Louis L'Amour's: The Sacketts [2 Discs]

Director: Robert Totten Robert Totten

Overview

The made-for-television western The Sacketts combines the plotlines from two seperate Louis L'Amour novels, The Daybreakers and The Sacketts. In this film, the three Tennessee-raised Sackett brothers migrate to the West following the conclusion of the Civil War.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/30/2006
UPC:	0012569721807
Original Release:	1979
Rating:	NR
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	3:13:00
Sales rank:	4,190

Special Features

Closed Caption;New featurette: "The Sacketts go West" with co-star Jeff Osterlage and writer Jim Byrnes ; Subtitles: Français & Español (Movie Only)

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jeff Osterhage	Tyrel Sackett,Actor
Tom Selleck	Orrin Sackett
Sam Elliott	Tell Sackett
Glenn Ford	Tom Sunday
Jack Elam	Actor
Gene Evans	Actor
Ben Johnson	Actor
Mercedes McCambridge	Actor
Slim Pickens	Actor
Gilbert Roland	Actor
Ruth Roman	Actor
Ana Alicia	Actor
James Gammon	Actor
Paul Koslo	Actor
John Vernon	Actor
Sparky Watt	Preacher
L.Q. Jones	Actor
Jerrold Immel	Composer

Technical Credits

Jim Byrnes

Robert Totten	Director
Douglas Netter	Producer
John Copeland	Producer
Jim Byrnes	Producer,Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

If you think epic-scale westerns on TV began with Lonesome Dove, we refer you to this exemplary miniseries, adapted from a series of novels by Louis L'Amour, that first aired on NBC in May 1979, nearly a decade earlier. The Sacketts chronicles the adventures of three brothers who rise above their humble circumstances and become men to be reckoned with. The eldest, Tell (Sam Elliott), sets the plot in motion when he kills a card cheat named Bigelow, whose siblings swear to wreak vengeance on the Sacketts no matter how long it takes. Tell's younger brothers, Orrin (Tom Selleck) and Tyrell (Jeff Osterhage), fall in with a couple of grizzled old-time cowboys (Glenn Ford and Ben Johnson) who see that the Sackett boys get an education and a stake in the cattle business. This sprawling saga builds to a lengthy climax set in Santa Fe, where the brothers are united and the long-simmering feud with the Bigelows comes to a boil. Although Robert Totten's direction is professional and the production extremely well mounted, the best thing about this four-hour epic is its cast, which includes a slew of top pros including Gilbert Roland, Gene Evans, Ruth Roman, Mercedes McCambridge, Jack Elam, L. Q. Jones, and Slim Pickens, among others. Elliott and Selleck -- both of whom would frequently return to the western in years to come -- already seem at home in the saddle, and even though they're overshadowed by the supporting cast, each has ample opportunity to distinguish himself. The story line gets a little thin here and there, but The Sacketts has a relentless narrative drive that quickly steamrolls over the weak spots. Overall, it's a wonderful miniseries, one of the best to play network TV during the '70s.