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Remember all those Blockbuster video stores back in the old days? I have to take some of the blame for them disappearing because surely the late fees I paid on "Lonesome Dove" seriously boosted their profits for at least three months. I simply could not bring it back and I know other people who still watch it on a regular basis even though it's almost 30 years old.
If one is not too "format specific" and doesn't mind calling a 6 hour mini series a 'movie" Lonesome Dove is easily the best Western ever made and before the great HBO and AMC series' (The Wire, Deadwood, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad etc.) was the highest point television ever reached. Other reviewers who have written on the high points of television over the years before streaming video existed pretty much agree.
First of all, the chemistry between Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones (in by far their greatest performances ever) has to be seen to be believed. If friendship contains an element of love, then this is also one of the greatest love stories of all time, even though there is never the slightest hint of any kind of "romantic" attraction between the two (as in Brokeback Mountain for example). Just as often as not they seem irritated by one another, but I have seen many love affairs between men and women in which that is how they show their love for one another. In any case it is a miracle of the craft of acting.
There must have been some magic going on while this was being filmed because the same sort of chemistry among the supporting cast runs throughout the movie as well. Frederick Forrest plays one of the most menacing villains of all time, Diane Lane is absolutely beautiful, tough and vulnerable as the town prostitute (although one wonders how such a lovely woman would wind up in such a situation), Danny Glover delivers his best performance of all time as the humble, kind-to-a fault "Deets" etc. The acting accolades are too numerous to totally recount. Only Robert Urich seems to be slightly miscast as Jake Spoon if you are looking for a portrayal of the character that is more in line with Larry McMurty's great book. Who cares? Not me.
Speaking of which: the movie is fairly faithful to the book, but takes certain parts of the story and sequences them differently. For once this works out for the better especially when you reach the film's magnificent ending. It really could not possibly have been done better and is guaranteed to bring a lump to your throat and make your hair stand on end, whereas the ending of the book is somewhat anti climactic. As a matter of fact, as great of an author as Larry McMurtry is it is generally conceded among fans of "The Western" that the mini series is far better than the book, which is far more about things winding down (entropy) and becomes very flat in many parts.
Now that such a long time has passed since its original broadcast I know there are many people out there now who love the Western genre who have never seen Lonesome Dove or perhaps have never even heard of it. I don't want to spoil it for them by describing the plot in any more detail. Suffice it to say that if you are into making "5 best lists" you are going to have to redo most of them after watching this.
It starts a little slow and takes its time unfolding but even though I consider myself to be a pretty hard core Texan who wears cowboy boots and a cowboy hat most days I couldn't make it to work after having made the mistake of watching the fourth and final episode before I went to bed the first time I saw the series. You will know why when you watch it.
And do watch it. It is still the greatest Western of all time and one of the most stunning "movies" ever made in any genre. Watch out though; the level of tragedy and true pathos rises to about as high a level as it can get during the 3rd and 4th episodes. If you miss work or school because they hit you too hard get in touch and I'll write a letter to your boss or teacher. My sister, for example, can't watch it because it hits her TOO hard.
I should add that the audio and video quality of the Amazon streaming version are absolutely superb and of far, far higher quality than the VHS version of Lonesome Dove that got me addicted to this work of high, high art in the first place.
I would give it 7 stars if I could because I doubt if anybody will ever be able to recreate the magic that Lonesome Dove contains.
Absolutely magnificent! I don't plan on getting stranded on a desert island anytime soon, but if I was I would want "Lonesome Dove," "The Wire" and "Breaking Bad"with me above anything else that has ever been filmed. That ought to give you some idea of the quality of this great American Masterpiece.
| Additional Blu-ray options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
|
Blu-ray
October 20, 2015 "Please retry" | — | 2 |
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| — | $30.72 |
|
Blu-ray
February 1, 2020 "Please retry" | Blu-ray + Digital | 2 |
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| — | $47.98 |
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Customer reviews
There are 2 different versions of this movie/series on blu-ray. The one with the dark brown cover is the 2008 version and the one with the tan cover is the 2015 release. I have both and spent a couple days comparing the two and these are my reactions. Someone else has a review on here comparing the two, but I'll go into more detail on the differences between the video and audio quality of the two.2008: Video - The 2008 release is slightly smoother than the 2015 release, with a small dip in fine detail. However, the colors are noticeably more vibrant and there is a wider range of colors. The black levels are a good deal blacker as well. Audio - The audio is much louder and more distinctive on the 2008 release. The sound effects are loud and clean, but the dialogue is sometimes barely audible. Once in a while the sound effects will be much louder than the people talking, but this only happens a handful of times.2015: Video - The 2015 version is sharper than the 2008 release. Fine detail is more noticeable for sure. It is also a hair brighter than the 2008 release. However, the brightness does lead to the picture looking a bit washed-out. Blacks are more gray and the colors are slightly more muted. Audio - The audio is less distinctive than the 2008 release, but solid. The sound effects are much quieter, but the dialogue is a whole lot crisper and cleaner.Overall, the 2008 release's video is slightly smoother, but it is barely noticeable. The colors and contrast are more vibrant and realistic. The 2015 release's video is more detailed, but less realistic in color and contrast. The audio probably depends on your set up. If you have a 5.1 surround sound system, the 2008 version will make good use of sound effects. If you don't have a big surround sound system, the 2015 release would probably be better, because it doesn't have any of the dialogue issues of the 2008 release. If you're on the fence about the two versions, and can only get one, I would recommend the 2008 version because it has a few extra special features.The pictures show the 2008 version on the left, 2015 on the right.
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Top reviews from other countries
Customer
Be warned: this is not the full version!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 3, 2018wordsmith44
Moving on in Montana
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 21, 2020Billy The Baker
I know it's a great film, but does 'remaster' have subtitles, please? EDIT = YES!!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 14, 2015W. J. Tapp
A landmark tv mini-series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 27, 2019Pagey
Read the Description properly
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 30, 2018
