Product Details

• Actors: Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Glover, Robert Urich, Frederic Forrest
• Format: AC-3, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Original recording remastered, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Dubbed: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Rhi Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: August 5, 2008
• Run Time: 384 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (640 customer reviews)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0018PH3L0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,290 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #16 in Movies & TV > DVD > Westerns
• Learn more about "Lonesome Dove" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones star as Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call, aging cowboys and former Texas rangers and who organize 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, D.B. 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. Winner of seven Emmy Awards and responsible for two miniseries sequels (Return to Lonesome Dove and Dead Man's Walk) and a TV series. --Sean Axmaker

Product Description

Experience the Emmy Award-winning masterpiece as never before with Lonesome Dove 2-Disc Collector's Edition. Presented for the first time in Widescreen and 5.1 surround sound, this all-time western classic is now digitally re-mastered with all-new bonus features.Based upon the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Larry McMurtry and set in the late nineteenth century, this sprawling epic of the Old West is the story of the last defiant frontier, a daring cattle drive, and an undying love. Featuring epic performances by Robert Duvall, Tommy lee Jones, Angelica Houston, Diane Lane, Danny Glover, Robert Urich, and Chris Cooper, Lonesome Dove continues to be a treasured classic for generations to come.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

233 of 241 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No Other Western Comes Close To This One December 3, 2002

By D. Mikels

Format:VHS Tape|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've seen LONESOME DOVE so many times I've practically got the six hours of dialogue memorized. Yet I'll keep watching this excellent adaptation of Larry McMurtry's epic novel, over and over again. Why? Two words: compelling story.

The friendship of Augustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call is the underlying theme of LONESOME DOVE; it's the motor that drives the story. When these two weathered former lawmen steal a herd of cattle from Mexico and set off for Montana for one last grand adventure ("I wanna see that country," says Call to Gus, "before the lawyers and bankers get it."), the stage is set for a Western with plenty of humor, action, violence...tragedy.

This production makes McMurtry's unforgettable characters literally leap off the page. Robert Duvall IS Gus McCrae...Tommy Lee Jones IS Woodrow Call. Both performances are so vivid and on target the viewer is transported seamlessly to McMurtry's story, a story centering around the undying loyalty and friendship of these two men.

LONESOME DOVE is a film that will entertain you, take you over the full gambit of human emotions, then after six hours leave you begging for more. Jones and Duvall lead a stellar cast in a remarkable film that has but one weakness: it has to end. And McMurtry's story is told--told so well that no other Western even comes close.

140 of 143 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hell of a Vision. February 27, 2004

By David Hutton

Format:DVD

I have just finished watching the six hour Lonesome Dove for the fourth time; yet, it is a rare movie I will even watch twice. I own the DVD, and I will certainly be watching it a fifth time. Comparisons of Lonesome Dove to other TV movies don't begin to do it justice; this movie deserves comparison to any Western ever made, and it stands up well to any one of the most highly considered (The Searchers, Unforgiven, Shane, High Noon, The Good, The Bad & the Ugly, etc.). This is a story of character and nuance much more than plot and action, with many small moments that will stay with you long after the story is finished...a saloon owner grieving over the loss of his prostitute (his love)...the hanging of a friend...an attempt at telling a boy he is your son....the burial of a friend...two old warriors saying goodbye in so many words (while there is much humor in the story, there is also overwhelming sadness, and do expect very major characters to have tragic endings to their lives). Lonesome Dove is bold enough to tell an epic story (and in doing so, demytholyzing the history of the West, and showing us how brutal and painful the settling of the West really was) by focusing on these small moments. There are something like 75 or 100 speaking parts in this movie, and it is uniformly excellently cast (with the exception, in my opinion, of Angelica Huston, who I always thought seemed out of place in this Western setting). If you are wondering whether this is worth owning, believe me, you will never regret it.
A postscript: since I wrote my review I have noticed that there are a number of idiots out there unfairly ripping this movie for being shorter than the original. The original series was indeed EIGHT hours long. However, it was made for TV and had something called commericials.... These had the effect of reducing its running time to about SIX hours, as my review notes. I have seen several DVD versions of this and have never seen one that was edited or cut, which is why they neglect to warn you on the box. Just get the movie, watch it, and ignore the bozo comments. Read more ›

164 of 171 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Duvall role February 20, 2000

By Kevin P. Westmoreland

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

It is finally nice to get the entire Lonesome Dove epic on DVD. While I have to agree that the picture is not as pristine as I would have liked, it is definitely better than the VHS version that I own. The sound is Dolby Digital mono, but surprisingly good.

One thing to note - the movie breaks at the same break points that the mini-series did when broadcast. After approximately 1.5 hours, the credits roll, and then the next section starts. Not that bad, but a little clunky. The interview snippets with Larry McMurtry are kind of insightful and nice to have.

Robert Duvall is really incredible in the role of Augustus (Gus) McCrae. The man is the character. I found I was laughing to myself all over again at Gus's western philosopher dialogue, and wishing that we all thought a little more like him.

If you loved the VHS version and want a better copy, buy this DVD. Though not crystal clear, it is an improvement over my old VHS copy and with instant chapter access, much more convenient to view.

116 of 129 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars get the other edition! January 24, 2003

By A Customer

Format:DVD

Be warned: this edition of "Lonesome Dove" is cut down to 240 minutes, from the original 360. This is perhaps the greatest television miniseries ever made, and it would be a shame to see it in anything but its complete form. Spend the extra couple of bucks to get the other DVD edition! My rating of the movie itself would be five stars, but this cut version is a terrible injustice.

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars False Advertising November 15, 2003

By A Customer

Format:DVD

To top things off, Lonesome Dove has released two versions of their film. The full length version (released some time ago) is out of stock per Amazon. The new version is 2/3 the film. But both versions show the same reviews on Amazon. So check the technical details to be sure the version that you are buying is the full length.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Concerned about getting an edited version? Read here. September 6, 2007

By N. White

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I recently bought this for my dad for his birthday. I remember watching it when I was younger and I always liked it, but the version we had was recorded from TV and was terrible quality, especially because it is now almost 20 years old. It is an excellent series, but you can decide that for yourself if you choose to buy it.

My decision to write this review is designed to help the potential buyer who doesn't want to get ripped off. I read most of the reviews before buying this product, and time and time again I came accross people who complained about purchasing an edited version with much of the content removed. Many of those reviews were old, so I didn't know if I was getting a newer version with the whole story of some other version that was edited. Hopefully this will help.

It appears that Amazon sells 2 versions of the DVD (I know nothing about the VHS versions so this review does not apply to them). The version I bought (ASIN B00005Y6YB) is listed as 360 minutes in length and is ranked in the top 500 in Amazon's top sellers. It was released by Hallmark. The DVD box lists the run time as 6 hours, which is what you would expect after removing commercials an 8 hour TV miniseries that is split into 4 parts. Amazon's price is listed as $8.49.

Another version of the series (ASIN B00003IPFK) is listed as 360 minutes as well, but is listed at about #48,000 in the top sellers and is priced at $13.75 (only available from independent vendors). Seeing how few people bought this version and how much more it costs, I would avoid it.

The version I bought is ASIN B00005Y6YB and it is complete. Perhaps the people who gave bad reviews did not receive the same version I bought.... Amazon lists the same reviews for both, so it's possible that people gave poor reviews to a different version and those reviews got mixed in with the complete version's reviews. If you want to be sure you are getting the complete series without editing, I would recommend searching the ASIN so that you don't have to pick and choose between versions. Be sure you check when you get the product that you have the full 6 hour version. I hope this helps! Read more ›