Music Composed by James Newton Howard
Rating: *** 1/2

The Middle East meets the Old West in James Newton Howard’s Hidalgo - the story of a man, his horse, and a race across the Arabian desert. Based on the real-life story of Frank T. Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) and his mustang Hidalgo, Joe Johnston’s family friendly film is a large piece of cinematic cheese complete with clichés, plot holes and action sequences requiring a large dose of suspension of disbelief.

So, in a certain sense, James Newton Howard has crafted the perfect score for this picture. Howard has expertly grafted the Hollywood standard Western score with the Hollywood standard Arabian score. Think of The Magnificent Seven and Lawrence of Arabia combined into one score. A Mychael Danna score this is not. There’s no period instruments or attempt to write authentic folk music (from either continent). Howard makes no attempt to be authentic as much as the film makes no attempt to accurately depict the real story of Hopkins. On one hand, this approach makes Hidalgo a bit stale. We’ve heard the Western elements better in countless scores such as Howard’s own Wyatt Earp and the Mid-eastern elements in Jarre’s Lawrence of Arabia or Goldsmith’s The Wind and the Lion (both scores being huge influences on Hidalgo). That clichéd Arabian scale gets a work-out in Hidalgo. Hope you like augmented seconds, kids! However, on the other hand, an attempt to write more idiomatic East-meets-West music would’ve possibly resulted in something as aesthetically displeasing (read: unlistenable) as Horner’s The Four Feathers…

James Newton Howard

Regardless of the level of accuracy, Hidalgo is a good effort from Howard. It’s not nearly as good as Wyatt Earp or The Postman, but it definitely doesn’t deserve to be situated with some of Howard’s lesser scores. Two major themes weave their way through the tracks. Most of the Western-y tracks contain the main Hidalgo theme - a soft plaintive and dignified melody often heard in the horns. Conversely, all the Arabian tracks contain a lush, exotic theme heard in the winds/strings. With the Hidalgo theme rarely intruding upon the Arabian theme and vice versa, one definitely gets the impression they are hearing two different James Newton Howard scores on one album. And make no mistake, this is definitely a James Newton Howard score. These themes, chord progressions, and orchestrations are distinctively Howard.

Ultimately, I found the Arabian half of the score more fun than the Western parts, which are at times a bit slow and difficult to wade through. There’s a lot of percussion to be found in the Arabian tracks- with more than a couple really great grooves (although “Morning of the Race” seems a little too closely related to “Captured” from Danny Elfman’s Hulk.) The inclusion of a male vocal soloist in “Montage” is handled quite tastefully - again, not at all like the wailing in The Four Feathers.

There’s plenty of rip-roaring action in cues like “Sandstorm” and my person favorite “The Trap” which will definitely remind one of Goldsmith’s The Wind and the Lion with the heavy drumming and exciting horn outbursts. “The Final Three” is the highlight of the album with both the Western and the Arabian parts coming together for some fantastic action akin to “The Land Race” from Williams’ Far and Away. Even the staunchest critic of this score would be at least a little exhilarated by the orchestral energy on display in this cue. The arrival of the Hidalgo theme at (3:15) with full orchestra is definitely a memorable moment.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the quiet cue that comes between “The Trap” and “The Final Three” called “The Last Push” which nicely breaks the mood of the album with some dark, somber moments of quiet despair with delicate string writing and solo trumpet. Mortensen’s quiet and wooden Hopkins is colored throughout the score with solo trumpet, much in the same way Howard has colored all of Kevin Costner’s quiet and wooden heroes with trumpet.

In the end, Hidalgo is a solid, if unremarkable effort from Howard. There’s nothing in it we haven’t heard in better JNH scores or in better Westerns and desert-themed flicks. But that’s not to say Hidalgo isn’t worth a listen. Fans of Howard’s music will likely enjoy this score more than his last couple of efforts like Peter Pan and Dreamcatcher. This horse may be a little dull, but she gets the job done. (Originally posted April 19, 2004).

Music Composed by James Newton Howard; Conducted by Pete Anthony and Mike Nowak; Orchestrated by Pete Anthony, Jeff Atmajian, Brad Dechter, Jon Kull, and James Newton Howard; Recorded and Mixed by Shawn Murphy; Produced by James Newton Howard and Jim Weidman; Availability: In print; Label (Catalogue): Hollywood Records, (5050467-2749-2-1); Release Date: March 2, 2004

01. Main Title (3′14)
02. Don’t Waste Our Money (2′08)
03. Arriving in The Desert (2′54)
04. Morning of The Race (2′53)
05. The Race Begins (1′58)
06. The Second Half (2′23)
07. Sandstorm (1′53)
08. Frank Pushes On (1′54)
09. Katib (2′18)
10. Montage (6′52)
11. The Trap (3′17)
12. The Last Push (3′08)
13. The Final Three (5′16)
14. Let ‘Er Buck (4′53)

Total Playing Time: 45′38