The Lone Ranger Revisited
The names, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, are legendary. The very mention of these timeless heroes evokes images like no other. The great horse Silver, the noble Lone Ranger, and the faithful Tonto are all part of our psyche like no other characters.
With the last Lone Ranger movie, "The Legend of the Lone Ranger", with Klinton Spilsbury and Michael Horse, the movie going public broke away from the classic Ranger image. After the death of Clayton Moore in 1999, interest in the Masked Man was renewed and has resulted in a mini flood of products.
We have seen Lone Ranger bobble heads, Lone Ranger salt and pepper shakers, a mounted Lone Ranger and Silver porcelain, a Silver and Scout Breyer horse, the DVD releases, and the Lone Ranger ring from The Marshall Corp.
We have been fortunate that The Western Channel had given us 4 years of the Lone Ranger. Their contract expired recently, and a one year run for the Masked Man is currently starting on another carrier.
It is only natural that we would expect a 'new' movie or TV show to resurface. Warner Brothers took up the gauntlet and "The Lone Ranger" (2003) was aired during the February sweeps.
For fans of the original Lone Ranger and Tonto, it is easy to pass off this version of the Lone Ranger as ill conceived, poorly produced, and being a pale reflection of the classic character. We can point out that John Reid has become Luke Hartman, and that Butch Cavendish is now changed to a bounty hunter. We can nitpick that the white hat is brown, and the mask is brown, not black. We can look at the age of the character. Clayton Moore was a mature young man when he took the role to television, Chad Murray is a teenager. The television Ranger was sombre, serious, and dedicated to the the pursuit of justice. Chad Murray, as Luke Hartman, is impulsive, angry, and impatient. Ranger Rock is gone, but the familiar Silver 'rear' remains. The familiar ambush now takes place in a few moments during the night.
The list of differences could go on.
The similarities and intent are important.
The story revolves around the arrival of Luke Hartman, Boston law student in town. After hearing sounds of violence, Luke saves Alope, (Tonto's sister), and isquickly introduced to the west His brother, a local storekeeper, is also a Texas Ranger. The tensions caused by the imminent arrival of the railroad have erupted into violence, and have resulted in deaths. The Texas Rangers, ride out to stop the raiders, and Luke, against his brothers wishes joins them. The first night comes, and they are massacred. Luke Hartman survives, and Tonto nurses him back to health. Training Luke in secret, Tonto and the medicine man prepare him for his future. In a showdown between Tonto and the Apache warchief, Tonto confronts his father regarding the wisdom of NOT helping the white eyes. Tonto backs off. During the showdow with the raiders, Luke and Tonto are aided by the Apache, who have seen the wisdom of helping out. The themes of honour, courage, justice and friendship are stressed in this film.
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