cheering on this incredible horse in the race of a lifetime, laughing at the humor and crying for joy at the ending, who really cares how realistic it is? No one ever worried about that in Lord of the Rings, and look what a great trilogy that turned out to be.
A huge plus to this movie, regardless of anything else, is the incredible horsemanship of the star, Viggo Mortenson. I don't know where this guy learned to ride, but he is a master at it, and that alone was worth the price of the film. I had a hard time telling where he left off and the stuntmen took over. An added bonus is the great acting of Omar Sharif, and the great reconciliation between him and Hopkins at the end of the movie.
My honest evaluation of Hidalgo is that even though it took place in Africa, not in our beloved American frontier, it is one of the best, most entertaining Westerns to come down the pike in quite some time. And hey--after all, depending on where you're standing, Africa IS the West!
Review of Hidalgo, continued...
Howdy everyone,
I got a surprising letter the other day after sending out my review on Hidalgo. It was from John Fusco. I don't know how closely you pay attention to things like the screenwriter's name on films, but John Fusco is THE man responsible for the movie Hidalgo. Not to mention Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron, one of my all-time favorite animated films. Okay, now that's just the beginning. He is also the writer, and I believe the producer, of two of my other favorite Westerns, and in my opinion two of the best depictions of Billy the Kid, the two Young Guns films, the second of which Viggo Mortenson, of Hidalgo, had a minor part in as John Poe. Fusco's credits are thus, to name a few: Thunderheart, The Rebels, Dream Keeper, Loch Ness, The Babe, Crossroads. To my knowledge he has also produced seven films or so, some of them the films listed the above.
What I'm saying is John Fusco is a highly successful and well known writer and producer in Hollywood who has consistently turned out great material, and here he was writing to me! Yes, it was a bit of a thrill. I immediately began studying Fusco's career more carefully, reading up especially on Hidalgo and Young Guns, and a whole new world opened up for me. So I wanted to add an addendum, as it were, to my previous review of Hidalgo, of which I did, by the way, send Fusco a copy.
Folks, the amount of research Fusco did for Hidalgo is impressive. Where the facts were available, he ferreted them out, only filling in the blanks when he had to for the story. By the time I was done reading about the making of Hidalgo I was even more impressed with the film. I only wish I had read one particular interview with Fusco on www.readthewest.com before posting my review. There has been a LOT of controversy over this film since long before it came out, but all I can say is, watch it and judge for yourself. Blanks have been filled in all throughout history, but I have to say that, given what he had, John Fusco was very true to his subject.
This is a man who not only cares about making a great film, but he cares about doing good, solid research, which was one reason he was happy to have Viggo Mortenson star in Hidalgo. Viggo is one of those rare actors who really likes to get into his part and know his character and his character's surroundings the best that he can before filming begins. I knew I liked this guy!
Anyway, once again I am highly recommending Hidalgo, especially on the big screen, and I thought you might like these additional facts. Interestingly, I am told Viggo Mortenson fell in love with the main horse used for Hidalgo to the point that when filming completed he bought him. Hey, can you blame the guy? You'll see what I mean when you watch the movie. Catch it soon--who knows how much longer it will be in theaters?
Kirby Jonas
April 6, 2004- Jesus’s Birthday?
- Don’t ask me to back this up—I wasn’t there—but I’ve been told that April 6 is the actual date of Jesus Christ’s birth. That doesn’t have any significance to this newsletter except that I hope we all remember him, particularly at this time of year that he gave his life for us and then took it back up again. Perhaps as readers, watchers and fans of the Western genre, be it literature, film or real life, we are all a little closer to the teachings of Jesus than is the majority of the modern world. At least that is my hope. Even if we don’t have the courage or the stomach to go see Mel Gibson’s heart-wrenching The Passion of the Christ, I hope we will all remember what he did for us so that we might make it through this crazy world virtually unscathed.
- I apologize to those of you who aren’t religious for taking up this piece of your time, but as a firm believer, and as an author and artist who now enjoys the kinship of friends and fans all over the world, I could not look at my face in the mirror if I were to hide my faith in Jesus and not give him at least these few words of praise. Thank you.
- Festival of the West
- As you know from my last newsletter, I’ve recently returned from Scottsdale, Arizona, where we attended the annual "Festival of the West," at Westworld. In spite of record high temperatures, breaking highs recorded in 1925, the festival was a smashing success. I had a chance to reacquaint with friends and heroes such as Buck Taylor (Newly O’Brien, of Gunsmoke), Dennis Weaver, Robert Fuller, Alex Cord, Peter Brown, Mike Moroff and Whitey Hughes. I also got the chance to meet a hero of mine from a different era, Jameson Parker, who played A.J. Simon on the hit television series Simon and Simon. And of course I had the spine-tingling chance to see the incomparable Jack Palance receive the prestigious Cowboy Spirit Award for lifetime contribution to the Western genre. Robert Fuller also received that award, and I will never forget the touching introduction given to him by his best friend, Alex Cord. Alex turned out to not only be a good actor but a pretty funny comedian, and he had no qualms about sharing his love and respect for his friend.
- But, most important of all, I spent many enjoyable hours sitting with my friend and partner, Clint Walker, and signing our book, Yaqui Gold.
- The festival started out already unseasonably warm, with temperatures climbing. Once accustomed to this, when I lived in Mesa while writing my first two books, it was definitely a shock to the system coming from temperatures in the 50’s in Idaho. Of course, during the festival Idaho was up in the 70’s, so true to form I once again went away to the land of the sun during the best weather Idaho had to offer. Oh well. I’ve come to consider that as my contribution every March to the friends I leave behind at home. Nice weather!
- In spite of a place at the Western Writers of America booth, I did very little to enrich my own pocketbook at the festival. Fact is, I sold only one book. But I was able to watch Clint sign a couple of cases, along with countless photos. To see such a humble man bask in the love that was heaped on him by his fans was truly a treasure for me. I would be happy to stay by his side every day of the festival if he asked me.
- Clint gave away more than his share of books to other actors, which led to the humbling experience of getting to hear their comments. Peter Brown and Dennis Weaver’s wife, in particular, had such high praise for it that it practically melted my heart. And Buck Taylor’s wife, Goldie, was ready to defend her copy with her life. Clint and I have heard nothing but good about the book, in fact. What a great experience it’s been to listen to people like James Drury and Jeff Hildebrandt, managing producer of the Encore Westerns Channel, as they help spread the word about our book. By the way, if you plan to order your copy from me I only have 100 left, so you’ll need to order soon. They are still 16.95 or 27.95 for an autographed copy.
- I got to meet people I’ve known for some time through email, and that was a true pleasure. Alan Rockman, Tony Gill, and an old friend, Jack SanFelice, who took a chance and bought my first book, way back in 1994.
- Above and beyond all of this, I’d like to send my undying gratitude out to my friend Dave Lundy, who was there beside us at the Festival and without whose friendship the world would be a much sadder place. And to Debbie Lundy—we missed you!
- My Newest Book
- Perhaps the sub-title for this section should be "OUR newest book." On April second I finished my last two chapters of what I think will become one of my most successful books yet, Disciples of the Wind. For those of you who have followed my career, this is the book my brother Jamie and I began five and a half years ago about, of all things—two brothers! The brothers are Jake and Jason West, two wandering gamblers who can’t seem to settle down and who meet for one violent moment on opposite sides of the fence in a range war in northern Nevada in 1878. Jake, the older brother, is a happy-go-lucky sort who talks sort of like a hick (not unlike me!), not because of lack of education but because he chooses the easy way in life. Jason, a former newspaper reporter, is more elegant in his speech (not unlike Jamie!). These two patterns significantly set apart the chapters of the book, which are all written in the first person, with the brothers trading off on telling their story. Ironically, while I am the younger brother by two years, my character is Jake, the older.
- There have been rocks in the road, so to speak, during the writing of this very large book, but it has been, overall, one of the most enjoyable experiences of my career. It signified a rebirth of the enjoyment Jamie and I gleaned from hours of playing "cowboys" in our childhood. To enhance this feeling, the two main characters, along with their nemesis, were characters we invented as children, now brought back to stunning "real life." I hope you will enjoy this fine book as much as we enjoyed writing it. Incidentally, Disciples of the Wind will very likely end up as a two part novel, due to its great length.
- Toy Horses Come to Life
- It feels funny mixing my Marx Toys interest with my novel writing interest, but here I go anyway. I have recently finished a new crop of custom horses, sixteen of them to be exact. For those of you who are interested in Marx toys, you might drop me a line to make sure I don’t leave you out when I finally get these photos downloaded off my digital camera and sent out for you to see. I’ve also completed several in a new line of painted custom figures.
- So, until we meet again, I wish you all the best that life can offer and a great big helping of success. Don't forget, if you love someone, tell them. You may not be around tomorrow, in spite of all your best intentions. See you down the trail!
- Kirby Jonas