These films feature Western action in global settings.
My family loves watching movies together. Well, most of us do, and some of us are bummed if the movie doesn’t involve dinosaurs or superheroes. But my husband and I maintain a firm rule: our kids can sit their bottoms down and watch a film of our choice with us, because we once watched the same three animated movies over and over and over with them until “Disney” was a bad word.
Here are three movies the whole family recently enjoyed. They feature horses, ropes and adventure — just the way we like it.
“Hatari!”
It’s a John Wayne movie, so it must be a Western, right? Well…kinda. This 1962 film is basically a cowboy’s dream vacation — snaring rhinos, playing cards and kissing pretty girls. There were no saddle horses, but the jeep had a pretty cool jump seat. Plus, zero mosquitoes were visible in any of the scenes, even though the entire movie was filmed in Tanzania, Africa. They were probably kept at bay from the constant stream of smoke drifting up from the cigarettes that dangled from the fingers and lips of most cast members at all times. If there were an Academy Award for smokiest set, “Hartari!” definitely would have received a nod in addition to its real-life nomination for Best Cinematography in the color category for Russell Harlan’s work.
The movie was filmed without stunt actors or safety nets, which is fitting because “Hatari” means “danger” in Swahili. That explains everything — about the movie, John Wayne, the other actors, cowboys in general and my husband in particular.
“Hondo”
After watching this 1953 film, my ten-year-old son liked to say things like, “Gee, Mama, is that enough firewood?” after filling the wood box and “Gee, Mama, these biscuits sure are good!” I should just change my name to “Gee, Mama.” He thought it was hilarious. I thought it was a good thing that he’s cute.
There are, of course, several issues with the portrayal of Native Americans, just like every other Western from this era. Instead of focusing on that and other things we can’t change, let’s take a minute to admire the skill, athleticism and horsemanship of the Native actors in “Hondo.” They leapt onto the bare backs of their horses in less than a second and rode off at a full gallop, holding weapons high above their heads. Their calf muscles are the envy of every millennial mom diligently putting in her 30 minutes on the stair stepper three times a week.
“Hidalgo”
Technically, this isn’t a cowboy movie because there are no cows, and it’s set in Saudi Arabia. But the main character wears a hat and boots and the crowd chants, “Cowboy! Cowboy! Cowboy!” at him, so it’s a kinda-cowboy movie.
And while this 2004 film starring Viggo Mortensen is an adventure story about an American frontiersman who competes in a 3,000-mile horse race across the Middle Eastern desert, it’s also the ultimate horse lover’s movie. Frank Hopkins believes in his horse more than all the odds stacked against him. His horse, Hidalgo, comes a-running when Frank whistles and is handier than pockets on a pair of chaps when escaping the bad guys or rescuing the girl. Frank values his horse’s life more than winning the prize money and talks to him like a friend. Might want to keep the tissues handy for one key scene near the end.
In addition to celebrating the bond between horse and human, we also need to acknowledge Hidalgo’s remarkable stamina. He has an unmatched ability to stand up from the brink of death and run at breakneck speed for as long as necessary. That paint stallion stayed fat while eating nothing but sand and grasshoppers for weeks. At one point, he looked like he even gained a few pounds. Forget about stopping and sliding; those are the genetics we need to target and reproduce in today’s breeding programs.
What are your favorite kinda-cowboy movies? Drop some titles in the comments — we’re always on the lookout for more family films with a western flair.