Perhaps one of the best adaptations of a book ever put onto to film, Lonesome Dove returns to DVD in a 2-Disc Collectors set that any fan of the book or original mini series or both will want. The new set delivers a great widescreen picture that better captures the epic story, and comes loaded with extra goodies.
Based on Larry McMurtry’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the mini-series won seven Emmy awards. With an ensemble cast including five Oscar winners, this is the story of the Old West that is truly unique masterpiece of characterization, adventure, and epic proportions.
The basic plot of the story involves two former Texas Rangers, Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall) and Woodrow Call (Tommy Lee Jones), who live in the town of Lonesome Dove on the border of Texas and Mexico.
Call decides he wants to push a head of cattle all the way to Montana, which just might be the last frontier or as Gus says, “Seems like a damn wilderness to me.”
Gus is one of the most memorable characters ever written and put onto film. Duvall, in the interview in the special features, says that Gus might just be his favorite character he has ever played. Interviews with Tommy Lee Jones are insightful as well, giving you a further look into the background of this great made-for-television epic.
He talks about literary elements of good and evil, and the fine lines in-between, and how these issues relate to the character of Call.
Call convinces Gus to make the cattle drive, and the adventure starts. This is probably, in my opinion, the most well-casted book-adapted-to-film EVER. The side characters are perfect foils to the two main characters of Gus and Call. Diane Lane, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, Robert Urich, Steve Buscemi, D.B. Sweeney, Ricky Schroder, and Chris Cooper, all give the story depth and layers of complicity.
What seems to be a mere cattle drive on the surface becomes a tale of human survival, friendship, and true love. As Anjelica Huston says of the book in the special features, “It’s like a great meal that you don’t want to end.”
The 2,500 cattle drive takes them through Indian Territory, across a snake invested river, and into the drama of an old flame of Gus’ (played by Huston). Diane Lane’s character is probably one of the most interesting - a whore who knew Call and Gus in Lonesome Dove ends up riding with the character of Jake Spoon and ultimately falls in love with Gus.
There is a side story that involves July Johnson (Cooper), his wife who is trying to get to her lost love, and the baby that she has (which ends up with Huston’s character). A mighty tangle of suburb characters inter-woven together into a masterpiece of storytelling, the DVD brings us to Lonesome Dove and beyond once again.
The special features include almost an hour of documentary entitled the Making of An Epic, talking about the mini-series and behind the scenes, an interview with director Simon Wincer, and original interviews with stars Duvall, Jones, and author McMurtry.
This new DVD set is a must-have for fans of the book and mini-series. If you already owned the bare-bones fullscreen DVD, this is a great upgrade. I HIGHLY recommend this DVD set. It won’t disappoint.
Lonesome Dove (2-Disc Collector’s Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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