Lonesome Dove Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Lonesome Dove Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 5, 2019

Mill Creek has released the classic Western miniseries 'Lonesome Dove' to two-disc Blu-ray in collectible SteelBook packaging. The series was previously released to Blu-ray in 2008 under the Weinstein Company label and by Mill Creek in 2015. This release appears to contain the same transfer used for the Weinstein 2008 Blu-ray; it was tweaked a bit for Mill Creek's 2015 release. It also includes 5.1 multichannel audio whereas the older Mill Creek issue contained two-channel lossy audio. The previous Mill Creek release contains one supplement whereas this set includes all of the Weinstein set's content. This review also includes a look at the SteelBook; see the 'Special Features and Extras' portion of the review below for more on its look and feel.

For a full series review, please click here; note that this link directs to the 2008 Weinstein disc.

Lonesome Dove Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The transfer utilized for inclusion with this SteelBook appears to be identical to the 2008 Weinstein issue (though it does make the transition from VC-1 to MPEG-4) rather than the nearly identical 2015 Mill Creek offering. Please click here for a full video review and additional screenshots; the two shots at the bottom of this review are sourced from this set.

Lonesome Dove Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mill Creek's previous release of Lonesome Dove downgraded from the Weinstein disc's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack to a Dolby Digital 2.0 offering. This one brings back the 5.1 lossy presentation. The soundtracks are not identical, statistically speaking anyway. The old Weinstein 5.1 track runs at a steady 625kbps whereas the Mill Creek offering runs at a steady 375kbps. If there is any other presentation difference it's difficult to tell. Comparing several scenes back-and-forth yielded no dramatic or even discernible differences in delivery. Both this and the old track are voluminous at reference level, filling the stage with generally adequate notes and fair detail but clarity is wanting and precision is lacking. It's a bit harsh, unkempt, unbalanced, unable to create a more properly defined and perfectly convincing sonic landscape. Stampeding cattle, trotting horses, gunshots, and other sound elements fall to the crunchy and harsh side of the spectrum. There appear to be a few sync issues here and there. Dialogue is not always crystal clear but it is center positioned with few, but occasionally evident, sync issues.

Lonesome Dove Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This SteelBook release of Lonesome Dove contains all of the supplements from the Weinstein release (the 2015 Mill Creek disc included only one). It also ships with a MovieSpree digital copy.

Disc One:

• Blueprints of a Masterpiece
• On Location with Director Simon Wincer
• Remembering Lonesome Dove
• Interview with Larry McMurtry
• Lonesome Dove Montage

Disc Two:

• The Making of an Epic

This SteelBook ships with a transparent plastic slipcover that has on it printed essentials on the front and rear sides: the film's title, cast billing, and a blurb on the front and a more involved cluster of information including a barcode, summary, images, bonus feature listings, a billing block, and some Blu-ray and digital tech spec boxes. It's a more attractive alternative to the traditional, more flimsy and ultimately disposable, "J-Card" that is glued to most SteelBook releases.

The SteelBook proper features Robert Duvall's Gus McCrae and Tommy Lee Jones' Captain Call on horseback. The image features semi-glossy highlights on the front, where various metallic elements on suspenders, reigns, and the like have something of a foil reflectiveness to them. The characters sit below a fairly bleak, overcast, gray sky which lightens to a more peachy, pastel color down lower. The letters "LD" appear at the top in silvery, stylized type that doesn't blend with the background but does settle into it. The rear side is stylistically similar, with the gray sky giving way to lighter shades. McCrae and Call appear on horseback but at much greater distance; terrain is visible across the bottom third. A SteelBook stamp and website appear bottom center. The spine features the film's title in white block, slightly worn lettering, center (the first letter in each word is a beige color). "2-Disc Set" print and Mill Creek and Blu-ray logos appear at the bottom. The front and rear sides will not show excess fingerprints.

Inside, the digital copy code is tucked underneath the left-hand-side tabs. The two Blu-ray discs are situated one per side on their own hub. The inner print is a two-panel spread that features a sunset image of old fenceposts leading to town on the right; a cowboy stands in silhouette on the left along the fence.

Lonesome Dove Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

With this release, Mill Creek has essentially taken the old Weinstein release, rebranded it, tweaked how the content is arranged on the discs, crafted new menu screens, and placed it in a fairly attractive SteelBook. It's a good set, imperfect as it may be in terms of its A/V delivery, and at least this one brings over the legacy extras missing from Mill Creek's 2015 release. For newcomers this is just about the best home video release of Lonesome Dove out there. It's a good upgrade from the 2015 disc but more of a parallel move with emphasis on packaging from the old 2008 Weinstein set. Recommended.