While it may be historically inaccurate, it is not uncommon for bullies or "macho tough guys" to actually be cowards, trying to project confidence. Just think how often bullies are portrayed as strong and mean when surrounded by their friends/enablers. Once they're alone, or someone stands up to them, their facade crumbles and they turn in to sniveling babies.
Ike Clanton is no different. He's portrayed as tough and confrontational when other members of the cowboys are close by to back him up. Once the Earps and Doc show they're not intimidated, and are completely willing to kill him without hesitation, his facade crumbles as well.
Ike Clanton is no different. He's portrayed as tough and confrontational when other members of the cowboys are close by to back him up. Once the Earps and Doc show they're not intimidated, and are completely willing to kill him without hesitation, his facade crumbles as well.
Doc Holliday: In vino veritas. (In wine there is truth.)
Johnny Ringo: Vide illam Thora Hird. Ea est tua amica (See that Thora Hird. That's your girlfriend.
Doc Holliday: Credat Judaeus Apella, non ego. (Let Apella the Jew believe, not I.)
Johnny Ringo: Eventus stultorum magister. (Experience is the teacher of fools.)
Doc Holliday: In pace requiescat. (Rest in peace.)
The line "Credat Judaeus Apella, non ego" (Let Apella the Jew believe, not I) was confusing to viewers; scholarly papers showed that Romans used the phrase to show contempt for Judaism's belief that divine power was involved in everyday life.
Johnny Ringo: Vide illam Thora Hird. Ea est tua amica (See that Thora Hird. That's your girlfriend.
Doc Holliday: Credat Judaeus Apella, non ego. (Let Apella the Jew believe, not I.)
Johnny Ringo: Eventus stultorum magister. (Experience is the teacher of fools.)
Doc Holliday: In pace requiescat. (Rest in peace.)
The line "Credat Judaeus Apella, non ego" (Let Apella the Jew believe, not I) was confusing to viewers; scholarly papers showed that Romans used the phrase to show contempt for Judaism's belief that divine power was involved in everyday life.
Specifically, because the priest was quoting the Bible in an archaic form of Spanish, and Cruz, while colloquially and idiomatically fluent in the vernacular Spanish of the day, had no formal education. Ringo, however, was educated enough on the Book of Revelation to understand what the priest was quoting. This might be a lot like quoting Shakespeare to an American English speaker who had never studied Shakespeare. They might recognize many of the words, but it would largely sound like nonsense to them. Note how, when Cruz has difficulty understanding, Curly Bill turns immediately to Johnny Ringo for a proper translation, and Johnny berates Cruz for his ignorance.
John Henry "Doc" Holliday received a Degree of Dental Surgery from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery (now part of the University of Pennsylvania) in 1872 at the age of 20. Doc Holliday had dental offices in Atlanta, Dallas, and often practiced less formally on the side in his travels, most notably in Dodge City where he began his association with Wyatt Earp.
He stopped practicing dentistry after his tuberculosis and resultant coughing worsened. Also it would not have been practical for a man suffering from tuberculosis to be in such close contact with people, whose mouths were wide open only inches from his, a sure way of enabling the disease to spread. He found he had a talent for gambling and took that up as his profession.
He stopped practicing dentistry after his tuberculosis and resultant coughing worsened. Also it would not have been practical for a man suffering from tuberculosis to be in such close contact with people, whose mouths were wide open only inches from his, a sure way of enabling the disease to spread. He found he had a talent for gambling and took that up as his profession.
Doc Holliday suffered from tuberculosis. He may have contracted it from his mother. Doc is believed to have contracted the illness a decade before succumbing to it. One of the reasons Doc moved west and eventually to Arizona is because of the belief the dry air would ease his symptoms.
Doc is repeatedly referred to as a "lunger" in the film. "Lunger" was a derogatory slang term used during the era for someone suffering from tuberculosis, also referred to as consumption.
Doc is repeatedly referred to as a "lunger" in the film. "Lunger" was a derogatory slang term used during the era for someone suffering from tuberculosis, also referred to as consumption.
Wyatt is a faro dealer. Faro is a card game that enjoyed its greatest popularity during the 19th century, particularly in the Old West. It is most similar to the contemporary game of mini-baccarat. Faro had a notorious reputation for cheating among dealers and creating poverty among gamblers. Faro rapidly lost popularity during the first half of the 20th century and today is usually only played by Civil War and Old West re-enactors.
Mattie is addicted to laudanum. Laudanum is an opiate tincture, in other words, opium extracted into alcohol. Laudanum was a common pain reliever and analgesic, widely prescribed for a variety of conditions. Additionally, laudanum, like other opiates, was legal to purchase without prescription in the United States during the 19th century.
Laudanum was often prescribed to patients to induce sleep, which explains why Mattie spends most of her days lying in bed.
Laudanum was often prescribed to patients to induce sleep, which explains why Mattie spends most of her days lying in bed.
Wyatt Earp is shown with other handguns earlier in the film, but after being sworn in by Virgil, he goes back to his room to change his coat and retrieve a boxed revolver from a dresser drawer. The camera scrolls slowly across the weapon (this attention is not given to other firearms in the movie) and the music sounds triumphantly. There is a custom engraved shield with Wyatt Earp's name on the handle of the firearm.
The boxed handgun is a Colt Revolver-Carbine, popularly known as the "Buntline Special." The weapon was first written about by controversial Earp biographer Stuart N. Lake. He described the revolver as a version of the classic Colt's Single Action Army "Peacemaker" with an extra long barrel. In Lake's book, the pistol sported a 12 inch barrel. However, in Stuart Lake's original interview notes, it is indicated that Wyatt's pistol had a 10 inch barrel. The only witness to describe the gun Wyatt Earp used on the day of the O.K. Corral gunfight was a Tombstone butcher who described Earp's weapon as being "fairly large...14 to 16 inches in length". Since a Colt's .45 with a 10 inch barrel measures out to being exactly 15 inches in length, and since Lake's original notes indicate Wyatt's pistol had a 10 inch barrel, screenwriter Kevin Jarre had Kurt Russell carry that specific sized revolver.
Lake attributed the Buntline Special to popular dime novelist Ned Buntline, and wrote that Buntline presented a Buntline Special to five lawmen: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Bill Tilghman, Charlie Bassett and Neal Brown from Dodge City. Researchers have never found any record of an order received by the Colt company for such a pistol, and no evidence has been found to show that Ned Buntline ever met Wyatt Earp.
In the film, Wyatt does not regularly carry the Buntline Special until the fight at the O.K. Corral, after which he uses the gun for the entirety of the Earp Vendetta Ride. There is no conclusive proof as to the kind of pistol Wyatt carried on a regular basis. As a gambler, Wyatt Earp favored shorter-barreled pistols which were easy to conceal.He rarely fired the weapon but was known to use it to pistol whip an adversary on more than one occasion. One of the primary reasons Earp carried smaller pistols was that like he did not carry his weapon in a holster, but in his coat pocket, like his brother Virgil and Doc Holliday.
While there is no record that Wyatt Earp was actually presented with any firearm by Ned Buntline. The Buntline Special is still widely associated with Wyatt Earp. In the Hugh O'Brian "Wyatt Earp" TV series, O'Brian carried a pistol with a 12 inch barrel. In the film "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", actor Burt Lancaster is depicted in one scene showing his deputy the Buntline Special with a 12 inch barrel. Revolvers like this with 16-inch barrels were displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exposition and over-long barrels were readily available from Colt at one dollar per inch over 7.5 inches.
19th century Colt Single Action Army revolvers are among the most sought after firearms by collectors and command high prices. The extra long barreled pistols are especially valued because they are so very rare. After the "Wyatt Earp" TV series became popular, various Colt revolvers with long (12" or 16") barrels were referred to as "Colt Buntlines". Colt re-introduced the collector editions of the revolvers after 1956. Several companies continue to manufacture revolvers that they market as a collector's edition of the "Wyatt Earp Revolver". Was Wyatt Earp's fabled long barreled pistol a myth or a reality? No evidence has been found to show that Earp owned a Buntline Special.
The boxed handgun is a Colt Revolver-Carbine, popularly known as the "Buntline Special." The weapon was first written about by controversial Earp biographer Stuart N. Lake. He described the revolver as a version of the classic Colt's Single Action Army "Peacemaker" with an extra long barrel. In Lake's book, the pistol sported a 12 inch barrel. However, in Stuart Lake's original interview notes, it is indicated that Wyatt's pistol had a 10 inch barrel. The only witness to describe the gun Wyatt Earp used on the day of the O.K. Corral gunfight was a Tombstone butcher who described Earp's weapon as being "fairly large...14 to 16 inches in length". Since a Colt's .45 with a 10 inch barrel measures out to being exactly 15 inches in length, and since Lake's original notes indicate Wyatt's pistol had a 10 inch barrel, screenwriter Kevin Jarre had Kurt Russell carry that specific sized revolver.
Lake attributed the Buntline Special to popular dime novelist Ned Buntline, and wrote that Buntline presented a Buntline Special to five lawmen: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Bill Tilghman, Charlie Bassett and Neal Brown from Dodge City. Researchers have never found any record of an order received by the Colt company for such a pistol, and no evidence has been found to show that Ned Buntline ever met Wyatt Earp.
In the film, Wyatt does not regularly carry the Buntline Special until the fight at the O.K. Corral, after which he uses the gun for the entirety of the Earp Vendetta Ride. There is no conclusive proof as to the kind of pistol Wyatt carried on a regular basis. As a gambler, Wyatt Earp favored shorter-barreled pistols which were easy to conceal.He rarely fired the weapon but was known to use it to pistol whip an adversary on more than one occasion. One of the primary reasons Earp carried smaller pistols was that like he did not carry his weapon in a holster, but in his coat pocket, like his brother Virgil and Doc Holliday.
While there is no record that Wyatt Earp was actually presented with any firearm by Ned Buntline. The Buntline Special is still widely associated with Wyatt Earp. In the Hugh O'Brian "Wyatt Earp" TV series, O'Brian carried a pistol with a 12 inch barrel. In the film "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", actor Burt Lancaster is depicted in one scene showing his deputy the Buntline Special with a 12 inch barrel. Revolvers like this with 16-inch barrels were displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exposition and over-long barrels were readily available from Colt at one dollar per inch over 7.5 inches.
19th century Colt Single Action Army revolvers are among the most sought after firearms by collectors and command high prices. The extra long barreled pistols are especially valued because they are so very rare. After the "Wyatt Earp" TV series became popular, various Colt revolvers with long (12" or 16") barrels were referred to as "Colt Buntlines". Colt re-introduced the collector editions of the revolvers after 1956. Several companies continue to manufacture revolvers that they market as a collector's edition of the "Wyatt Earp Revolver". Was Wyatt Earp's fabled long barreled pistol a myth or a reality? No evidence has been found to show that Earp owned a Buntline Special.
It is not explained how the building caught fire. However, the burning building was likely included in the scene to symbolize a number of devastating fires that took place in Tombstone in June 1881 and May 1882. Wooden construction, combined with lack of water, resulted in considerable fire damage, one factor leading to Tombstone's decline to near-ghost town status.
The fire could also be symbolism for the biblical theme of Death coming, and hell following.
According to George P. Cosmatos in his Director's Commentary, he liked the backdrop of the townspeople rushing to save the building in contrast to the Earps and Holliday ignoring it as they go to the OK Corral in their single-minded purpose.
The fire could also be symbolism for the biblical theme of Death coming, and hell following.
According to George P. Cosmatos in his Director's Commentary, he liked the backdrop of the townspeople rushing to save the building in contrast to the Earps and Holliday ignoring it as they go to the OK Corral in their single-minded purpose.
A Director's Cut of Tombstone was released in 2002 in the course of the "Vista Series". The DC offers some, but few, new scenes which close a rift of plots. The DC doesn't invent the movie again, but it enhances it and runs approx. 6 minutes longer than the well-known Theatrical Version.
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- How long is Tombstone?2 hours and 10 minutes
- When was Tombstone released?December 25, 1993
- What is the IMDb rating of Tombstone?7.8 out of 10
- Who stars in Tombstone?
- Who wrote Tombstone?
- Who directed Tombstone?
- Who was the composer for Tombstone?
- Who was the producer of Tombstone?
- Who was the executive producer of Tombstone?
- Who was the cinematographer for Tombstone?
- Who was the editor of Tombstone?
- Who are the characters in Tombstone?Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Curly Bill Brocius, Johnny Ringo, Henry Hooker, Behan, Ike Clanton, Billy Clanton, and others
- What is the plot of Tombstone?A successful lawman's plans to retire anonymously in Tombstone, Arizona, are disrupted by the kind of outlaws he was famous for eliminating.
- What was the budget for Tombstone?$25 million
- How much did Tombstone earn at the worldwide box office?$56.5 million
- How much did Tombstone earn at the US box office?$56.5 million
- What is Tombstone rated?R
- What genre is Tombstone?Biographical, Drama, Historical Drama, Historical, and Western
- How many awards has Tombstone been nominated for?2 nominations
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