"Lonesome Dove" (1989) TV mini-series

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writers (WGA):

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

Seasons:

1

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:

Montana | Cattle | Texas | Texas Ranger | Cattle Drive

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Robert Duvall

...

Augustus 'Gus' McCrae (unknown episodes)

Also Known As:

Paloma solitaria (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Den långa färden (Sweden) [sv]
Der Ruf des Adlers (West Germany) [de]
O Céu Como Horizonte (Portugal) [pt]
Os Pistoleiros do Oeste (Brazil) [pt]
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 | Singapore:PG | 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In 1985, Suzanne De Passe bought the rights to Larry McMurtry's unpublished novel for $50,000 with the idea of doing a miniseries in conjunction with the release of the book, but she was turned down by every major network in America.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:

Continuity: When Augustus is thrown from his horse after first being shot at by Blue Duck's men, he drops his canteen. When he climbs back on his horse, the canteen is back hanging on the saddle horn.

Quotes:

Newt: Gus, are you sure the Captain is my father?
Gus McCrae: Yep, he is.
Newt: He ain't never mentioned it.
Gus McCrae: Well, Woodrow ain't much of a mentioner.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Broken Trail: The Making of a Legendary Western (2006) (TV)

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.