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The Virginian (TV) More at IMDbPro »
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| Index | 17 reviews in total |
12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Exceptionally scripted film, well directed and acted., 13 January 2000
Author:
hero from THE SEA RANCH, CA, USA
Emphasis has been placed on realism is this exceptionally scripted and
well
directed/enacted version of previously screened material. The characters'
interrelationships have been portrayed in much greater depth than is usual
in
many action westerns. It's refreshing to have the issue of guilt and
ambivalence resulting from an act of moral conviction and responsibility
revealed, elevating the value of what could have been simply a stale
reissue
of antique western genre. This fresh film provides the opportunity of
fulfilling viewing--worth the investment of time.
12 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Another Bill Pullman gem, 25 May 2001
Author:
Canela04 from Claremont, CA
Just about the time I think Bill Pullman couldn't do any better.......along
comes another diamond.....this one not the least bit in the rough. Beautiful
authentic adaptation of Owen Wister's book...marveously cast, and the
scenery a feast for the eyes. Even though the Canadian scenery was
extraordinarily beautiful, I would have liked to have had the movie filmed
in the U.S.A.
The female lead was a bit wooden, but she can be credited with giving a
passable performance. I venture to ask.....why would a Vermont straight
laced, proper lady venture out into the wilds of the untamed West and still
demand an eastern gentleman's manners? A cowboy's manners are every bit as
appropriate as any other gentleman's for a lady....and Bill Pullman's
Virginian was every bit a gentleman. He needed no educating from Molly 'in
that regard'.
I do take pleasure viewing Bill's father-in-law as an extra in Bill's films.
A nice gesture.....typically Pullman. His children must have had fun being
in Dad's film also. What a guy!!!!!!!!!!!
10 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
No Disappointment Here, 13 January 2000
Author:
stew99 from Seattle, WA
A pleasant surprise! I wasn't sure what to make of the idea of Bill Pullman filling the role made famous by Gary Cooper and Joel McCrea, so I approached this movie with some trepidation. But it was very enjoyable, and Pullman did a great job in the part. The dialogue was well-written and much more authentic to the time period than most western movies. The scenery was spectacular. And I was glad to see much of the original book's plot was intact, although there were a few changes made which were somewhat disappointing. But, altogether an engrossing and realistic movie. Pullman, as both actor and director, has managed to truly capture the essence and personality that, I believe, author Wister intended for his all-too-human hero.
8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
Finally, a faithful adaptation, 14 January 2000
Author:
jbuntz from Clarks Summit, PA
I've been a fan of the western genre since I was a little girl, and "The Virginian" has been one of my favorite novels for 30 years. I've seen the Gary Cooper and the Joel McCrea movies and both of them were a disappointment. They made too many changes to an already perfect story. Ah, Bill Pulman's is so different. It's very faithful to the spirit of the original story, even when it changes details. The characters are beautifully realized. I think it's a gem of a film. Thanks, Bill for your sensitivity to an icon of American literature.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A Worthy Portrayal..., 31 January 2000
Author:
daghda_jim from Virginia (Honest!)
...but quite different from the book. I saw this film first,
then read
Wister's novel, which was reminiscent of the better Zane Gray tales, in
their portrayal of the real West and what westerners were like.
Bill Pullman did a fine job, as star and director, but I have to wonder
why
they made a number of pulp western-y changes. The shootout in the book
was
simple and powerful, compared to the film's version. The book had
examples
of rude horseplay and one-upmanship that was the basis of Trampas' hatred
for the Virginian, and went deeply into what kind of a man you had to be
to
survive out in the West of that time.
In some way this gives you the best of both media: see the film first, for
the enjoyment it provides, and then dig up a copy of the novel for an
interesting, considerably different version of the story.
6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
A beautiful movie, with a slower pace and more formal style completely in keeping with the time period., 17 February 2003
Author:
Elizabeth from Los Angeles, California
Not only is this a physically beautiful movie, but it has an authentic feel on a number of levels. Seeing this movie, I can believe that time was experienced differently by people living in a rural, pre-technological world. And I found the more formal style of speaking, while a little awkward in my modern ears, totally believable. I don't know if this really is how things were, but this movie is persuasive. For the rest of it - the romance is romantic, the mans-gotta-do-what-a-mans-gotta-do thing is well done (understandable, not chest-beating silly) and the bad guy (Dennis Weaver) is an interesting blend of bully and weasel. All the performances were terrific, in fact. In an odd way, this movie makes many other recent Westerns (which I actually also enjoyed) seem a little less realistic. There's something really lovely here, if you give it time to unfold.
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
GREAT WESTERN , LIFELIKE ROMANCE , NO FLATTERY OF AMERICA'S PAST..., 7 April 2004
Author:
spanky6666 from Belgium
If you like an honest and touching western-like movie, you really got too see this one! Be warned however,this is not your usual all-shooting all-dancing big budget western movie ! Nothing has been exaggerated or romanticized like 98% of all other Western movies do,if you know what I mean... My English writing is not good enough to explain what I really mean, I can only urge you to read the user comment of Elizabeth (Feb-17-2003) ,that explains my thoughts about this little gem the best... If you're not blinded by hollywood standards and want to see an off-beat western, give this one a try,you won't be disappointed ! Go see it now,...hurry !! :)
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
Disappointing rewriting, 16 September 2006
Author:
elijahbailey from Falls Church, Virginia
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I was ready to give this latest version of "The Virginian", one of my
favorite novels of all time, a whirl when it aired.
I could not believe my ears, though, when in the first meeting by the
black-haired man with his nemesis Trampas while playing "cyards" in
Medicine Bow, Wyoming, the critical line that sets up the whole
protagonist situation of the story was altered!
Owen Wister's novel reads as follows:
It was now the Virginian's turn to bet, or leave the game, and he did
not speak at once.
Therefore Trampas spoke. "Your bet, you son-of-a ----,"
The Virginian's pistol came out, and his hand lay on the table, holding
it unaimed. And with a voice as gentle as ever, the voice that sounded
like a caress, but drawling a very little more than usual, so that
there was almost a space between each word, he issued his orders to the
man Trampas: --
"When you call me that, SMILE!" And he looked at Trampas across the
table.
Yes, the voice was gentle. But in my ears it seemed as if somewhere the
bell of death was ringing; and silence, like a stroke, fell on the
large room. All men present, as if by some magnetic current, had become
aware of this crisis. In my ignorance, and total stoppage of my
thoughts, I stood stock-still, and noticed various people crouching, or
shifting their positions.
"Sit quiet," said the dealer, scornfully, to the man near me. "Can't
you see he don't want to push trouble? He has handed Trampas the choice
to back down or draw his steel."
Then, with equal suddenness and ease, the room came out of its
strangeness. Voices and cards, the click of chips, the puff of tobacco,
glasses lifted to drink, - this level of smooth relaxation hinted no
more plainly of what lay beneath than does the surface tell the depth
of the sea.
For Trampas had made his choice. And that choice was not to "draw his
steel."
In the Pullman production, the critical line becomes, "When you call me
that - smile, so I'll know we're still friends.
EGAD!! This is both fiction - the two men had never before crossed
paths, and it completely undercuts the whole tone of the exchange!
At this, I gave up on the project and turned it off. Hollywood probably
thinks it can improve on the balcony scene in "Romeo and Juliet", as
well!
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Well Worth Watching Many Times Over, 5 July 2004
Author:
Seth Quinn from San Francisco
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
From the first panoramic scene of galloping horses over the verdant steppes of Wyoming (well its filmed in Canada), I knew this film held promise and it did not disappoints. Deliberately paced, patient personal studies and sufficient screen times between the lead characters builds a believable, human story out of the wild west. Thanks to another insightful poster, this film neither glamorizes nor caricaturizes the western experience and in so doing made many of the other westerns less real now. Pullman does nice job of directing and acting too. Diane Lane delivered the staid school teacher from the North character perfectly. Strong supporting cast especially the Judge. Agree with another poster, the ending ***SPOILER*** would have been more poignant had it ended with Pullman accepting the loss of his love and living with the adjudication that he had defended his personal honour in a way a man was supposed to in those days.
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Pullman pulls off a superb job!, 26 January 2001
Author:
jgower from Florida, USA
I've always liked Bill Pullman as an actor, so I was anxious to rent
this movie when it came out on video (it was originally a TNT
production). I wasn't expecting it to be quite this good, however, and
I was very impressed by Pullman's superb directing (he directed,
produced, and acted). The cinematography (it has that late-90s western
hue and tone to it) was excellent, and the music was also very good.
There were several aspects of the film that were very much like
"Lonesome Dove" (it even co-starred the lovely Diane Lane), which can
only be taken as a compliment. Anyway, this was an extremely enjoyable
modern western.
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