- Actors: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Diane Lane, Robert Urich
- Format: PAL
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 2
- Classification: 15
- Studio: Acorn
- DVD Release Date: 6 Aug 2001
- Run Time: 384 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005M6RD
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 64,085 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk Review
Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones star as Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, ageing cowboys and former Texas rangers, who organise a 2,500 mile cattle drive for one last great adventure in this excellent 1989 miniseries adaptation of Larry McMurtry's novel. The best friends, who steal the herd from a gang of Mexican cattle rustlers, drive their herd from Texas to Montana, battling horse thieves, angry Indian tribes, and a renegade half-breed killer named Blue Duck (Frederic Forrest) on a mission of revenge. The excellent cast also includes Robert Urich as cardsharp and former Ranger Jake Spoon, Anjelica Huston as McCrae's old flame Clara Allen, Danny Glover, Ricky Schroder, Diane Lane, Chris Cooper, DB Sweeney, Steve Buscemi, and even a small role for author Larry McMurtry. Australian director Simon Wincer shows a tremendous capacity for balancing sweeping drama and intimacy against the gorgeous landscape of the American Southwest, giving a grandly epic feel to the film despite its small-screen target and limited budget, and for forging memorable characters of even the smallest supporting parts. The heart of the drama belongs to McCrae and Call, memorably etched by Duvall and Jones as the last of the range romantics. In the age of revisionist Westerns, this excellent cattle-drive drama nicely maintains an old -fashioned feeling while still showing the dark side of the American West. --Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com
Special Features
DVD 9
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital English
Dolby Digital
Interview
Scene Index
Interactive Menus
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital English
Dolby Digital
Interview
Scene Index
Interactive Menus
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A 5-star Western on a 3-star transfer,
By
This review is from: Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove (Re-mastered) [2008] [DVD] (DVD)
Conventional wisdom had it that the Western was dead when after years of false starts, Lonesome Dove finally made it to the screen. Starting life as a 1971 screenplay for John Wayne, James Stewart and Henry Fonda before becoming a best-selling Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, it was even briefly mooted as a possible vehicle for Redford and Newman as the two former Texas Rangers who go on one last cattle drive, but was deemed too risky for the big screen. The end result was certainly worth the long wait, earning huge ratings and a well-deserved reputation as one of the finest television Westerns ever made.
True, the first episode is a bit slow as the characters mull over the wisdom of a cattle drive at their time of life, but the time spent getting to know the large ensemble pays off: by the time they leave the dead-end town of Lonesome Dove we know enough about them to genuinely care about their fate over the long and dangerous journey, giving us a Western that's not only thrilling but often genuinely touching. It's a beautifully produced saga, with fine performances from most of the cast - particularly Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones - strikingly directed, often breathtakingly shot and boasting one of Basil Poledouris' most beautiful scores. So why only three stars? Well, unfortunately though the original DVD release needed remastering, this new edition rather botches the job. The picture quality is better, but unforgiveably the image has been cropped from its original fullframe to widescreen, making a travesty of the original framing and often losing detail in several scenes. So, for the time being at least, the choice is between a poor older edition in the right ratio or a clearer image but less of it on this new edition. A real crying shame...
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shameless emotional manipulation. It's so good, who cares?,
By
This review is from: Lonesome Dove [1989] [DVD] (DVD)
Playing the Texas Ranger turned cattleman, Gus McRae, this is unquestionably Robert Duval's greatest acting achievement. Had this adaptation of Larry McMurtry's award-winning novel been made for the Big Screen rather than television, it would have garnered very major Academy Award for that year. It's also every bit as good as the book, if not better.In my opinion, this is the finest vision of the mythical American West ever put on film. It has everything: flawed good guys, horrific bad guys, Indian fights, shootouts, the hooker with a Heart of Gold, rustlers, a danger-filled cattle drive, hangings, lost loves, loyalty of friendship, cowardice, bravery, tragedy, drama, humor. The cynic will say that the film is simply a compilation of clichés. However, everything is tied together so wonderfully by Duval and a magnificent supporting cast, spectacular cinematography, authentic period costuming, and a soundtrack to knock your socks off, that it's hard to object even if you realize your emotions are being shamelessly manipulated. I've plugged the DVD of this epic into the player more times than I can count. If you've never seen it, have a box of Kleenex handy, and indulge your senses.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic,
By
This review is from: Lonesome Dove [1989] [DVD] (DVD)
Sublime casting and faithful dramatisation. It was wonderful to see everything from this exciting, colourful story come alive on the screen exactly as I had imagined it. There is nothing about this not to like and if you are prejudiced against Westerns, give it a go anyway!
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