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Lonesome Dove | Year: 1989 Directed: - Simon Wincer Actors/Actresses: - Robert Duvall - Tommy Lee Jones - Danny Glover One of the best things ever done for television. Although the phrase "made for television" conjures up the images of the tabloid story of the week and women-in-peril films; Larry McMurtry's epic novel "Lonesome Dove" would not have been given justice in any other format. Television allowed that magnificent work to be brought to life in some form resembling the novel. The six hour running time enabled character and storyline development that would not have been possible if the novel had been adapted for theaters. Although it does have the jarring breaks that marked where a commericial interuption had once been and it's share of television stars (Urich, Shroeder, Corbin); "Lonesome Dove" is movie big. Big stars. Wonderful cinematography. Great locations. An authentic look. A terrific score. The producers, cast, crew, and director went the full measure to ensure that this movie did not look or feel like a "movie of the week" production. Personally, I believe it, along with "Roots," to be the finest work ever done in the medium of television. It really does make you feel for its characters. The viewer will cheer and hope for them, and when tragedy occurs, as it does throughout the film, it will shake the viewer. Nobody is safe: comic relief characters, children, and, even, experienced Rangers. McMurtry drives home the message that death in the Old West could occur to anyone at anytime with shocking suddenness. In the end, Captain Call looks back and remembers his friends and comrades who did not return with him. As he does, tears come to the eyes of this taciturn character; and rest assured he is joined by many in the viewing audience. Rather Outstanding I hereby thank a good friend of mine for introducing me to this very fine film, which indeed deserves high honor in the TV miniseries Hall of Fame. LONESOME DOVE, a sprawling and picturesque epic set in the old American West, is based on a novel of the same name by author Larry McMurtry. This is a saga of two friends, retired Texas Rangers Augustus McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones), who dare ensue seeking out what fellow former Ranger Jake Spoon (Robert Urich) has described as a "cattleman's paradise" - the virgin wilderness of Montana. Before long they're off, stealing back from thieves across the border large herds of cattle and horses, readying themselves for a journey that's quite destined to become -more or less- the great American odyssey. This bold undertaking, originating in the southwest of Texas, is reckoned to end - once having conquered the vast unforgiving wilds of Indian country - in the rich wide openness of western Montana. Gathering a motley crew of cowboys and other notables: among them an old comrade in arms, Joshua Deets (Danny Glover), Captain Call's illegitimate and unacknowledged son Newt (Rick Schroder), the town's kind-hearted prostitute, Lorie (Diane Lane), and Gus's two pet pigs, Gus and Captain Call embark upon their grand ambitious trek. It is a trek filled with unrelenting adventure - fraught throughout with quirky happenstance, scenic romance and omnipresent danger. In addition to horse thieves, snakes, and Indians, Gus and Call must contend with a vicious, murderous half-breed named Blue Duck (Frederic Forrest). Also, in an interesting sub-plot, the ne'er do well Jake is pursued by a sheriff from Arkansas for an accidental murder committed there. However this sheriff, July Johnson (Chris Cooper), soon changes his course after finding out his pregnant wife had run off on a whiskey boat in pursuit of a wastrel lover. Meanwhile, after having rescued Lorie from the clutches of Blue Duck and his gang of nasty villains, Gus makes room in his ample heart for the love of two women: Lorie, who's evermore from that moment devoted to him, and Clara (Anjelica Huston), an old flame he intends to visit while en-route to Montana. Just as Dickens did, McMurtry fleshes his characters out - even the minor ones - and gives them souls. Gus and Woodrow are, in particular, drawn forth with amazing depth and insight - Gus's warm sensibility plays perfectly off Call's stern straightforwardness, and it makes for a friendship that is rich, pure and patent. Truly Duvall must be a real cowboy at heart, and the role of Gus McCrea was just made for him! And Tommy Lee Jones was absolutely stellar. My favorite minor character is Janey (Nina Siemaszko), a girl from Arkansas who chucks rocks with perfect aim at a scurvy bunch of backwoods outlaws trying to rob her new friend - my 2nd favorite minor character - Deputy Roscoe Brown (Barry Corbin). The acting is actually superb throughout, which I suppose should well be expected from such a first rate cast: two with Oscars already tucked under their belts (Duvall and Huston), two future Academy Award winners (Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper), as well as a future Oscar nominee (Diane Lane) - it lends no insignificant amount of credit to a television movie when there are actors of such renowned caliber starring in it. I cannot say this film was quite as moving as I had expected it to be - though realistically portrayed, some of the tragedy seemed too coincidental or, in some subtle way, even contrived. Yet, although this movie is somewhat slow and slightly dry at the beginning, it does gradually warm into an alluringly endearing glow by the end: a spark lovingly fanned along the way by Basil Poledouris's exquisite score. The dry dusty landscape is exquisitely filmed, and much of the dialogue is woven with bits of subdued genius. Overall, I must say that though this is a brutally honest drama, it is possessed, much like Homer's Odyssey, of a mythical quality all its own. The Term Epic ring a bell? While this movie has a myriad of stars and character actors, it falls on the shoulders of one critical character to make or break this movie. The character of Augustus McCrae is the centerpiece of this movie and it is played masterfully by Robert Duvall. He fills the character well, as a swaggering, lazy, easy going, aging and yet skillful ex-Texas Ranger that goes on one last wild ride, to move 2,600 head of cattle from Lonesome Dove, Texas to Montana. He is well supported by his best friend Woodrow Call (played by Tommy Lee Jones), who is resigned to play the straight faced second fiddle, but does an excellent job. Robert Urich also does a fabulous job as the dashing, but unreliable Jake Spoon (Robert Urich). The supporting characters are also fully fleshed out and 3 dimensional, the best were the motherly Claire Allen (Anjelica Huston); the vulnerable Lorena Woods (Diane Lane), The innocent Newt Dodds (Rick Schroder), the inhumane Blue Duck (Frederic Forrest) and the caring Joshua Deets (Danny Glover). This mini is long, so it devotes a full nights entertainment, but this soap opera on the range is some of the best TV ever made. Buy Lonesome Dove at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Lonesome Dove Search with the Priority Search Engine on Lonesome Dove This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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