Summary of Context
To explore the
legend of Tombstone is nothing new to the motion picture industry. In 1993, George P.
Cosmatos (Hollywood Pictures) directed his version of Tombstone in Arizona, trying to
match the setting of the actual event. Using a mixture of action, drama and western
genres, Cosmatos created the film Tombstone. The reviews for the film were both positive
and negative. Tombstone’s epitaph could have well been called "How the Western
Wear Was Worn," said Richard Harrington a Washington Post staff writer. It was said
to be highly stylized fashion and contained unfocused plot lines. Another review by James
Bernardinelli stated, "The first half of the movie isn’t an example of great
film making, but on the other hand it is engaging." He also stated, "The scenes
features lengthy segments of poorly scripted dialogue, and in some cases, character
motivation being unclear. As a result, Bernardinelli states it is "a cobbled-together
morass of silly lines and shoot-outs—doesn’t work well."
"Tombstone" received many low ratings; two stars out of four and a score of 7.2
out of 10.
Throughout the "professional" film reviews, it seems that there were a lot of mixed feelings toward the film "Tombstone."
A review, written by Steven Hunter, found on the web site www.ask.com, stated that "Tombstone has great fun mixing styles, facts, and wisecracks and archetypes in a new and generally unrecognizable ways." He also states that "Tombstone uses good actors promiscuously, it has a brilliant cast, much underused." Another review done by HBO/Cinemax, stated that "Tombstone was excessively violent for the younger viewers causing the viewer rating to be "R.""
On the other hand, the general viewers seemed to have really liked it, and still do. If you look up reviews on the web site of www.ask.com, you will find a lot of positive reviews about the film from the general public. One fan stated that "even if you aren’t a western fan (like me), you will still at least enjoy the film." They also stated that it has "intense pacing, story telling, and plot build up." "The only fault to the movie is the romance," stated another general viewer in the online forum, "The movie really seems to fall down in this event." Other fans state that they watched the film at least once a month because it was such a good movie from the beginning to the end.
Throughout the different reviews, whether professional or from the general public, there seems to be major controversy over the motion picture "Tombstone." Some critics have positive thoughts others have stated negative thoughts about the movie. It seems that the general public appreciated "Tombstone" more that the professional critics did. Some say that it is unsatisfying and unfulfilling and some say that it was the best film they have ever seen. How you feel about the movie depends both on your likes and dislikes and your attitude towards how the movie was made.
Plot Summary and Critique
The movie Tombstone is a classic western
that pits U.S. Marshall Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), and others
vs. the lawless and notorious Cowboys. At first, Wyatt just wanted to settle down and make
a nice living and didn’t want anything to do with the Cowboys. His living consisted
of drinking, gambling, and having a good time with is friends. Unfortunately, the brothers
and Doc Holliday had a conscious and after looking into the eyes of the many suffering
town people they reluctantly joined forces to fight against the Cowboys. The Cowboys who
have been stealing, killing, and just making life miserable could really care less about
any laws or law enforcement. So when the brothers reluctantly joined together to save the
town and fight against the Cowboys, many people were not surprised. And this is where the
battle at the O.K. Corral takes place.
Doc and the brothers then walked into the Corral and asked the Cowboys to hand over their guns. Then came an all out gunfight where many of the Cowboys were killed. And because of this, all the Cowboys wanted the brothers and Doc dead. However, the Cowboys don’t have a conscious and tried to kill the wives of the brothers. Because of this, Wyatt had second thoughts about fighting the Cowboys. When his younger brother is shot and killed and his older brother is shot in the hand, they decide to give up and go back home. The Cowboys, who still want to retaliate, plan a surprise ambush on the train. However, Wyatt and Doc will never give up and have a plan against the Cowboys. Wyatt and Doc stop the ambush and go on an all out rampage against the Cowboys. Unfortunately, Doc is suffering from tuberculosis and is dying. But this doesn’t matter, and after many close calls Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday are able to kill all the Cowboys. But all this wear and tear on Doc Holliday has left him on his deathbed. Wyatt stays at Docs side until he dies.
This film is a classic western where the good guys such as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday have endless ammunition and can never miss. But besides this, the film is great. It keeps your attention and is thrilling to the last moment. It also has a star studded cast that include Charleston Heston, Sam Elliot, and even Jason Priestley. These great performers put together a film that is a classic in many peoples mind.
Summary of Context
The movie Tombstone is actually a true
story. It is about what happens, before, during, and mainly after the gunfight at the O.K.
Corral. There have been many other western movies about Wyatt Earp and the famous gunfight
at the O.K. Corral including: The Town Too Tough To Die, My Darling Clementine, Gunfight
at the O.K. Corral, Hour of the Gun, and Doc. But overall, Tombstone is said to be one of
the most accurate films about the actual historic events. Yet, it still has its
differences with history.
Much of Tombstone’s authenticity comes at times you would least expect it. For example, it is actually documented that from point-blank range Bill Brosius did try to kill Wyatt, but missed three times before Earp killed him with a shotgun. Another point, is that the Clanton's and McCaury’s were huge enemies of the Earp’s. This rivalry caused causalities on both sides. Also, Jarre’s script portrays the Earp’s as lacking virtues and being not so perfect. The truth is that Earp had been on both sides of the law, both as a horse thief and a card cheat, but he was also hired to obtain the law in cow towns, although, he was known for taking bribes. As a lawman he usually achieved order by using his fists instead of guns. So, the film was correct in saying that Wyatt had only been in one true gunfight before the events of the story.
Another surprise in accuracy would be that the shootout at the O.K. Corral was filmed
exactly as the courtroom proceedings told them. Although, much of the film is historically
accurate, there are some flaws in Tombstone. For example, in the beginning of the film the
Cowboys, lead by William "Curly Bill" Brocius and Johnny Ringo, who all happen
to be dressed in red sashes, attack a Mexican wedding party. But, in reality, there was
never a Mexican wedding party, the Cowboys didn’t wear red sashes, and the Cowboys
were an unorganized group of outlaws without a leader. Also, Wyatt’s wife, Mattie,
was not an opium addict. In addition to that, the film shows sheriff Behan being surprised
at Wyatt’s arrival in Tombstone. When actually, Wyatt was invited by Behan and
planned to take his job as sheriff and settled for the job of deputy. In addition, Marshal
Fred White is shown as an older man, 
though
he was actually 31 years old. His shooting, in reality, was an accident and Wyatt
testified on Curly Bill’s behalf. White even said it wasn’t Curly Bill’s
fault and died two days later from being shot in the groin, not the chest. In Tombstone,
during the shootout the weather implies it was hot, with several actors sweating. But the
ground was actually spotted with snow because it had snowed the day before, making the
shootout quite cold. Finally, at the end of the film, it shows Doc dying in a sanitarium
and Wyatt visiting him shortly before he died. When Doc actually died he was in a hotel,
and Wyatt wasn’t aware of Doc’s death until eight years after his death.
http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/~dylan/tomb/shootout.html
(Tombstone newspaper 1881)
Questions for consideration
Page by Adrian Meyer, Jerron Grapes, Kristin Nelson, Kelly Petrich (H140, S2000)
What are your own thoughts about Tombstone?