"Lonesome Dove" (1989)TV mini-series

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writers (WGA):

Larry McMurtry (novel)
William D. Wittliff (teleplay)

Release Date:

5 February 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Western

Plot:

Epic story about two former Texas rangers who decide to move cattle from the south to Montana. Augustus...

Plot Keywords:

Sex Talk | Gunshot Wound | Melodrama | Soap Opera | Native American Attack

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Robert Duvall	...	Augustus 'Gus' McCrae
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Woodrow F. Call
Danny Glover	...	Joshua Deets
Diane Lane	...	Lorena Wood
Robert Urich	...	Jake Spoon
Frederic Forrest	...	Blue Duck
D.B. Sweeney	...	Dish Boggett
Rick Schroder	...	Newt Dobbs
Anjelica Huston	...	Clara Allen
Chris Cooper	...	July Johnson
Timothy Scott	...	Pea Eye Parker (as Tim Scott)
Glenne Headly	...	Elmira
Barry Corbin	...	Roscoe Brown
William Sanderson	...	Lippy Jones
Barry Tubb	...	Jasper Fant

Also Known As:

Paloma solitaria (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Céu Como Horizonte, O (Portugal) [pt]
Långa färden, Den (Sweden) [sv]
Pistoleiros do Oeste, Os (Brazil) [pt]
Ruf des Adlers, Der (West Germany) [de]
Vaarojen maa (Finland) [fi]
Weg in die Wildnis (Austria) [de]

Runtime:

384 min | Brazil:145 min (video version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Alamo Village - Highway 674, Brackettville, Texas, USA

Company:

Motown Productions

Trivia:

In 1985, Suzanne De Passe bought the rights to Larry McMurtry's unpublished novel for $50,000 with the idea of doing a miniseries in conjunction with the release of the book, but she was turned down by every major network in America. After the novel was published, became a massive success and won the Pulitzer Prize, every network who had turned her down contacted her to try to persuade her to make the show with them.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Call beats up the Cavalry Scout for hitting Newt, the branding iron that Call uses flexes when he moves it around. It is obviously made of rubber.

Quotes:

Blue Duck: [Blue Duck has run into Gus by the river] I know you from the old days, McRae.
Gus McCrae: I know you too, Blue Duck.
Blue Duck: Where's your friend? Where's Call? If I kill you, I'll have to wait here and kill him too.
Gus McCrae: I expect he'll be along after a while. If you can kill me, you can have a seat over in the shade and wait on him.
Blue Duck: No, I ain't got time to waste on killin' some old Ranger with holes in his underwear. There's plenty more need killin'.
[Mounts his horse and rides off]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Howard Stern on Demand: Robert Duvall" (2006)

A Sad Western Well-Told

This six-hour television mini-series was as good as advertised, which is saying a lot. I don't prefer long movies but this is very watchable. It's such an interesting story and so-well photographed that you don't mind the long length.

The acting is top-rate, led by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones, with a deep cast that includes many well-known actors. As a male, I really enjoyed ogling Diane Lane and I've always liked Glenne Headley, too, although more for her voice.

Fredric Forest is absolutely brutal as the half-breed killer, one of the most unremorseful murderers I've even seen on film. Angelica Huston, Rick Schroeder, Danny Glover, Robert Urtich, D.B. Sweeney and Steve Buscemi all were superb, too.

The story has a great mix of drama, romance, action, sadness and just plain realism. The characters are bold and unrelenting and you find yourself getting wrapped up in this story and with these people, what they went through. It's just great storytelling but - as in real life - it isn't all roses; there's a lot of sadness here.