I absolutely love this week's @cinetv contest as it gives me an opportunity to tell the story of how much Tombstone means to me and why! I don't espouse that this is the greatest western of all time, but it is the one that has moved me the most and will always have a special place in my soul!
Many, many moons ago, I lived in Guyana and Suriname for a total of a little over two years. Guyana was not that big of a deal entertainment wise, because it is an English-speaking country. On the other hand, however, Suriname is mainly Dutch and a creole version of Dutch, both of which hurt my head to even think about and trying to learn to speak it almost ruptured my throat (lolololol)!!!! During this time I suffered with chronic insomnia and the local television station stopped broadcasting at around 10pm and even when it did broadcast it's not like I could understand anything.
Fortunately for me the house we rented came with a VCR and I had two English language movies with me one was Desperado and the other was, you guessed it, Tombstone. I would literally watch both movies every night and to this day I'm sure I could recite every line from both movies from memory alone...lolololol. What is weird is when you are so very far from home and your own culture anything from home seems magical and I never tired of these two movies even after hundreds of viewings!
Now I still like Desperado but it doesn't even come close to the adoration I have for Tombstone. I'm not sure if it is the quintessential representation of the American wild west or some other factor that solidified it in my heart, but I absolutely LOVE this film. I know the writers and directors took significant creative liberties with this movie that is based upon some historical facts but the flow and tempo of the movie are just so enjoyable to me.
My favorite aspect of this movie is the stellar depiction of Doc Holiday by Val Kilmer. It is the most iconic portrayal of this enigmatic western figure and it will always be my favorite version of him. Being from Georgia and having your hometown only a few hours from where Doc Holiday was raised and educated ensures that his character will always be endearing to you and Val Kilmer was able to capture the inflections and attitude of southern aristocracy without playing it up so much that it becomes a caricature of reality. He is a flawed man who full well knows his weaknesses and addictions and makes no excuses for them. He is the epitome of self awareness and that character trait speaks extremely deeply to me.
So that is why Tombstone is the western movie that moved me! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and remember I love you all and each of you has an immeasurable amount of value and worth!
All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter, Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost -Tolkien
