The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Rating:
Summary: "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
Review: John Ford's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" employs the time-tested storytelling device of playing off the idealist against the realist. When done right, engaging drama is created by the pairing of two such diametrically-opposed personas. However, when you up the ante by casting Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne to play the respective idealist and realist, you not only get engaging drama, but one heck of an entertaining film.

Attorney Ransome Stoddard (Stewart) is in a stagecoach destined for the western frontier. Before he reaches his destination, he and his fellow passengers are robbed by thief Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Stoddard tells Valance that society will punish him for his crimes but quickly learns that his words have little power in his new surroundings. Upon reaching the town Shinbone, Stoddard tries to bring civilized order to the untamed town but is told by Tom Doniphon (Wayne) that the ways of the Old West will die hard. Yet, both men eventually develop a bond of mutual respect for each other despite their differences. When Liberty Valance starts to terrorize Shinbone, Stoddard finds himself forced into a showdown with the outlaw - a confrontation that will in time become a legendary part of the small town's lore.

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is a fascinating depiction of an important period in American history when civilization started to make its way westward. This was a time when frontier justice started to give away to written law and the local political structure started to become formalized. Ideological differences between the new and the old naturally arose and the characters of Stoddard and Doniphon embodied in microcosm the differences each side held toward each other. The manner in which Libery Valance is defeated and the way it is remembered also is an interesting commentary on how larger-than-life the heroes of the Old West became when their exploits were recalled. Stewart and Wayne are outstanding in their roles as expected and Lee Marvin and Vera Miles chip in with great supporting turns. Life in the Old West was about much more than duels in the streets and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" effectively illustrates this point.

Rating:
Summary: Just One Shortcoming
Review: This is about as close as you can get to a perfect film, with one serious exception: James Stewart and John Wayne were twenty years too old for their parts. This can only be attributed to director John Ford, whose introversion made it harder and harder to him to deal with new actors and technicians as he got older. That aside, it's a riveting Western meditation about the nature of law and order and the uses of force to establish civilization.

Rating:
Summary: JIMMY AND JOHN. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?
Review: Shinbone is a sleepy little "one cow town" until all heck breaks loose on the trail outside town. The local bully and criminal, who has the whole town scared out of their wits, hold up the Overland Stage with several of his hoodlum buddies. Should have been a routine job but there is a young lawyer among the passengers who vows to clean up the territory...and without a gun! The bully and the lawyer face off in a variety of ways that ultimately lead to the classic western showdown. But the question remains right up until the movie's climax: who shot Liberty Valance?

Don't worry this John Ford classic western has plenty of fist fights and fast guns to appeal to any devout western movie lover but adds a story and script that will have those who normally don't take in westerns coming back again and again.

Beautifully shot and featured in its original black and white, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance features one of the greatest casts ever assembled under any movie title. John Wayne stars as Tom Doniphon with a supporting cast including Jimmy Stewart as Ransom Stoddard, Vera Miles (The Searchers, Follow Me Boys) as Hallie Stoddard, Edmond O'Brien (The Wild Bunch) as Dutton Peabody, Andy Devine (A frequent vocal performer in Disney animated features) as Marshal Link Appleyard, John Carradine (The Shootist--and the patriarch of the famed Carradine clan including David, Keith and Robert) as Maj. Cassius Starbuckle, Strother Martin (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) as Floyd, Lee Van Cleef (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, in one of his earliest roles) as Reese, Denver Pyle (Cahill, US Marshall) as Amos Carruthers and Lee Marvin, in one of his greatest roles ever, as Liberty Valance.

Rating:
Summary: True western
Review: The Man who shot Liberty Valance is a great western, a film that excels in supberb story telling and believable acting. I thought this film looked beyond the cliches of most westerns and gave us a great good guy in Ransom Stoddard (Stewart) and a terrific bad guy in Liberty Valance (Marvin).

The plot is easy to grasp, it's fun to watch, and it has a rising theme. The theme is the often the over used David and Goliath, underdog against topdog storyline, but in this movie Ford uses it masterfully. Stoddard is a lawyer from back East who goes out West to expand his horizons so to speak and he gets himself in an immediate fix with the local villain in Liberty Valance. After two or three conflicts, it becomes apparent that it's going to be a good guy/bad guy square off or showdown, which kind of builds some suspense in this film as to when it's going to happen.

The characters are unbelievabley real. Lee Marvin, and only Lee Marvin could play the wild and cruel Liberty Valance. I loved his character so much because he defines the wild, lawless West.
Jimmy Stewart is Ransom Stoddard, who is sort of a weakling, unsure and unprepared on what's ahead of him. I liked his character development because it grew from this weakling to someone with serious influence to the other characters.
John Wayne is Tom Donovan, whose character sorts of starts out on top but kinda lingers in the end, is really no different from his past characters in other films. To be frank, I really didn't see the huge value in Wayne's character, the film might've survived without him and just focused its entire energy on the conflicts between Marvin and Stewart's characters.
Vera Miles is Halley, the girlfriend of Donovan, but yet develops serious feelings for newcomer Stoddard. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but as usual Miles does a good job playing a western woman with some flair.

Ford chose this film to be in Black and White, although in 1962 films were being created in color. Ford did this because it created an atmosphere about it that somehow managed to make this film more appealing this way. It's difficult to describe, but after you see it, you'll probably agree this wouldn't have looked all that grand in color.

The reason why I give this film four stars, even though I've given it nothing but admiration, is because I was satisfied with this film but not stunned in awe like I could've been. Liberty Valance needed an even larger roll because his character was larger than life and so memorable. The romance in the film needs to be more intense, a bigger aspect in this film. It's dull but it had such great potential in taking off and all it did was hiccup. And Wayne's character is nothing original. As you will see, you gain nothing from his character. If anything, Wayne is there because it's a Ford film and because he's the Duke and he bullies his way to be the cover boy of every great western.
Don't get me wrong, I love John Wayne, but in this film I'm just not sure if he was needed. Sure after you see the end, you may say "Hey he had an important role!" But could it have been played by someone else? Yes indeed. Could John Wayne play Ransom Stoddard? No sir.

In overall satisfaction this film is great. It gives you a good story and you walk away pleased with it and you'll probably want to see it again. On the other hand, it had potential to really explode in certain parts in both emotion and conflict, but the Duke walks in the door just as its getting to the peak....(you'll see).
Buy this film, it's a keeper. Among the better westerns I've seen.

Grade: B+

Rating:
Summary: Right Up There With The Best of the West....
Review: This review refers to the Paramount ("Widescreen Collection") DVD of "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance"...

For over 40 years this western has stood the test of time. It's one that I could watch anytime,a great story,with a tremendous cast and a legendary director. I was thrilled to see it on DVD and even more so when I saw how good it looked.

Directed by John Ford, it stars, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Lee Marvin and Vera Miles.Stewart plays "Ransom Stoddard", an Eastern type bookish lawyer, who arrives in "Shinbone" naive to the code of the west. After witnessing the terroristic ways of one bad hombre, Liberty Valance(Lee Marvin),and his group of thugs, Ransom plans to rid the town of this menace, but is gonna do it legal like. At the same time, he is in competition for the fairest lady in town, with another good but tough guy...John Wayne.

The story of Liberty Valance's demise is told by Stoddard after returning to town decades later.He is now an esteemed Senator, and has been a legend in his own time for freeing Shinbone from the hold Valance had on it. But what is the real story of what happened that fateful day? The story unfolds captivatingly.

A great DVD. This 1962 Black and White looks crisp and clear,it is presented in widescreen, and is enhanced with Dolby Digital 5.1 or may be viewed in the restored mono. Other than a theatrical trailer, you wont find any special features, although this is a film you can just kick back and enjoy for itself. There are English subtitles for hearing impaired.

As I said it has a tremendous cast and you can never go wrong with a John Ford Western. But the cast doesn't end with the major stars. Here are some other notables to look for. Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Lee Van Cleef, Ken Murray, John Carradine, Jeanette Nolan, Woody Strode, Denver Pyle and Strother Martin.....WOW!

Westerns are my favorite genre, I probably have more Westerns in my collection then anything else.This one is a more subdued storyline than most shoot em ups, but is one of my personal favorites. I consider it right up there with "Shane" and "High Noon". If you love Westerns, this is a great addition to your collection.

Happy Trails.....Laurie

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant film
Review: John Ford's last western is anything but bad. James Stewart is simply brilliant as a lawyer who arrives at a Western town determined to prosecute an outlaw named Liberty Valance(wonderfully acted by Lee Marvin). John Wayne is on hand as the local gunfighter in conflict with Stewart over the same woman(Vera Miles). I won't give away anymore of the story, but the acting, directing and story are simply wonderful. Although he made it ironic and touching, Ford made it marvelously entertaining. Simply brilliant!

Rating:
Summary: who's the real hero please stand up
Review: Even thoe this is a fictional western you do kinda wounder could this realy have happend or simuler situation's in the real west. True john wayne movie good.

Rating:
Summary: A quiet sort of Western
Review: Most people think "Western" and think "shoot-'em-up" or sweeping full-color panoramic views. This movie has neither (it was shot, as were many of Ford's classics, in black and white). Its picture of the understated conflict between old ways (as represented by Wayne and Marvin) and the new (tenderfoot lawyer Stewart) is almost heartbreaking, and succeeds in making you wish, on one level, that the New hadn't won. Yet it also shows how necessary each was to the winning of the West. And withal it's not without its comic moments, particularly Shug Fisher as a stuttering cowboy, whose appearances on screen are well worth watching for. Love interest Miles, though she generally keeps to the background, provides the key to the whole film by being the focus of both Wayne's and Stewart's dreams. And Marvin as the title villain is absolutely splendid--this has to be one of his best roles ever. The pace may be too slow for younger audiences, but older Baby Boomers nostalgic for a genre they cut their teeth on will enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Western
Review: There are a lot of great Westerns but my favorite by far is The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. It showcases two of the greatest actors in movie history, John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart. Wayne plays his typical rough and tumble but moral cowboy/ranch owner role. But the greatness of Wayne was the way he played these roles. He was a great actor, a lot better actor then he was ever allowed to portray, but knew what the public wanted and he gave it too them. This role was one of his best, The Searchers and The Shootest are the only roles better. Stewart is so conviecing in this movie that you forget it's Jimmy Stewart you are watching(which is what made him great in all of his movies) He shines as the idealistic lawyer forced into a fight for his life. The story is told in a flashback by Stewart's character of events that happened 50 years earlier. It is a story of two men that stood up for what they believed in. Lee Marvin is pure evil as Liberty Valance, a great role. The rest of the supporting cast is wonderful. Valance is not only a great western but a great movie as well. A +++++++++++++

Rating:
Summary: When the Legend becomes Fact, Print the Legend
Review: This movie has all the ingredients of a great Western; John Ford Directing, John Wayne and Jimmie Stewart acting, and an excellent story line. The first time I saw this movie I was impressed but it wasn't until I saw it again years later that I truly began to appreciate the greatness of this movie. The initial attention is drawn to the irony of misguided credit for the film's title; the man who shot Liberty Valance. However, repeated viewing gives the audience an appreciation of just how artisticly this story is developed. A mistake of history credits the wrong man with the killing of a ruthless outlaw who terrorizes the otherwise peaceful community of Shinbone. The lives of two men go in opposite directions as a result of this mistake. The movie benefits from excellent casting as well as direction. The first excellent development was the casting of Wayne as Tom Donophan who portays the hero who drifts into obscurity. Wayne's powerful on-screen character shows a character whose fall is that much greater from the loftiness the Duke brings to the role. Conversely, Stewart's character, Ransom Stoddard, is a sort of Casper Milquetoast with a law degree whose ascendance is that much more unlikely. Lee Marvin is an excellent villain and Ford completes the casting with his usual complement of talented role players. The subtle imagery that permeate this picture makes subsequent viewing nearly as enjoyable as the initial one. Ford leaves us with an appreciation that greatness is not what it seems. After I came to appreciate the fullness of the director's message, I have not been to a funeral of an elderly person without thinking over the characters in this film. How will we be perceived when we're gone? What incidents in our lives altered how we are perceived? All of us possess some elements of Ransom Stoddard AND Tom Donophon in our lives but it is left to those who tell our story to determine how much of each the public perceives.