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Lonesome Dove Customer Reviews (31 - 33 of 81 Reviews)

Awesome
Great classic series at an incredible price. Much cheaper than a retail store and a great asset to any DVD collection.

Robert Duvall's performance stands out in this epic western mini-series
Robert Duvall's performance as Captain Augustus McCrae in "Lonesome Dove" is the finest of his career, which is saying something when you are talking about an actor who did memorable supporting roles in "The Godfather" and "Apocalypse Now" to go along with Oscar nominated performances in "The Great Santini" and "The Apostle," as well as winning an Academy Award for "Tender Mercies." Actually, that last one may well be one of his lesser efforts, but that only speaks to the high regard in which the acting community holds Duvall. When Duvall did not win an Emmy for this performance I was both stunned and outraged. The Emmy went to James Woods for "My Name Is Bill," which was certainly a fine performance, but not as memorable as Duvall's. Maybe he lost votes to his co-star Tommy Lee Jones, who knows.

Having watched "Lonesome Dove" again I am still impressed by Duvall's performance and have developed a new respect for that of Jones as Captain Woodrow F. Call as well. The problem the first time around was that I resented Call's character because he was still alive at the end and because he refuses to give Newt his name. However, I am older now and more willing to accept Call's explanation that he put more value on his horse than he did his own name. Besides, he did honor his promise to bury Gus back in Texas, and the irony between that return journey and the cattle trek that serves as the dramatic impetus for the narrative is important to the story Larry McMurtry is telling. Fortunately, early on Gus McRae lets us know that the subject matter here is not death, but life.

Saying that "Lonesome Dove" is about an epic cattle drive does not really suggest how lyrical of a western this 1989 mini-series ended up being. In the twilight of his life Woodrow Call is tired of living in the Texas border town of Lonesome Dove and decides to get himself a herd of cattle to drive to Montana, where they will be the first cattlemen to settle the new territory. Call and McCrae hire on a team of cowboys, and set off. Included in the group is trail scout Joshua Deets (Danny Glover), the patient Dish Boggett (D.B. Sweeney), and young Newt (Rick Schroeder), who McCall refuses to acknowledge as his son despite the insistence of Gus. Following in their wake is Jake Spoon (Robert Urich), an ex-ranger who would rather spend time gambling, and Lorena Wood (Diane Lane), a prostitute who is on friendlier terms with Gus than Jake can stand. Meanwhile, July Johnson (Chris Cooper), an Arkansas sheriff is on Jake's trail, unaware that his pregnant wife, Elmira (Glenne Headly) has taken off to find her first husband, who is not dead but in jail. If that was not enough to keep life interesting on the trail, the infamous Blue Duck (Frederic Forrest) crosses their path as well. Then there is Clara Allen (Anjelica Huston), an old beau of Gus's who lives on a ranch in Nebraska, which is just a stop along the way.

It is hard to measure triumph against the scale of tragedy in "Lonesome Dove," especially given the high body count along the way. But death only serves to give this epic its greatness, creating the foundation that allows Woodrow's realism to co-exist with the romanticism represented by Gus. After all, that is what our vision of the Old West is all about. For Call actions speak louder than words, which is why words fail him in the end with Newt, while Gus always has something to say and no lack of ways to express himself. It makes sense to me now that Gus has to be dead by the final act of this story, because otherwise Call's silence would not be allowed to stand. That is also why there is such poignancy in the final letter Gus writes to Lorie, who does not know how to read his final words and wants to put off having them read to her. At the end of these six hours I am not sure if my criticism that it should have been longer is valid or if that simply recognizes the fact that I was loathe for the tale to end. The special features on the DVD include interviews with novelist Larry McMurtry and producer Suzanne de Passe, a long section of textual notes regarding the history of cattle drives; a trivia game, and brief biographies and filmographies for the cast and crew. All of these serve to extend the experience a bit longer.

Lonesome Dove should have many friends!
Lonesome Dove at first seems rather slow moving. This is because it is about characters more than it is about events. First rate actors such as Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones perform at their very best! This story is not just about the old west. It has a great deal to say about life! It is a first-rate miniseries that transends the Western genre.

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