The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Rating:
Summary: Memorably moving western
Review: James Stewart and John Wayne are unforgettable here in what surely rank among their finest roles. Stewart is a progressive city lawyer who winds up trying to bring justice and democracy to the southwest; Wayne is a tough-talking gunman of the old West. Ford, with the help of a memorable cast that also includes Vera Miles, Lee Marvin and Andy Devine, brings incredible poignancy and sadness to this tale about America and its people in a time of change.

Rating:
Summary: Education is the basis of law and order.
Review: One night years ago I ate out with two of my best friends at my favorite restaurant. When I got home there was a Lee Marvin double feature on TCM, so I watched THE BIG HEAT and THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE. Both for the first time then I went to sleep. Ever since then I've considered that to be the best night of my life...I'm easy to please.

James Stewart plays Ransom Stoddard a young lawyer on his way out to Shinbone, but before he even gets there the most vicious criminal in the area, Liberty Valance, robs his stage. Liberty beats Ransom and leaves him for dead.

Ransom is taken under the wing of the Ericson family and their daughter, Hollie (played by the always beautiful Vera Miles), instantly takes a liking to Ransom. Much to the chagrin of local good tough guy Tom Doniphan.

I'm not going to give away any more of the plot, unlike the back of the DVD which gives away the ending! I will say that this is not your average shoot-'em up like TOMBSTONE or RIO BRAVO there is a lot of character and story development here and it pays off.

If you like Westerns or just enjoy good solid films then you have no excuse not to buy this DVD. Just look at the cast: John Wayne, Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, James Stewart, Lee Van Cleef, John Carradine, Edmond O'Brien, Strother Martin, Andy Devine, Woody Strode and Denver Pyle (Uncle Jessie!) all directed by John Ford with costumes by Edith Head! I'm getting light-headed just thinking about it.

D: John Ford (THE SEARCHERS, MISTER ROBERTS)

Tom Doniphan - John Wayne (THE SEARCHERS, STAGECOACH)
Ransom Stoddard - James Stewart (REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO)
Hallie Stoddard - Vera Miles (PSYCHO, THE SEARCHERS)
Liberty Valance - Lee Marvin (THE BIG HEAT, BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK)
Dutton Peabody - Edmond O'Brien (WHITE HEAT, THE WILD BUNCH)
Marshal Link Appleyard - Andy Devine (STAGECOACH, LONESOME)
Maj. Cassius Starbuckle - John Carradine (THE SECRET OF NIMH, THE GRAPES OF WRATH)
Pompey - Woody Strode (ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, SPARTACUS)
Reese - Lee Van Cleef (THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY, HIGH NOON)
Floyd - Strother Martin (THE WILD BUNCH, COOL HAND LUKE)
Amos Caruthers - Denver Pyle ("The Dukes of Hazzard", BONNIE AND CLYDE)

Rating:
Summary: Everybody has an opinion
Review: Well, John Ford has been quoted as saying that this movie was about fame, about BEING the man who shot Liberty Valance. LOOK where that fame took him. The people with the familiar faces made this movie very watchable. Gene Pitney had a hit song about it (not used in the movie). And yes, to one reviewer, sometimes murder MAY be the answer (as in "Slingblade") but Liberty's body was not "riddled" with bullets. He was put away with one shot. And who are these new sissies who insist on "extras" on their CD; who cares about extras? Enjoy the flick! This IS one of the great Westerns along with "High Noon", "Unforgiven", "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", etc. So lay your money down. This is a classic.

Rating:
Summary: Ground-breaking.
Review: In my opinion, this is one of the first non-traditional westerns. It is dark and complex. The death of an outlaw goes far from making everything right in the town of Shinbone. Life is rarely simple and TMWSLV is more legitimate than your average Hollywood fantasy due to its realistic mood.

John Wayne outshines all of the other stars onscreen. Every time he's on camera viewers will be appreciative. Yes, he is/was a man's man, but in this film he's far more man than legend. One cannot help but identify with him which is not the case when the heros of film have more steel than blood in their veins.

Lee Marvin plays a creative and intriguing vilain but the James Stewart character was a letdown. This is some serious overacting indeed. Stewart has to be one of the most annoying "heroes" in the history of filmmaking. He is a self-righteous characture of a good man and his portrayal is the only reason I can think of as to why this movie will strike some as being dated. We no longer, the general population that is, think of lawyers as being a bastion of truth, goodness or justice. Nevermind though, the rest of the cast and plot shine.

Rating:
Summary: More Than A Western
Review: This is simply one of the great movies, not just westerns, of all times. It goes to the core of what Americans value most, it's heroes. How are they created, what is a hero anyway, and in an Orwellian sense what's more important the fact or the legend? This movie is up there with Roshimon, and Blow Up as a study in reality, guilt, memory and morality.

John Ford parallels the story line with his own reassessment of his art. His characters are all there in their traditional movie persona John Wayne the two fisted, make your own law with a six gun, Jimmy Stewart the idealist of Frank Capra films Lee Marvin the dark side of the force (Wayne and Marvin yin and yang), Vera Miles the object of affection for Wayne and the complacent wife of Stewart, Andy Devine and Edmond O'Brien exceedingly flawed but amiable as ineffectual sheriff and newspaperman. But all with a sardonic twist.

As in Shakespeare, who are the good bad and the ugly here - who really shot Vallance and does it really matter? How did this one incident change the lives of all the players and the west?

One doesn't have to be a social historian to draw parallels to many of our institutions, and public figures (heroes) in the news today.

This is, in a nutshell, great story telling!

Rating:
Summary: Quite possibly the finest western of all time
Review: INTRODUCTION:
In 1962, the classic western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was released. The film combined two of the biggest stars of the day - John Wayne and James Stewart. The film also featured some of the other top actors of the day, including Lee Marvin and Andy Devine. Does this film live up to the "classic" reputation that people have given it over the years? Read on for my review.

BASIC PLOT:
An attorney (James Stewart) has traveled west to set up a law office. Unfortunately, along the way, he is attacked and robbed. Once he arrives in town, he discovers that the man who attacked him is Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) - a local menace who has been making life in town a living hill for quite some time. The local sheriff (Andy Devine) is a total coward, so it's up to the attorney and a local gunman on the side of the law (John Wayne) to put an end to Liberty's reign of terror.

FILM OPINIONS:
I have seen a number of westerns over the years (mostly because my father is a fen of the genre), and I can honestly say that this is the best one I've seen so far. The amount of depth is one of the most excellent attributes of this film - many westerns just follow the typical "hunt down and kill bad guys" formula, but this one is different - there's plenty of character development, for one thing. The actors are another great thing about this film. When you put John Wayne (the best actor to ever star in westerns, period) and James Stewart (who can fill ANY role well) in the same film, the results can only be good. Andy Devine is great as the cowardly sheriff, and Lee Marvin is an excellent bad guy.

DVD:
The DVD release of this film is disappointing for two reasons. First and foremost, there aren't any extras. This was to be expected, though - by the time this DVD came out, most of the stars were dead. My other main gripe with the DVD is the description on the back of the DVD case - THE LAST SENTENCE OF THE SUMMARY GIVES AWAY THE ENDING! I urge you, if you have not seen the film yet, DO NOT read the summary.

OVERALL:
What can I say that hasn't already been said? If you're a fan of the genre, you're going to love it. If you're not, this is the film that is liable to change your mind - and if it doesn't, chances are you'll never grow to like the genre. There are a lot of great westerns out there, but this one is virtually unrivaled in its sheer greatness. Highly recommended. Five out of five stars.

Rating:
Summary: So what's all the fuss about?
Review: John Wayne was never more of a tough cowboy than in this John Ford Masterpiece, Pilgrim, and James Stewart was never more the aw-shucks embodiment of educated idealism. Together they are rivals for Vera Miles, but they are also united against the outlaw who terrorizes the territory, Lee Marvin's Liberty Valance. Marvin is almost over the top as the evil Valance, but that is sort of the point - that he is a man universally recognized as evil. The question isn't "is Liberty Valance bad?" but rather which approach is more appropriate to combat him - fighting fire with fire (as exemplified by John Wayne's Tom Doniphon, the only man in the territory who is not intimidated by Liberty Valance) or whether "law and order" should prevail, as personified by Mr. Stewart's newly arrived Eastern Lawyer, Ransom Stoddard. The first time I saw this film the way that this central conflict was resolved surprised me - one of the biggest "twists" in the Western genre.

In my humble opinion it wasn't until Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" that another Western even approached the stature of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

Rating:
Summary: Saddest western ever made -box of tissues
Review: So sad to die of a broken heart. The cactus rose will alway be of keen meaning. The ending is so tearfull. The simple musical chords tug on the heart. Nothings too good for the man who shot Libert Valance.