Monday, January 11, 2010

TOMBSTONE(1993)


Tombstone (1993) Written by Kevin Jarre. Director Kurt Russell, with credited director George P. Cosmatos, ghost-directing. Cast: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott and Charlton Heston.

Tombstone(1993), Is one of my top 5 "gotta see films". I love everything about it, the scenery, costumes, actors and story line. Wyatt Earp a retired peace officer with a legendary reputation trying to put his past behind him, re-unites with his brothers Virgil and Morgan in Tucson, Arizona, where they travel on on to Tombstone, a mining town. There they find Wyatt's longtime friend Doc Holliday, a southern gambler and shady character who is looking for relief from his tuberculosis. Just as Wyatt and his brothers begin to earn money from their gambling saloon, they have their first encounter with the Cowboys, a band of ruthless outlaws. Led by "Curly Bill". In one of my favorite scenes, a fight is avoided when Wyatt's insist that he is retired and no longer interested in enforcing the law. This is also first face to face meeting for Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo, famous for being one of the fastest guns in the West. They take an immediate dislike to one another. They have a gun/cup face off with fancy tricks. Also newly arrived in Tombstone with a traveling group of theater performers are Josephine Marcus. The married Wyatt tries to resist his strong attraction to Josephine. Wyatt, is soon forced to help rid the town of the Cowboys..

One of the things that stood out most in the movie for me was the friendship between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. The performances of Kurt Russell (as Wyatt Earp) and especially Val Kilmer, for his performance as the dying Doc Holliday, is my favorite on screen performances..


Fun Facts:

The Latin phrases spoken by Doc and Ringo have a different meaning beyond their literal translation. The conversation could be translated into English:

DOC: Wine loosens the tongue.

RINGO: You better pay attention to what you're doing.

DOC: Go tell someone else.

RINGO: (tapping his gun) Fools must learn through experience.

DOC: Rest in peace.


Robert Mitchum was going to play th part of Old Man Clanton. On the first day of shooting he fell from his horse and injured his back, forcing him to quit. Mitchum provides the narration at the beginning and end of the film. The part of Old Man Clanton was eliminated from the script.
TOMBSTONE MOVIE TRAILER.

2 comments:

Paul 2 said...

Dawn, Tombstone is among a number of good films on the Earp Arizona period. Others s are Gunfight at OK Corral, My Darling Clementine, and Hour OF The Gun

Dawn said...

Paul, we should wite blogs about them. :)