I've been meaning to get myself stuck into some John Wayne films for a while, and to that end I recently bought Stagecoach and was given a box set of his films for Christmas. Before I could get around to watching any of them I spotted that The Man...
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I've been meaning to get myself stuck into some John Wayne films for a while, and to that end I recently bought Stagecoach and was given a box set of his films for Christmas. Before I could get around to watching any of them I spotted that The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was going to be on tv. Seeing as my new book (1001 films to see before you die) informs me that this is one of Ford and Wayne's best films I though it might be a good idea to start there.
Even given the praise I'd read before I sat down to watch it I was not disappointed. It did retain the strange sense of anachronisity I often feel when watching films from decades ago. However I soon forgot where I was, being expertly drawn in to the story of Eastern City lawyer Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his crusade against the outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Wayne's input as the embodiment of the moral but heavy-handed justice of the Old West provides the necessary rounding to the moral dilemma facing our hero at law.
Wayne is an actor who breaths out charisma. He dominated nearly every scene he featured in and was easily as memorable as many of the other characters who had deceptively more screen time. Although his role is undoubtedly more complex than your archetypal Western gun-slinger I would not go so far as to say that Tom Doniphon (Wayne) is a deep character; but he certainly feels real enough. Indeed the story is as much his as it is Stoddard's, the rise of "civilization" in his town means the end for his way of life. Indeed he plays a vital part in his own destruction.
A neat love story, remarkably devoid of melodrama, is interwoven between it all. Along with some poignant social commentary - much of which, not being from the era, I may well have missed - leaves this film as a remarkable rounded whole. It feels like a very complete film that not only has many things to say about the human condition but tells a strong engaging story told through believable and real characters.

JoeOE18...

one of the greatest westerns