Lonesome Dove

I had heard that AMC was rebroadcasting the original Lonesome Dove TV mini-series over the weekend and I managed to either watch, or record and watch the whole thing. It's been twenty years since I've seen it, never did rent or buy it for some reason.

Wow. What a masterpiece. It's hard to imagine it was done for TV. The cast, characters, plot, even the filming was so first-rate. It blew me away just like it did when first aired.

Simply amazing. It's hard to imagine what this country was like back then - hard living, for sure. People striking out for new territories, new land, new lives. And where else can you go to watch 8 hours of TV with no one complaining about wanting national health care.

Heh.

Comments

[Calypso Jones]

I'm looking forward to seeing this Again. I missed it on television but i bought the dvd and have enjoyed it immensely watching it periodically. I also have the pre-quel. It's not just a western, it's a masterpiece.

[Philip McDaniel]

I just finished the pre-quel, the original series and the follow-up series about Newt, through Netflix. Outside of Open Range I can't think of a better depiction of the West and the American frontier. The western genre is a unique product of our culture and history and embodies much of our philosophy of independence, self-reliance and individual responsibility. Not quite what the arugula chomping leftists envision.

[WBestPresidentEver]

I used to watch it when it was on. It was great. A real perspective of early life in the USA.
I think I would liked to have lived back then.
I would like to get the whole series and watch it again. It was a great series.
Well worth the watch.

[Mike2Cents]

The books are great.
As is most all by Larry McMurtry.

[Ran]

I loved the series from the opener to the very end. What a tale! And the story behind the story, of the evolving West...

Thanks for reminding me - I should pull it from the Library once more...

[Dan R., you'd like - I'm guessing here - Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin book series beginning with 'Master and Commander.' The movie of the same title was an amalgam of at least three books from the series. Screwy, I know, but the movie did 'em justice. Cheers!]

[mojo]

I love the part where Duvall pistol-whips the surly bartender. With a Colt Walker, no less.

[Dan Riehl]

"I love the part"

Yeah, memorable. But then, so many little bits like that were. When Duvall was in cold water at one point and said something about his pie being shrunk? Just little bits of dialogue through it that were so unique and often unexpected.

You had the chuckles, while the drame could be intense. The last hour and a half was incredible, starting with Duvall's death bed scene, to Call walking over the bridge at the end after refusing to talk to the reporter.

[Dan Riehl]

Heh

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVBjBClBSao

[dude1394]

My favorite book bar none. I continue to be uplifted by the joy of life show by Gus and the love of his brother shown by Call.

The DVD is worth having..the broadcast that I saw wasn't as nice a quality as the dvd...Well worth it.

[Dan Riehl]

I watched it on AMC HD - seemed pretty good.

[Kate Logsdon]

Wish you would have told us BEFORE it was on so the rest of us could have recorded it.

[Dan Riehl]

"BEFORE it was on"

Sorry, but I didn't even catch it the first night - it ran 8 hrs straight through on Sunday - so I watched some, recorded some. I may eventually buy the DVD.

[JJ]

Maybe try paying attention to what is going on around you rather than blaming Dan, Kate. The rebroadcast of Lonesome Dove was advertised frequently leading up to Sunday's showing. Smarten up.

Dan, you should buy the DVD. You would no longer have to deal with the annoying commercial interruptions that mar the TV broadcasts of this most amazing story.