But Hyde is best known as a conservationist and fierce protector of wildlife, especially horses, as director Suzanne Mitchell chronicles in her documentary "Running Wild: The Life of Dayton O. Hyde." Since 1988, Hyde has operated the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary in South Dakota, a place where hundreds of mustangs can roam free over 12,000 acres rather than being rounded up.
Having grown up with animals, Hyde was heartbroken by the cruel treatment he witnessed as helicopters swarmed overheard to scoop up these majestic creatures and stick them in holding pens. Finding a home for wild horses and fighting for it has taken a toll on him, personally and financially, but it’s clearly his great passion.
The phrase "Renaissance man" gets tossed around a lot but in Hyde’s case, it really is true. He’s a fascinating guy, a romantic throwback to a lost time, modest and rambling in his lanky, 6-foot-5 frame.
Mitchell’s documentary is modest and rambling, too—perhaps too much so. Her film, which has been more than a decade in the making, features some lovely imagery of both awe-inspiring natural sprawl and moving intimate moments. Her account of the birth of a calf is especially beautiful and riveting.
But her pacing can be painfully languid, to the point of being nap-inducing. And having Hyde and members of his family read long passages from his books in voiceover—much of which comes in the form of a garbled drone—certainly doesn’t liven things up.
"Running Wild" also grows a bit repetitive, with Mitchell showing the same photos or footage several times, or Hyde musing on the same theme several times in slightly different ways. Volunteers and visitors at the sanctuary rhapsodize about what a magical place it is, something that should be obvious without telling us over and over again.
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