The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
(A- or 3.5/4 stars)
'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' (directed by the great John Ford) opens circa 1900, with influential, well-liked U.S. Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) & his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) returning to Shinbone, the dusty frontier town where they married 25 yrs. prior. They have returned to attend the funeral of "nobody" Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Stoddard would have liked to make a quick visit & skedaddle. But when a local reporter stops to ask why he's returned, Stoddard sits down to reveal - in a 105 minute flashback - the true story about how his life in politics began & why his 'legendary' status as 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' is unearned. He recalls how, long ago, as a 'greenhorn' lawyer, he was beaten to a pulp by notorious gunman Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin).
Vowing to bring Valance to justice (jail), "pilgrim" Stoddard had yet another run-in with the outlaw; this time, saved by the mysterious Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). These 2 very different men earn each other's grudging respect despite their mutual love for Hallie (and she seems to love both, as well). When Liberty Valance finally challenged Stoddard to a showdown outside the town saloon, everyone believed that the lawyer didn't stand a chance. Still, after the shots were fired, Stoddard was still standing, & Liberty Valance lay dead as a doornail. Already popular, Stoddard's reputation boomed as the man who shot Valance.
Hoping to rid the territory of corruption, Stoddard wanted to win an upcoming election, but poo-pooed the notion of winning simply 'cause he killed an outlaw ... until Doniphon told Stoddard the truth: that it was HE who shot Liberty Valance. Doniphon explains that he fired his rifle from the shadows, to coincide with Stoddards shot. This would save Stoddard as well as relieve him of the guilty conscience he would feel so that he can pursue his political career. Ashamed by it all, Stoddard was about to reveal the truth to everyone, but Doniphon told him not to. Doniphon knew that he & the beloved West that he represented were already going out to pasture; and that Stoddard represented the "new" civilized West (bringing law & order).
And so, Stoddard went on to have a wonderful political career, bringing reforms to the state, while Doniphon remained behind as a doomed hero; existing in his dormant town; fading into the woodwork 'til his dying day. The elongated flashback ends as Stoddard finishes his tale to the reporter. Stoddard then asks if the man plans to print the truth. But the reporter, knowing the importance of Stoddard's reputation, rips up his notes & responds, "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend". It is now, as it was then ... never let the truth get in the way of a good story. The world always needs a hero; legitimately or not.
This film posits that perhaps history is as much legend as fact. The leads in the story represent differing men of the West. Wayne is the old-style, rugged frontiersman. Stewart is the distinguished man, representing order, bureaucratic justice, & the future. I find it interesting that while Stoddard opposed violence early on, he gradually came to accept that maybe force should be met with force ... that the Liberty Valances are never going to just go away. I enjoyed the scenes of Doniphon trying to show Stoddard - at the behest of Hallie - how to shoot a gun. Wayne's droll line delivery & sarcastic imparting of these lessons are humorous. Humiliated by his poor skills & by Wayne's taunting, Stewart actually knocks Wayne to the ground; further demonstrating his realization that violence is in every man.
I can now see why this film is considered one of the great Westerns. Does it have the widescreen Technicolor, sweeping landscapes, & the cooky side characters that we've come to expect with Westerns? No, it doesn't. John Ford, the ultimate Western director, takes a surprisingly intimate, almost cynical approach to this Western. Sure, he has his stalwart of 3 decades, John Wayne. But shot in stark black-&-white cinematography with spare interiors, the movie is fairly gloomy; perhaps that's the point. Perhaps John Ford was getting weary of the "Yahoo, ain't this fun & rollicking!" depiction of Westerns. And in fact, he only went on to make one more Western, 1964's Cheyenne Autumn, in which he hoped to make right by finally giving Native Indians their due in a story.
But let's not get too depressing. This is a fantastic, thoughtful movie that uses an engrossing, character-driven tale to drive home its themes (the West is changing, the frontier is dwindling, legend is more important than truth). Jimmy Stewart & John Wayne are great, here. I really liked Vera Miles' lovely, somewhat damaged portrayal as Hallie; a woman who loves two men equally. Lee Marvin is suitably vile as Liberty Valance. And I also liked Woody Strode as Doniphon's right-hand-man, so to speak. Every second of this film is handled with clarity, assuredness, & intelligence. I just think it's great. And funny enough, though it doesn't exalt The Duke in ways that we've become accustomed to in all of his glorious Westerns ... THIS happens to be my favorite John Wayne movie.
Vowing to bring Valance to justice (jail), "pilgrim" Stoddard had yet another run-in with the outlaw; this time, saved by the mysterious Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). These 2 very different men earn each other's grudging respect despite their mutual love for Hallie (and she seems to love both, as well). When Liberty Valance finally challenged Stoddard to a showdown outside the town saloon, everyone believed that the lawyer didn't stand a chance. Still, after the shots were fired, Stoddard was still standing, & Liberty Valance lay dead as a doornail. Already popular, Stoddard's reputation boomed as the man who shot Valance.
Hoping to rid the territory of corruption, Stoddard wanted to win an upcoming election, but poo-pooed the notion of winning simply 'cause he killed an outlaw ... until Doniphon told Stoddard the truth: that it was HE who shot Liberty Valance. Doniphon explains that he fired his rifle from the shadows, to coincide with Stoddards shot. This would save Stoddard as well as relieve him of the guilty conscience he would feel so that he can pursue his political career. Ashamed by it all, Stoddard was about to reveal the truth to everyone, but Doniphon told him not to. Doniphon knew that he & the beloved West that he represented were already going out to pasture; and that Stoddard represented the "new" civilized West (bringing law & order).
And so, Stoddard went on to have a wonderful political career, bringing reforms to the state, while Doniphon remained behind as a doomed hero; existing in his dormant town; fading into the woodwork 'til his dying day. The elongated flashback ends as Stoddard finishes his tale to the reporter. Stoddard then asks if the man plans to print the truth. But the reporter, knowing the importance of Stoddard's reputation, rips up his notes & responds, "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend". It is now, as it was then ... never let the truth get in the way of a good story. The world always needs a hero; legitimately or not.
This film posits that perhaps history is as much legend as fact. The leads in the story represent differing men of the West. Wayne is the old-style, rugged frontiersman. Stewart is the distinguished man, representing order, bureaucratic justice, & the future. I find it interesting that while Stoddard opposed violence early on, he gradually came to accept that maybe force should be met with force ... that the Liberty Valances are never going to just go away. I enjoyed the scenes of Doniphon trying to show Stoddard - at the behest of Hallie - how to shoot a gun. Wayne's droll line delivery & sarcastic imparting of these lessons are humorous. Humiliated by his poor skills & by Wayne's taunting, Stewart actually knocks Wayne to the ground; further demonstrating his realization that violence is in every man.
I can now see why this film is considered one of the great Westerns. Does it have the widescreen Technicolor, sweeping landscapes, & the cooky side characters that we've come to expect with Westerns? No, it doesn't. John Ford, the ultimate Western director, takes a surprisingly intimate, almost cynical approach to this Western. Sure, he has his stalwart of 3 decades, John Wayne. But shot in stark black-&-white cinematography with spare interiors, the movie is fairly gloomy; perhaps that's the point. Perhaps John Ford was getting weary of the "Yahoo, ain't this fun & rollicking!" depiction of Westerns. And in fact, he only went on to make one more Western, 1964's Cheyenne Autumn, in which he hoped to make right by finally giving Native Indians their due in a story.
But let's not get too depressing. This is a fantastic, thoughtful movie that uses an engrossing, character-driven tale to drive home its themes (the West is changing, the frontier is dwindling, legend is more important than truth). Jimmy Stewart & John Wayne are great, here. I really liked Vera Miles' lovely, somewhat damaged portrayal as Hallie; a woman who loves two men equally. Lee Marvin is suitably vile as Liberty Valance. And I also liked Woody Strode as Doniphon's right-hand-man, so to speak. Every second of this film is handled with clarity, assuredness, & intelligence. I just think it's great. And funny enough, though it doesn't exalt The Duke in ways that we've become accustomed to in all of his glorious Westerns ... THIS happens to be my favorite John Wayne movie.