The Virginian

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!!!!!!!!!!!

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.

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.

...as said, the film was shot in Alberta, Canada... and it's simply beautiful. I've only seen 2 other remakes of The Virginian and this film is up there with the best of them. The acting is well done by just about everyone. It's a good TNT Original and a great start for Bill Pullman's directing and screenplay debut.

Also for those of you who don't know, his children & father-in-law cameo in this film as well.

...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.