The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance




Liberty Valence's the toughest man south of the Picketwire - next to me.

In many ways the last of its kind, this was certainly an attempt at a revisionist Western by the familiar pairing of John Wayne and John Ford, along with James Stewart for good measure.

Senator Ransom Stoddard (Stewart) has returned with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) to the town of Shinbone to attend the funeral for Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Harassed for the story behind this rather quiet afair by some newspapermen, Stoddard relents and relates events years back that have brought them to this place. Back then he was new to Shinbone and an early run in with the local villain Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) insures that he's never too far from trouble. But the young and idealistic Ransom helps to push for the territory's statehood (against Liberty's wishes) and has the cynically tough Tom Doniphon to watch out for him.

Just like the Hollywood Western as it had been known was coming to a close, so was Ford's lustrous career. Often called his meditation on the genre, this film is a somber take on the West and the inevitable changes that came. This is mirrored within the story and the characters as well. Even as the town and territory is moving towards a more stable version of civilization, tough 'n tumble men like Liberty and Tom still cling to the old ways. But even Tom comes to realize that is the way it's suppose to be, and he passes the mantle to Ransom and the lawyers and the politicians, so to speak. There is also a sense of tragedy, as it comes down to immense personal sacrifice for these ideals.

Stubbornly shot in black and white, this film has a lot in common with film noirs. Ford tries to connect this one to some of his earlier works, most notably Stagecoach. As such there are some characters that don't really fit, like the cowardly Marshal Appleyard (Andy Devine). Others like the pompous and usually drunk editor (Edmond O'Brien, also used mostly for comic relief) of the town's newspaper come off better.

Jimmy is great as the conflicted new guy who feels that taking the advice of "buy a gun or get out of town" isn't right. Wayne plays his paradox, a rancher who lives by the gun and has his sights set on the local beauty and firebrand, played charmingly by Vera Miles. Tom Doniphon is hardly the typical Wayne hero, as he's equally pessimistic as he is tough. Here the Duke first employed his pilgrim phrase, but it becomes grating after awhile. But it's Lee Marvin who takes the cake as the uncompromisingly evil Liberty Valance. His cruelty is unrestrained and he makes for a heck of a bad guy.

Although it's not perfect, this was John Ford's last good Western. Taking that into account, it's perfectly bittersweet straight to its roots.



-The Gnome