Lonesome Dove

As a boy, I never liked western films. My father loved them all, all the John Wayne classics, the Spaghetti Westerns, the whole lot.

I despised them all. They were all the same. Same plot. Same rotten cinematography. Same unbelievable characters. Couldn't understand the attraction.

Then I saw Lonesome Dove. This film (actually a mini-series) is an absolute masterpiece.

It starts with the cinematography and locations. It was not your stereotypical Utah-canyon photography, it was the great plains, the Texas deserts, the wide rivers, the mesquite groves. Not marvelous vistas, but simple, real, gritty scenery. You can taste the dust of the panhandle and smell the Kansas plains.

Then there's the action. There's lots of it. Flooding rivers, driving rains, realistic fights, thundering cattle drives, horrible scenes of rape and torture (just under TV censor radar), plenty of death and sadness. All of it believable. All of it heart-tugging. All of it amazing.

But above all of these great features are the characters and the writing. Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call have become two icons of pop culture, polar opposites who work well together and, in the end, are incomplete without one another. The supporting cast as well is fabulous, well written, patently interesting, and tremendously played. Even the evil characters are fascinating.

This is what television and film should be. It is very, very rare for anything of this quality to ever appear on the small screen, and with today's "reality TV" craze, it is even rarer still.

Buy the DVD set. You won't be disappointed. 10 out of 10.

Barky

The Lonesome Dove mini-series contains every core element of a classic story of the mythic Old West: romance, tragedy, courageous and independent yet very human heroes, vicious yet believable villains, plenty of action, and the overall grit and determination of frontier life. These elements are all woven into an enthralling story centered on an epic journey across the American frontier--a cattle drive from Texas to Montana undertaken shortly after the Custer massacre. The movie is extremely faithful (in plot, dialogue, and characterizations) to the excellent novel by Larry McMurtry, and especially benefits from McMurtry's genius at narrative and story construction. What makes the film even better are the truly exceptional performances by the first rate cast, that includes Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Ulrich, and Anjelica Huston, and the great musical score, which won a well-deserved Emmy. This is the kind of film about the Old West that only comes along once in a blue moon, and lovers of Old West stories and movies (as well as real-life cowboys) watch it over and over. In my view, it ranks above even the classics of Western film, including Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, and Shane--and I love all of those films. Even though it is over six hours long, and technically a TV mini-series, it should be considered a great film.

I usually shun mini-series. Sooo long, sooo boring. Lonesome Dove is anything but. It's one of the most realistic, best character driven films ever made. Everyone is good, even Ricky (sorry, RICK) Schroeder, but Robert Duval is AMAZING. His Augustus McCrae is so perfect, that one would swear that Robert Duval is that character! He makes this film for me and I was really happy to hear that it was Duval's favorite character out of his long, excellent career. Lonesome Dove, which is so brilliant, should be on the list of anyone who likes westerns, and anyone who likes good filmmaking in general!

Lonesome Dove tells the story of friendship, love, tragedy, life, change, the frontier, the passing of generations.

Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call are retired Texan Rangers, holed up in the small, dusty south Texas town of Lonesome Dove, a town with less going on than the nearby Rio Grande. Some prodding by a former partner gets them off their front porch and up in the saddle again, guiding a herd of cattle and of horses, a passle of men, a boy, and a lady of the night. They off and go to Montana, along the way meeting death, life, former loves and new loves, and witnessing the closing of the American frontier.

This film is six hours long, if you think of things that way, but really, it's far too short. You want to stop the film and get on your own horse to ride along with Gus and Woodrow. Yeah, it would be tough, but you know that Gus and Woodrow would be faithful friend who'd have the gumption to tell you the truth, even if it hurt a bit or a lot.

You'd miss a lot if you think of this film as simply a `show' or even entertainment. It captures your imagination, and helps you see what life was like 120 years ago - in some cases nasty, brutish, and short, but in other cases full of love, wonder, tenderness, compassion, and hope. The film doesn't dwell on the gore, but it doesn't hide it. Life on the frontier was tough, wearing on the body and mind, and relentlessly unforgiving of the weak, mistaken, and mislead. You -died- on the frontier, and death wasn't always easy. But along the way you live in breathtaking beauty. You get to see the world your hands make - you build your life from the dirt on the ground and the trees on the hill.

Gus and Woodrow ARE Texas Rangers, two men as different from each other as can be. Gus enjoys life, and seeks to chase buffalo just for the fun of it. Woodrow sees life as something to fight, to prepare for its certain triumph, but still manages to be a loyal, faithful, and loving friend. They interact with each other and the grand sweep of people along the way to Montana.

As far as performances, Robert Duvall is an American treasure. I've seen him in many movies, but never knew he was Augustus McCrae until I watched this show. There are just some roles that are designed to fit a particular character. Tommy Lee Jones is cryptic, laconic, guarded, and yet completely tender. You believe he believes he's tough, and you know he knows he's not. Ricky Schroeder plays Newt, Woodrow's unacknowledged son. Diana Lane is Lorena, the 'lady of the night,' and does a good job with her limited role. Anjelica Huston is fine - but of the main players, she's the one I had the least empathy with, mostly because in her other roles she plays someone with a darker and richer voice - in this show she is a tight-voiced soprano with a twang. Had I not seen her in shows, I think I would have believed her better. Chris Cooper plays the dithering sheriff who grows up a bit through the film; his wife, played by Glenne Headley, is very guarded in whom she loves, and it's not Chris Cooper. Robert Urich is Jake, the former saddle-mate of Gus and Woodrow, and Danny Glover is Deets, another partner.

Sure, it's a sad film in some ways. Some major players die, and some other players do not rise to the level of their situation. You want to reach in and simply -shake- some of the characters. But they reflect more closely what real people are like, and not so much what people are like when forced to play along with a happy ending.

But even with its sadness, it's a film full of life. Gus McCrae simply enjoys- every bit of what he goes through.

Get the DVD so you can appreciate the backstory.

In my opinion, this is the best motion picture of all time! While it's a mini-series, I believe it matches up favorably (and surpasses) the best movies...Shawshank Redemption, Seven Samurai, Star Wars, Citizen Kane, and so on. The story, sets, acting, character development, music,....all amazing.

The production is as if you were plopped on a horse in the middle of a cattle drive in the old American West. Every detail was as if it was 1880...including dialogue, character depth...and the utter chaos and randomness of life.

While there are a couple special effects that might have been a little better, this work of art adds to life. When you have a block of time, watch it.