DVD of TV-Mini-Series "LONESOME DOVE" (Bk was a Pulitzer winner by Larry McMurtry.)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Thanks to Don's suggestion, I looked for some interesting movie DVDs at the our Crandall Library. I chose "Lonesome Dove") from the TV mini-series (1989) based on the book _Lonesome Dove_ (1985) by Larry McMurtry. It's an "epic story about two former Texas rangers who decide to move cattle from the south to Montana."
See details at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096639/p...

Since the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1986), and I had never read it, I thought this would be a quick way to enlarge my horizons. So far, I've watched one of the two DVDs in the set. The dialogue is great. I'm enjoying the performers. I've never been a fan of Western type films, but since I'm expanding my horizons... I thought I'd give this a try.

BTW, "Lonesome Dove" is the name of the town in the movie. Who knew!

More later. Any comments?

[Becky]

Loved it!!! Wonderful mini-series & some top notch acting/actors!!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Yes, I'm enjoying it. I'm on the 2nd DVD of the set now. Isn't Tommy Lee Jones handsome! And Robert Duvall was so young and thin.

I love having the captions... because some of the dialogue is hard to catch, with the cowboy accents.

I'm seeing it twenty years after it aired on TV. Better late than never! (lol)

[Regina]

Hi Joy, this is one of the few movies I have ever seen that matched up to the book and this is one of my favorite books. I just love the characters, they came alive for me.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Hi Regina. I'm glad to hear that the movie matches up to the book. Thanks for posting that. I've been wanting to read the book, but somehow I never get around to it.

[[deleted user]]

This is my favorite Larry McMurtry book and movie also. I do like The Evening Star too. I have read most all his books and also The Time It Never Rained which is considered to be a classic by Elmer Kelton.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I finally finished watching the _Lonesome Dove_ DVD. The action and suspense kept me watching, as well as the acting and the terrific dialogue.

Ed is now watching it on his computer. I watched it on our TV screen. The scenery was so beautiful, that I was wishing I had a larger TV screen. Ours is only 31". A 31" inch screen used to be considered large, but not any more.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS - Larry McMurtry won a Pulitzer Prize for his book, _Lonesome Dove_ (1985).

I read his book, _Loop Group A Novel_ (2005) and couldn't believe it was the same author. IMO, it wasn't a good book at all. See my review at: ====>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[[deleted user]]

Did you cry? I always cry. In fact I need a whole box of kleenex!!!!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I came close to crying at some parts of the "Lonesome Dove" DVD. So many parts of it were very affecting. I don't usually cry easily when watching a movie or reading a book.

[Regina]

Hi, "Comanche Moon" and "Streets of Laredo" are the other two books of the Lonesome Dove Trilogy. They are good books but not as good as "Lonesome Dove". "Comanche Moon" is out on DVD, and I think "Streets of Laredo" is but I'm not sure, someone else might know. I've read a lot of his books but never "Loop Group" so I can't comment on that but "Horseman Pass By", "Terms of Endearment", "The Last Picture Show", "Evening Star", "Desert Rose", "Anything for Billy" are all good reads but to me "Lonesome Dove" is the leader. This thread had got me thinking I should pick up some of his books again (-:

[Regina]

P.S. Alice, I cried too!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Regina, I'd be interested to know what you think of _Loop Group A Novel_ (by Larry McMurtry) if you ever read it. I didn't think it was a good book at all.

Thanks for listing his other books.

[Regina]

Joy, I haven't read the "Loop Group" so I can't tell you. Sorry! What is it about? All I can say is that I did enjoy most of his books. Having said that, I do think he can go over the top sometimes with situations he creates in his novels. The list I posted was of his books that I remember having read and liked, that list doesn't even put a dent in the number of books he's written (-:

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Regina,
_Loop Group A Novel_, by Larry McMurtry is about "two women of a certain age (who) take a road trip through Texas".

Below are some excerpts from Amazon.com pertaining to _Loop Group_.
(They confirm my feelings that the book was not a good one.):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Bookmarks Magazine:
"But critics weren’t moved by what they saw as unrealistic dialogue, hackneyed characters, and a tired and predictable plot riddled with inaccuracies that don’t reflect modern Hollywood. In the end, readers crave an answer to life that goes deeper than a trip to Nordstrom’s, and they expect wiser council from the 60-something bunch."
-----------------
A quote from an Amazon.com customer review:
"I am really angry with myself for actually finishing this book. It was so bad, I kept thinking, "But this is Larry McMurtry - he'll tie it all up and salvage something out of this mess! He doesn't. From the first sentence to the last, this is the most empty, vapid, uninspiring, inane book I've ever read."
---------------
Another customer review:
"If you had taken Larry McMurtry's name off of this book you would not have been able to convince me he actually wrote this drivel."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I rest my case. (g)
Joy

[[deleted user]]

Hi Regina, I also read Comanche Moon and Streets of Laredo. One of them was too bloody IMO but now can't recall which one it was.
I also like Terms of Endearment very much and Shirley McLaine in it but The Last Picture Show was the most depressing movie I ever saw in my whole like perhaps because I was living n Wichita Falls when I saw it and couldn't wait to get out of that town. Larry McMurtry grew up outside there and I guess still lives in that area.
I think sometimes publishers force authors to write books when the Muse is not with them and then they can't help but turn out trash. Just my theory.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Alice wrote: "I think sometimes publishers force authors to write books when the Muse is not with them and then they can't help but turn out trash. Just my theory."

Alice, I think there may be some truth to your theory. It makes sense. The Muse has got to be there.
It must be hard for authors to compete with their own best work.

[Regina]

Hi Alice, I haven't read any his books in years but your right that some of them could get pretty bloody. I also agree that some times they end up publishing books for all the wrong reasons and it's a shame. The publishers know the writer has a fan base and they capitalize on that.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Hi Regina - You're so right about the fan bases. Danielle Steele has a huge fan base. So do the famous mystery writers.

I checked out Danielle Steele on Wiki. It says:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Steel has sold more than 550 million copies of her books (as of 2005). Her novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 390 consecutive weeks and 22 have been adapted for television."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steele is very prolific and has written a long list of books. One wonders how she can write so many books.

Hmmm. I might start a topic about her and see what folks have to say about her writing. I've only read one of her books and that was enough for me. (g)

[Regina]

I'm not a Danielle Steele fan either but I know a lot of people who just love her books.

[Jim]

I watched this on TV & read the book years ago. The scene where the guy gets killed in the water by the snakes is one of the scariest I've ever seen or read.

[Regina]

Oh, I agree! It kept me from wanting to go in any water that wasn't a swimming pool (-: (and I live in New York (-:)

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I remember that snake scene in Lonesome Dove. It was terrifying.

The scenes where they're crossing the desert were pretty tense too... as well as the hangings! There was so much suspense and tension at times in that story that I had to pause the DVD and take a rest from the anxiety.

It sure was a compelling piece of fiction... and the worse part was knowing that these types of things have most likely taken place in real life, sometime, somewhere.

[Mike]

Lonesome Dove has long been one of my favorite novels, and certainly my favorite western. As good as the mini-series was, the book is somehow even richer in character and atmosphere, I think. I have a GR group for westerns if anyone is interested in a further discussion of the genre or book recommendations; http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Mike wrote: "Lonesome Dove has long been one of my favorite novels, and certainly my favorite western. As good as the mini-series was, the book is somehow even richer in character and atmosphere, I think. I hav..."

Hi Mike! Welcome to the group.

I'm sure the book was better than the movie. You've convinced me to put it on my TBR list.

Thanks for the link to your GR group for Westerns. That's a great idea for a group. Unfortunately, I've never been drawn to Westerns. But _Lonesome Dove_ has convinced me that I should never say "never".

[[deleted user]]

I saw the series when it originally aired, and enjoyed it. Sorry to say I haven't read it yet, although it is on my shelf to read.