Disney Movie on Arabian Horse Race Raises Storm

[Wwagsthedog]

JEDDAH, 1 March 2004 — Amidst growing controversy kicked up by an $80-million Hollywood movie due out next week, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has written to Disney’s chairman expressing concern that the movie, “Hidalgo”, negatively stereotypes Muslims and Arabs, and demanding the removal of the “True Story” tag line that is touting the production.

“Hidalgo”, released under Disney’s Touchstone Pictures label, stars Viggo Mortensen and Omar Sharif. The so-called “incredible true story” of a 5,000-km horse race across the Arabian Peninsula shows an American cowboy hero called Frank T. Hopkins pitching up in Aden in 1890 with his American mustang to compete against a hundred Bedouin riders on their Arab steeds. There are no payouts for the winning jockey of the desert horse race called “Ocean of Fire”.

Disney says the movie is based on historical fact, and scriptwriter John Fusco claims to have carefully researched the story. But there is no source that points to the existence of such a race or tells of an American called Hopkins and his horse “Hidalgo” ever placing boots and hooves onto Arabian sand.

Arab News was the first newspaper to question the historical basis of the film in a series of articles last May.

Dr. Awad Al-Badi, director of research at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, is an authority on Western travelers to Arabia and has traveled the world in search of their records. He has little time for imposters.

“The idea of a historic trans-Arabian horse race ever having run is pure nonsense... simply from a technical, logistical, cultural and geopolitical point of view,” Dr. Al-Badi says.

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http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=40361&d=1&m=3&y=2004

[number6]

1. heard it was a made up story.

..

[dobak]

2. I liked it

I had advance tickets and saw it last Thursday and I did not think it portrayed Muslims or Arabs in a negative light.

It portrays the U.S. Army of the late 1800's in a very negative light however. It depicts Wounded Knee as the massacre that it was.

[Snow]

3. Actually there is a source for the story -

but only one: Frank T. Hopkins. Bit of a problem that. Seems old Frank never even actually owned a horse named 'Hidalgo', either. Oh, well.

[napsi]

4. Great Movie

Made up or not....It's a great time at the movies. I'm still trying to figure out this idea of worrying how other people "portray" you. It seems to me I have enough to worry about without dealing with others "ideas" and "views" of my life and my actions.

[Bridget Burke]

5. Over on the IMDB boards,

Somebody has been posting, angrily, for a long time--that the story in "Hidalgo" is NOT TRUE! Not from the Arab standpoint, but a few people are totally bent out of shape that it's apparently based on a tall tale.

Somehow, I don't think that Viggo Mortensen would take a part in a movie that was really racist. It may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but I'll give it a chance.