After watching and thoroughly enjoying the 1883 and 1923 film series on Paramount+, I decided to read Lonesome Dove. I recall watching the miniseries 35 years ago. It was excellent.
The further I got into the book, the more I remembered how much I enjoyed the miniseries those many years ago. I proceeded to purchase it on Amazon Prime. After watching the first episode, Marie and I continued to watch the remaining three episodes on consecutive nights. Phenomenal. As much as we enjoyed 1883 and 1923, Lonesome Dove was superior to both.
The strength of the 1988 Lonesome Dove miniseries is the characters. Most notably, Tommy Lee Jones as Captain Woodrow Call and Robert Duvall as Augustus McCrae, two retired Texas Rangers. I search my mind and try to find any actor perfectly cast in a role like these two. The closest I can come up with are Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird and Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump. The entire Lonesome Dove ensemble falls in the same category as Jones and Duvall, each perfectly cast in his or her role.
We often say the book is better than the film. While this may be the case with Lonesome Dove, I decided not to finish reading the book. That is how much I enjoyed the film.
If you enjoy a good story, good writing, and superior acting, I invite you to revisit Lonesome Dove. You will be glad you did.
Mr. Kraay, I apologize for hijacking this comment for a special purpose unrelated to Lonesome Dove. I write to express my admiration for the “Street Stories” posted at St. Francis Shelter’s website, specifically here: https://www.stfrancisshelteraz.org/street-stories. These stories prompted me to volunteer at the shelter’s food pantry (and, starting next week, at the cooling center that the City of Tucson and the shelter will be operating throughout the summer). Thank you for writing the stories and making them available to all, so that we may be improved and inspired by those who have walked before us through the valley of the shadow.
You are most welcome, Bill. I am glad you find value in those stories and are inspired to do good things by those who came before us. The road is long and needs more pilgrims like you to help us along the way.