Rating: 
Summary: Lonesome Dove DVD looks fine!
Review: Lonesome Dove has been given a fine presentation on DVD. This is not to say that the film looks spectacular. In fact, when comparing it to its original broadcast (via an EP taped version of the original show), the picture seems to be missing about 10% of the original's image on both sides of the screen and about 10% at the top (although the DVD shows more picture image on the bottom.) This is mild carping as the film was shot for television. As I stated earlier, the picture is fine. So, if you love Lonesome Dove as I do, purchase this DVD. It looks as good as it ever has.
Rating: 
Summary: Positively the best there¿s ever been.
Review: Not a man to use many superlatives, Lonesome Dove, for my money is the best of the long form TV dramas. It's a superlative story (unfortunately not found in many of Larry McMurtry's other works) and patiently delivered, never forced, the tale blooms.Could there be any more memorable performances than Tommy Lee Jones as Woodrow Call and Robert Duvall as Augustus McCrae? The strength of the characters combined with the skills of these actors, provides a marvelous experience for us. We are indeed humbled in their presence. With each tale of this epic, we meet wonderful new and diverse characters, delivered by such outstanding performers as Diane Lane, Danny Glover, Frederick Forrest, Chris Cooper. Even the on again, off again types, the Barry Corbins, the Glynne Headleys, the Robert Uhrichs, the Anjelica Hustons, all shine in their roles. Robert Duvall many times has commented on how lucky he was to be blessed with the opportunity to play Gus, indeed it is us who are the lucky ones. 1001 plaudits to director Simon Wincer, who indeed, caught lightning in a bottle with this wonderful effort..
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Film - A Terrible DVD
Review: I still believe that Lonesome Dove represents some of the finest work Robert Duval and Tommy Lee Jones have ever done. The supporting cast is superb...but. This is simply a very bad transfer to DVD. Everything is a little pink. At first I thought Duval was a little sunburned, then I thought, sure maybe Tommy Lee Jones too. Then when Danny Glover looked sunburned I got a little suspicious. Then I noticed the buildings and horses and trees looked a little sunburned. The result is very, very distracting. This disc should be recalled and a new correct transfer should be redistributed. Don't order this DVD until you know that the problem's been fixed.
Rating: 
Summary: rip off
Review: Because it is advertised as 2.0 stereo surround the movie itself should be in stereo not just the extras....video transfer from a VHS copy.? of course I am a fan of the MOVIE...just not this DVD version.. there is no excuse except greed.
Rating:
Summary: After waiting so long, a bitter disappointment!
Review: I have read a lot of the reviews from other customers that bought this movie and can only figure that they must be so overcome by story and great cast of this great epic that they failed to see the poor quailty of the viedo. I had been waiting a good long time for this movie to come out on dvd and the transfer quality of the video is so poor that its a bitter pill to sollow. I understand that it is a movie that was made for television but that is no excuse for what they have done to great film! I sure wish I had rented this movie before I bought it and would highly recommend to anyone interested that they do just that before they make the purschase!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic movie, Fantastic DVD!
Review: Let me begin by saying that Lonesome Dove is one of my favorite movies--and books--of all time, so I may be a bit biased. However, I found the new DVD version to look fine, sound great, and have more features then I could have possibly expected. I agree, having a widescreen edition would be even better. BUT: Remember, there is no "original theatrical version" like the reviewer below suggested. It was MADE FOR TV, and thus made FOR the Pan-and-Scan format. The VHS and laserdisc versions were also pan-and-scan, which makes me wonder if it was even filmed in widescreen to begin with. All that aside, Lonesome Dove is simply a phenomenal movie, and the DVD does great justice to it.
Rating:
Summary: a great movie
Review: I would like to comment on the review that said the "Fullscreen version" notice on the box meant it was pan & scanned. I think that is a mistake and just another example of sloppiness. Lonesome Dove was not shown in theaters and was shot for TV, so this is exactly what was on TV. There is no "widescreen version" to compare it to, and that's okay, since it is shown in the way it was meant to be seen. This is really a great movie, and while the entire cast and crew did a great job, I think you have to single out a few people: Robert Duvall, who gives one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. Bill Witliff and Larry McMurtry, who wrote the screenplay and and book gave it all structure and life - the actors didn't say those great lines off the top of their heads. Basil Pouledouris, who wrote the memorable and moving score. I do wish they'd paid a little more attention to the transfer and made the colors and picture sharper. It looks like a really good VHS version, like the laserdisc did, when it should be much improved over both of them. It's too bad that after all the work that went into this, the video company couldn't have done that one last step and made the DVD look as good as possible. Still, I wouldn't want to be without this.
Rating: 
Summary: The great western epic finally on DVD...
Review: This film is one of my favorite westerns and I have seen it a number of times, both on broadcast TV and on VHS tape. In my opinion the DVD version was better than both. It appeared to me that there were a few small scenes that I had never noticed before in previous viewings. Although the audio is only Dolby 2-channel it still sounds very good. IMDb doesn't have any technical specs on this movie, but it does indicate that the sound mix is mono, so I guess we can't expect the DVD sound to be more than what was origianlly recorded. IMDb also indicates the movie is 384 minutes long. The DVD indicates that it is the entire 6-hours. I haven't timed it, but it appears to be at least 6-hours. It comes on a single 2-sided DVD disc. The only format available is fullscreen (1.33:1), no widescreen. The movie was shot on film, but was originally produced for broadcast TV. This is probably why it's only available as fullscreen, but it sure would have been much nicer as widescreen. Imagine some of the sweeping cinematography in a widescreen version! Not sure why some other folks thought this DVD transfer wasn't all too good, perhaps it is their equipment or the DVD itself was damaged. I did not see or hear any problems on my equipment. I viewed it on a Panasonic DVD-A120 using colorstream output into a 61-inch Toshiba Cinema Series HDTV Ready Digital Progressive Scan TV (TX61X81) with a Dolby Surround Audio system and it looked and sounded very good. Perhaps the other folks used something less than this quality.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best things ever done for television.
Review: Although the phrase "made for television" conjures up the images of the tabloid story of the week and women-in-peril films; Larry McMurtry's epic novel "Lonesome Dove" would not have been given justice in any other format. Television allowed that magnificent work to be brought to life in some form resembling the novel. The six hour running time enabled character and storyline development that would not have been possible if the novel had been adapted for theaters. Although it does have the jarring breaks that marked where a commericial interuption had once been and it's share of television stars (Urich, Shroeder, Corbin); "Lonesome Dove" is movie big. Big stars. Wonderful cinematography. Great locations. An authentic look. A terrific score. The producers, cast, crew, and director went the full measure to ensure that this movie did not look or feel like a "movie of the week" production. Personally, I believe it, along with "Roots," to be the finest work ever done in the medium of television. It really does make you feel for its characters. The viewer will cheer and hope for them, and when tragedy occurs, as it does throughout the film, it will shake the viewer. Nobody is safe: comic relief characters, children, and, even, experienced Rangers. McMurtry drives home the message that death in the Old West could occur to anyone at anytime with shocking suddenness. In the end, Captain Call looks back and remembers his friends and comrades who did not return with him. As he does, tears come to the eyes of this taciturn character; and rest assured he is joined by many in the viewing audience.
Rating:
Summary: Rent before you buy! Sloppy transfer to DVD!
Review: I agree with the viewer from Anaheim (2/15/00 review); Hallmark and Artisan ought to be ashamed of the way they have transferred this great western to DVD! This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase this classic at its very best via DVD. Instead, the final product is a monumental disappointment! In addition to what has already been cited in the earlier review, another shocker are the words: "FULLSCREEN VERSION: Formatted from its original version to fit your screen." Of course, this means that every closeup in the original widescreen is now too closeup in the fullscreen version, e.g., a single face often fills the screen. Dialog betwen two actors who were in the same scene in widescreen are now pictures that jump back and forth between the two in fullscreen. Quite often, the original panoramic scene in widescreen is completely lost in the fullscreen, i.e., like losing your peripheral vision in real life. It's maddening! You'd think it would be a no-brainer to assume that most customers would want to see the picture as it was originally formatted rather than a pan-and-scan version. Does anyone else feel as strongly as I do about buying the complete movie, as shown in its original theatrical format? I'm amazed at how often this travesty is committed on DVD. (For example, Warner's did the same thing to the film classic, "Chariots of Fire.")
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