So its been practically forever since I mentioned a movie on this site...but now's as good a time as any. One of the signs of a great movie is one that stays with you after you've finished watching it. You think about it, you wonder what the writer or director of the film was trying to say...what they were trying to convey to their audience.
I've always been a big fan of westerns. Of course, the inevitable argument remains---John Wayne or Clint Eastwood? Who was better? I started out as more of a fan of the Duke...but as I get older I learn to appreciate the squinty eyes of Clint and like his films a little bit more. My personal top 10 list contains two of Clint's westerns...
1) Unforgiven
2) Outlaw Josey Wales
Those are just two of my top ten of course....no list of great westerns would be complete without mentioning a movie like The Searchers or Red River....those are just four of the genre that I'll mention. And then....you realize that you've left one of the list.
One that deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with anything on a top 10 list.
Maybe even more amazingly because it was a television movie, although televsion allowed the film to fully realize the entire story as presented by the writer.
A forgotten classic. That's what I would consider Amazon.com: Lonesome Dove: DVD: Simon Wincer,Robert Duvall,Tommy Lee Jones,Danny Glover,Diane Lane,Robert Urich,Frederic Forr.... What an amazing movie....what an amazing book...what an amazing story. For those of you unfamilar....Lonesome Dove is the Pulitzer Prize winner story by Larry McMurtry of Woodrow & Gus, two former Texas Rangers who now own a small ranch near a river in southern Texas. They both realize that old west is rapidly disappearing and decide that what they really need is one last great adventure in their life---bringing a load of cattle and horses north to Montana, which their old friend Jake Spoon (Robert Ulrich) has described as paradise on earth.
They bring with them on the trip a ragtag group of former soldiers and young ranch hands, including Newt (Ricky Shroeder), who may or may not be Woodrow's (Jones) son. Also along for the ride is the lone prostitute in the small town, the beautiful and lonely Lorena who was abandoned in the town by her pimp and now dreams of moving toSan Francisco.
The journey to Montana is the bulk of the story, as are the adventures they encounter, including skirmishes with Indians and horse thieves....as well as a lawman on the hunt for one of the members of their party. Its also about friendship and those that you leave behind as you make your way out into the world...and the consequences.
It also left me with an interesting question. As I was watching the interviews with the writers and producers, one of the questions asked by the makers of the DVD was....
Where did the title come from? I mean, sure....that's the name of the ranch....but was does it symbolize? The producer of the movie seemed to feel that the Lonesome Dove in the movie was Newt....orphaned by his dead mother and unclaimed and unrecognized by his father. But as I thought about it, I realized that the Lonesome Dove could also be describing Lorena (Diane Lane--never better), the lonely prostitute in the small town loved by so many of the men for many different reasons. It could also be symbolic of Newt's dead mother....Maggie....the prostitute loved by Woodrow who left him not knowing if Newt was really his.
Lots of questions....but also lots of answers. Go out of your way to pick up this forgotten classic. ***** Must see.
Later,
Jeff
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1 comment:
Good thoughts about one of my ALLTIME favorite movies that I could watch over and over again. It was one of those you wished would never end. Every star was wonderful. I adore Diane Lane. What a classic. BTW did you see her in "Unfaithful?" There was a compelling movie that really captured rare emotions.
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