Lonesome Dove (DVD, 2002)

I am a fan of Lonesome Dove, the book. I think that McMurtry is most insightful. I have read about 6 of his novels and each one was a treat. Having only seen the TV saga on a primative 19" Trinitron about 18 years ago, I was wanting to relive the fantasy on my 61" wide screen DLP.

However, technology has changed. I have changed and Lonesome Dove is frozen in time as a small minded, small budget commercial made for TV mini-series. Fun to watch then. Silly now. It has delightful actors, but a good cast can't make up totally for bad writing. They did help make 6 hours go by a little faster. Read the book again instead of investing the time in this weak production. If you're too tempted like I was, at least make sure the fast foward button is in working order.

I agree Jones and Duvall are excellent actors and some of that is on display here, but most of what I saw was hammed up for some cheap thrills instead of being true to the thoughtful McMurtry story. Instead of going inside the souls of the protagonists(like the Coen Brothers did with Jones in No Country) we are subjected to repetitive cartoonish caracatures and shallow caracters. How many times can Gus say "poke", "pigs" or "philosophy"? And so it goes. McCall says "whores" like a fundamentalist preacher. Jake says "you boys" whether he's greeting old friends or getting hung by them. The first few times are colorful. The last dozen or so are like a whipping. You have to use both hands to count the number of times "man burner and horse theef" Suggs and his brothers refer to the unlucky farmers as "damn sod busters" during a four minute stretch.

Then I also couldn't overlook the amatuerish special effects glossed over on a little screen, but glaringly inept on a big wide one. There's that out of place and scale animation of hovering buzzards floating over the murdered horse traders like something out of a Disney film with singing animals. And, of course, the dust storm on the Texas horizon looks more like Saturday morning fare than prime time viewing.

Then each new story line begins to revert back to the same old song, just the next verse. Gus bathes in various states of undress in nearly every body of water along the cattle drive while wooing the leading lady and fighting savage "halfbreeds". And Clara's ranch house, alone on the prairie, is so reminiscent of the "Giant" set that I was expecting James Dean to drive up at some point with the endless procession of wanderers, alive and dead, assembling periodically near the front yard like lost puppies. McCall comes flying out of nowhere on "hell bitch" to a violent stop before stopping a scuffle or starting one when he's not just sitting alone on the saddle staring off into space. But, the worst deja vu scenes by far are the numerous and pointless close up head shots of the non-speaking cowboy caracters as they press on across the "badlands", crossing any of the countless rivers or passing on the last drink of muddy water only to let the weaselly piano player slop it down. It's all fluff and little substance.

I could easily edit out 3 hours of this wandering story without losing a thing. There are plenty of good supporting actors like everyman Chris Cooper, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, Steve Buchemi, Bob Urich, the lovely Diane Lane and Barry Corbin. There's a bounty of rich material supplied by McMurtry with a wonderfully human story to tell. So what caused this disappointment to be made?

This is the best Western ever made. It has it all--great plot, great characters, beautiful scenery, and a great list of actors. You will fall in love with Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones), a former Texas ranger with no personality and now a cattle drive boss; and Augustus Mc Rae (Robert Duvall), his best friend, partner, and also a former Texas ranger with lots of personality. Together the two run the Lonesome Dove Ranch in Texas until Woodrow gets itchy to set up a ranch in Montana. The cattle drive is the main thrust of the 6-1/2 hour mini-series on this dvd (It ran 8 hours when it debuted on CBS.),but there are so many other subplots worth mentioning that it is unbelievable. Chris Cooper is memorable as Fort Smith sheriff, July Johnson, who is abandoned by his wife but finds happiness in Nebraska after his search for the wife is exhausted. Diane Lane is the prostitute, Lori, who wants to go to San Francisco but ends up compromising on the same Nebraska ranch. Jake Spoon (Robert Urich) is also a former Texas ranger but ends up with the wrong crowd. Clara (Angelica Huston) is Augustus' long, lost love who is taking care of a disabled husband and owns the Nebraska ranch in Ogalala, where the plot ends up. And please take note of Newt (Rick Schroder), the grown up little boy from the movie, "The Champ," who becomes a major character in the movie if we could just figure out who his father is.

These characters and more blend into this fantastic movie along with water mocassins, terribly brutal Indians, tough gamblers, cattle rustlers, scoundrels, unfaithful wives, hillbillies, Mexicans cooking food, lots of cattle and buffalo, and a horse round-up. If you like Western action, this is the movie for you. You will not want to leave the 6-1/2 hour DVD. Thank God for the pause button.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry is the best book or movie I have ever read or seen. I loved the book and I loved the movie. If you like the wild west this is the book for you. Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call, two former Texas Rangers and co-owners of the Hat Creek Cattle Company, are taking care of business in their small town of Lonesome Dove, Texas, when they receive a visit from friend and former Ranger, Jake Spoon. Jake has been north to the far off land of Montana and has returned telling very appealing tales of the beauty of this vast and as yet scarcely populated region. Gus and Call decide they will load up their crew and attempt to be the first ever to drive a herd of cattle to the area. It proves to be a daunting and very dangerous endeavor and along the way they will face incredible hardships: unrelenting heat, Indians, rushing rivers, snakes, violent storms, and grasshoppers as well as the unexpected and devastating deaths of some of the members of their crew. Overall this is the story of the unique relationship between Augustus and Woodrow, who in many aspects are two very different men but nonetheless close and abiding friends. There are some truly marvelous and colorful characters in the book as well as a great deal of humor. Gus is quite a character and you will find yourself frequently laughing out loud at some of his witty comments and philosophical offerings which are so in contrast to Call's more reticent ways. Look for one especially hilarious five page description of the sign that Gus makes to advertise the Hat Creek Cattle Company, its crew and services. It is wildly funny!

This is One of my all-time favorites!! The Movie centers around 3 ex-Texas Rangers and their side-kicks, as they leave Lonesome Dove, a dusty old Texas town that lies on the border with Mexico. At the behest of Jake Spoon, one of the three ex rangers, Captain Woodrow F Call and Captain Augustus McCrea, the other 2 Ex Rangers, followed by their side kicks, ride into Mexico and steal cattle and horses and begin a 2,500 mile drive to Montana. The local prostitute, Lori, played by Diane Lane, persuades Jake Spoon to take her on the Drive, with the Promise that he would take her to California. Along the drive, various sub plots pop up, leaving the movie watcher laughing one minute and crying the next. It is a race to see who will make it to Montana, and who will be left out of those who start the trip to build a Ranch in the beautiful and yet dangerous Mountains of Montana. Rated A plus

The Lonesome Dove Saga is a classic that cannot be beat. Also, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall cannot be beat. They have excellent humor, and it is very interesting to watch their unique relationship as former Texas Rangers trying to make a living being cowboys. All the actors are phenomenol! This is the most real to life cattle drive I have ever seen on the silver screen. This set is packed full of tough cowboy action with some tender touches. Truly worth it's weight in gold, all 6 hours of watching. A must for all you western fans!!