Lonesome Dove (1989) (TV-mini)

	Directed by: Simon Wincer	COUNTRY USA GENRE Western/Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Lonesome Dove RUNNING TIME 384 minutes
	Produced by: Dyson Lovell Suzanne De Passe (executive) William D. Wittliff (executive)
	Written by (based on the novel by Larry McMurtry): William D. Wittliff

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Augustus 'Gus' McCrae	Robert Duvall
Woodrow F. Call	Tommy Lee Jones
Joshua Deets	Danny Glover
Lorena Wood	Diane Lane
Jake Spoon	Robert Urich	½
Blue Duck	Frederic Forrest	½
Dish Boggett	D. B. Sweeney
Newt Dobbs	Rick Schroder	½
Clara Allen	Anjelica Huston	½
July Johnson	Chris Cooper
Elmira	Glenne Headley
Roscoe Brown	Barry Corbin
Luke	Steve Buscemi	½
Janey	Nina Siemaszko

Review

At a time when the western genre arguably was at an all-time low and few in the business really felt there was much more to say about the era of cowboys and settlers, TV producer Suzanne De Passe bought the rights to Larry McMurtry's comprehensive novel about two ageing former Texas Rangers who, after living many years quietly on a small ranch in Texas, decide to take their posse and venture north to Montana looking for promised land. The production wasn't easy for De Passe to get going, but McMurtry eventually won the Pulitzer Prize for his book, and the project was launched as a CBS mini-series spanning four 90-minute episodes.

One of many remarkable aspects of Lonesome Dove is its first-class cast, completely unprecedented for a TV production at this time. People stood in line to be cast in the project, and the end product greatly profits from it. As opposed to most TV productions of this era, Lonesome Dove has a timelessness that sets it apart from its peers and secures its place in the western genre timeline. It represents a new direction for the genre, more concerned with the human side and how these people got by in their daily lives than about showdowns and gunsmoke. Larry McMurtry discusses role conflicts, male friendship, and unconventional love while backdropping his story against a tribute to the majestic open lands of the West. There is nostalgia in here, but it's a toned-down form. It's about ageing and maturing with decency, not bitterness or panache.

The number one key to Lonesome Dove's unique quality and wonderful narrative is the depiction of the characters and its two lead protagonists in particular. Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call are a delightful mix of complementary and incompatible, which serves as the foundation for their deep, implicit respect and love. The performances by Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones are arguably career highs for both. Duvall, who has dubbed Gus McCrae his favourite role, makes us believe that a 24-year-old Diane Lane would really fall for him. That's not something many balding 60-year-olds could do.

The mini-series format is not the most common, and certainly not as reputable as a two-hour cinematic release. Still, for Lonesome Dove, it served the story perfectly and gave TV productions in general a lift. In retrospect, it won't be remembered for its format or which medium it was released on, but simply for being one of the most nuanced and accomplished westerns of all time. It's a testimony to the fact that a compelling narrative and great characters will overshadow almost everything else – and, not least, keep the viewer constantly engrossed.