Why was Doc Holliday always sweating in “Tombstone”?

The big picture

• Dr. Holliday’s Sweat
  Tombstone
  symbolizes his fatal tuberculosis infection, further complicating his heroic personality.
• Tuberculosis was a widespread and deadly disease in the 1800s, and contributed to Holliday’s tragic fate in the film.
• Holliday’s decision to face her illness head on demonstrates her courage and loyalty, making her final moments poignant.

In the modern history of Westerns, it would be difficult to find a cowboy as charismatic or instantly iconic as by Val Kilmer Doc Holliday’s portrayal in the 1993 film Tombstone. Today considered one of the greatest Westerns ever made, Kilmer’s performance as the trained gunslinger with a quick draw is one of the best of his careerwith Holliday’s classy wit and carefree audacity shining through in every scene. As unconditionally faithful to Tombstone Dr. Wyatt EarpMy First Encounter with Kurt Russell) as he is dissolute in his hobby of cards and alcohol; however, The film spends less time on Holliday’s backstory than on his self-destructive habits.leaving several gaps in the audience’s understanding of the character.

The biggest of these gaps concerns the character’s mysterious illness that manifests itself throughout the film, which begins with a slight cough. Tombstone opening scenes and causes Kilmer’s cowboy appears increasingly tired as the story progressesAlmost constantly covered in a sheen of sweat, Holliday doesn’t let his illness stop him from joining Russell’s great revenge race against Tombstone cowboy, but his condition worsens after Russell’s righteous riders are attacked by Curly Bill (Boothe Powers) during the film’s river shootout. Between coughing up blood and fainting, Holliday’s sweat becomes a symbol of ill health that hurts him more than any cowboy, so What was the real reason behind Holliday’s perpetually wet face?

Doc Holliday’s sweating is a symptom of a worse disease in “Tombstone”

While the film never overtly confirms the details of Holliday’s illness, viewers familiar with the lingo and circumstances of the Tombstone 19th-century setting can guess what ails everyone’s favorite Southern gunslinger. The fact that Holliday’s rivals constantly refer to him as “lunger” throughout the film hints at the origins of his cough, while details from Doc Holliday’s real life biography confirm The tramp had contracted tuberculosis when he took part in the infamous shooting at the OK Corral. Also known as consumption during the period Tombstone occurs, common symptoms of tuberculosis include prolonged coughing fits, bloody spitting up and increased sweating, confirming illness as the real culprit behind Holliday’s shortened life in Tombstone.

While the film doesn’t dwell on the prevalence or full implications of Holliday’s disease, the legacy of tuberculosis in America is no joke. The disease is so fatal and contagious that It is estimated to have killed one in seven people who lived before the year 1800.with preventative hygiene measures fully implemented only in the years after Holliday had already contracted the disease. As Kurt Russell’s essential film demonstrates, the world of Tombstone It’s full of more alcohol and bloodshed than good hygieneSo Holliday’s dissolute lifestyle undoubtedly contributed to the gradual decline of his health.

How did Doc Holliday get tuberculosis in “Tombstone”?

As for how Kilmer’s short-lived marshal finds himself dying in the first place, Tombstone does not offer the audience a clear answer, but instead uses Holliday’s failing health to thematically convey the character’s fatalism and making his final devotion to Russell’s character all the more heartbreaking. Therefore, to understand the suffering behind one of Kilmer’s most pivotal performances, it is important to draw once again on the film’s real-life inspiration. In essence, tuberculosis is caused by the spread of germs that travel through the air, making the disease remarkably easy to contract and die from without proper treatment. Since Holliday’s mother died of the disease when he was still a teenager, It is likely that he received his death sentence from hermarking the only time Tombstone A skilled player had a truly tragic run of bad luck.

Just like in the movie, Holliday’s condition leads to his death in a sanatorium in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, after resolving Earp’s vendetta. At the time, such facilities were intended to provide patients with more hospitable conditions to alleviate their symptoms, but Tombstone in the final analysis uses the setting to reaffirm the profound humanity that survived Holliday’s years of illness. In a film that gives audiences one of the finest moments in a Kurt Russell movie, the film highlights how Holliday chooses to live with his illness, cleverly exaggerating his symptoms to take Wyatt’s place in his duel with by Michael Biehn Johnny Ringo in Tombstone most epic scene. And while Kilmer’s character doesn’t long survive his success, his final, sweat-stained moments on screen underscore the friendship at the heart of the film, as he encourages Earp to go and live the long life he never had the chance to enjoy in the first place.

Tombstone is currently available for streaming on Hulu in the United States

WATCH ON HULU