"How rich did you get while Jimmy was risking his life?" "[30], More recent assessments have been more uniformly positive. Questions arise when Senator Stoddard (James Stewart) attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) in a small Western town. Although atypical of his usual works, it is widely considered Ford’s last great movie and among his best westerns. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Directed by: John Ford. No. The top-selling theme song by Gene Pitney does not appear in the film. You've got to know your job, lay your shadows in properly, get your perspective right, but in color, there it is," he said. In the present, Stoddard's political accomplishments fill in the intervening years; but his story will not be published, with editor Scott stating, "This is the West, sir. Ford resented the studio's intrusion and retaliated by taunting Wayne relentlessly throughout the filming. "He ended up taking it out on me." Ranse and Dutton Peabody, the local newspaper editor, are elected, despite Valance and his gang's attempt to bully the residents into nominating him in order to represent the cattle barons. Although most sources say the film was shot almost entirely at Paramount Studios, with exteriors on the Janss Conejo Ranch in Thousand Oaks, California, a documentary about the making of it revealed that the town and train shots were done on Lot 3 at MGM. With James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin. Tom regrets saving Ranse's life, because he lost Hallie to him; but, he encourages Ranse to accept the nomination and make Hallie proud. Stoddard, who rode to fame as a tenderfoot lawyer credited with having fatally shot the notorious gunman Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), makes a startling confession to local newspaper reporters. Like Pontius Pilate, director John Ford asks "What is truth?" At a saloon, Valance learns Ranse is waiting for him outside. [33] Director Sergio Leone (Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) listed Ford as a major influence on his work, and Liberty Valance as his favorite Ford film. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a film that is highly revered today by critics and audiences alike, although when it was released in 1962 it wasn’t met with the same enthusiasm. In addition, the film features a host of scene-stealing character actors—including Andy Devine, Woody Strode, Edmond O’Brien, Lee Van Cleef and John Carradine—and Marvin’s Valance is one of the screen’s most notorious villains. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. They are there to pay their respects to their old friend Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), who is being buried in a pauper’s grave. Valance and his gang vandalize Peabody's newspaper office and beat him nearly to death after Peabody ran a story about Valance's prior murder of some farmers. (studio) 4 of 7 found this interesting. Ford claimed to prefer that medium over color: "In black and white, you've got to be very careful. As Stoddard returns to Washington, D.C. with Hallie, and contemplates retiring to Shinbone, he thanks the train conductor for the railroad's many courtesies. Though based upon the movie's plotline, it was not used in the film. With mostly interior scenes, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance eschews the lush landscapes and widescreen cinematography that were hallmarks of Ford’s movies. Tom offers to assist Ranse in leaving town, but Ranse stubbornly declines. For the majority of the film, we are led to believe that the man who shot Liberty Valance is Ransom Stoddard, attorney at law. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The film opens in 1910, with distinguished and influential U.S. senator Ransom Stoddard ( James Stewart ) and his wife Hallie ( Vera Miles ) returning to the dusty little frontier town where they met and married twenty-five years earlier. [22], Liberty Valance was released in April 1962, and achieved both financial and critical success. What should have been left to enthrall the imagination is spelled out until there is nothing left to savor or discuss. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, American western film, released in 1962, that was John Ford’s poetic and sombre look at the end of the Wild West era. Tom also makes sure Ranse understands Hallie is Tom's girl by showing renovations to his ranch house are intended for his marriage to her. Shinbone's men meet to elect two delegates to the statehood convention at the territorial capital. The cast was uniformly superb, even if Wayne and Stewart were arguably too old for their roles. Directed by John Ford. Pitney said in an interview that he was in the studio about to record the song when "... Bacharach informed us that the film just came out." A great scene from John Ford's western. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. You've got to know your job, lay your shadows in properly, get your perspective right, but in color, there it is," he said. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The film begins in 1910 when a successful aging U.S. senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife of twenty-five years Hallie (Vera Miles) return to the small western town Shinbone, where they met, to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) a man known in the town as a good man … "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," the New Yorker's Richard Brody writes, "is the greatest American political movie." [21] Jimmie Rodgers also recorded the song, in the Gene Pitney style. While filming an exterior shot on a horse-drawn cart, Wayne almost lost control of the horses and knocked Strode away when he attempted to help. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a film directed by John Ford with John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien .... Year: 1962. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Valance-film-1962, Turner Classic Movies - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, AllMovie - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Despite his confession, Stoddard finds the press uninterested in publishing the revelation, preferring instead to let his myth remain unaffected. Tom is the only man who stands up to Valance, stating that force is all Valance understands. Otherwise we would have been in Monument Valley or Brackettville and we would have had color stock. Although atypical of his usual works, it is widely considered Ford’s last great movie and among his best westerns. in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance--but unlike Pilate, Ford waits for an answer. It seems as though the film is moralizing on … "[25] A. H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote that "Mr. Ford, who has struck more gold in the West than any other film-maker, also has mined a rich vein here," but opined that the film "bogs down" once Stoddard becomes famous, en route to "an obvious, overlong, and garrulous anticlimax. Short Interpretation of the film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Ford responded, "What's wrong with Uncle Remus?" Author/co-author of numerous books about the cinema and is regarded as one of the foremost James Bond scholars. [23], Contemporary reviews were generally positive, although a number of critics thought the final act was a letdown. Ford called out, "Don't hit him, Woody, we need him." In 2007, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."[3][4]. Corral. "What a miserable film to make," he added. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? Interesting? The film's music score was composed by Cyril J. Mockridge, but in scenes involving Hallie's relationships with Doniphon and Stoddard, Ford reprised Alfred Newman's "Ann Rutledge Theme", from Young Mr. Lincoln. His book, (From left) James Stewart, John Ford, and John Wayne on the set of the motion picture, Writers: James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck. re: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Posted by Kafka on 12/12/20 at 8:29 pm to L1C4 Marvin steals it Jimmy Stewart is to old for his role (even he agreed). Foreshadowing: Liberty is playing poker when Ransom calls him out for his lynching of the newspaper editor Peabody. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) was another nostalgic and memorable B/W John Ford-directed film about the passing of the Old West and the rise of civilization - it was his last great film. Film, Action and adventure. Hallie, attracted to Ranse and concerned for his safety, tells Tom of Ranse's gun practice. Wayne later told Strode, "We gotta work together. Nate is using Letterboxd to share film reviews and lists with friends. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (/ˈvæləns/) is a 1962 American dramatic western film directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and James Stewart. "He didn't want Duke [Wayne] to think he was doing him any favors," Van Cleef said. Produced for $3.2 million, it grossed $8 million,[2] making it the 15th-highest grossing film of 1962. When the fact becomes legend, print the legend," Ford's films show the legend. Ranse's wounds are treated by Tom's girlfriend, Hallie, and others, who explain to him that Valance terrorizes the residents, and the town's Marshal Appleyard is powerless to stop him. This conflict drives Stoddard to seek to confront Liberty, which Doniphon knows is a fool's quest for the shaky Easterner. But the studio would not finance the film unless it starred two big western names. Genres: Western, Drama. Valance toys with Ranse, shooting him in the arm, and then aims to kill him, when Ranse fires his gun and Valance drops dead. Stewart replied, "It looks a bit Uncle Remussy to me." Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. Multiple stories and speculations exist to explain this decision. Yes. Upon entering the territory as a young attorney, Ranse is beaten and robbed by Liberty Valance and his gang. (Wayne's football career at USC had been curtailed by injuries.) Stewart said he "wanted to crawl into a mouse hole", but Wayne told him, "Well, welcome to the club. "[24], The Monthly Film Bulletin agreed, lamenting that the "final anticlimactic 20 minutes ... all but destroy the value of the disarming simplicity and natural warmth which are Ford's everlasting stock-in-trade." The film, also starring James Stewart, Lee Marvin and Vera Miles, is Ford’s most political film that subverts a lot of myths about the American West as well as the John Wayne persona that Ford himself created “This is the West, sir. Amazon.com "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the newspaper editor says, "This is the West. Although Stoddard was meek in nature, Valance’s continued harassment of him resulted in an impromptu showdown in which Valance was shot dead. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, American western film, released in 1962, that was John Ford’s poetic and sombre look at the end of the Wild West era. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Posted on December 31, 2015 by jaycluitt In the town of Shinbone, Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) have returned for the funeral of Tom Doniphon, a man who evidently meant a great deal to them. A senator returns to a western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins. The story opens with the return "[9], Another condition imposed by the studio, according to Van Cleef, was that Wayne be cast as Doniphon. Senator Ranse Stoddard and his wife Hallie arrive in Shinbone, a frontier town in an unnamed western state, to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon. Filming in black and white helped ease the suspension of disbelief necessary to accept that disparity. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 1962 ★★★★★ Dec 06, 2020. The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: This article is about 1962 film. he demanded. Our latest episode for parents features the topic of empathy. Now, I don't know if Mr. Stewart has a prejudice against Negroes, but I just wanted you all to know about it." "It was the only film," he said, "where [Ford] learned about something called pessimism. In contrast to prior John Ford Westerns, such as The Searchers (1956) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Liberty Valance was shot in black-and-white on Paramount's soundstages. Liberty began to torment newcomer and lawyer Ransom Stoddard (portrayed by the late James Stewart). The budget for the black and white film was severely limited, so director Ford didn't have the luxury of on-location filming to showcase the vistas in his favorite locale, Monument Valley. At the time of its release, the film was not well received by critics, many of whom found it claustrophobic. Tom Doniphon finds Ranse and takes him to Shinbone. 2 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade, and No. Add to Calendar 04/09/2021 07:30 PM 04/10/2021 09:30 PM America/Los_Angeles Paramount Film Series: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Add a review? [32] Roger Ebert wrote that each of the 10 Ford/Wayne westerns is "... complete and self-contained in a way that approaches perfection", and singled out Liberty Valance as "the most pensive and thoughtful" of the group. in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance--but unlike Pilate, Ford waits for an answer. Ford claimed to prefer that medium over color: "In black and white, you've got to be very careful. James Taylor covered it on his 1985 album That's Why I'm Here, as did The Royal Guardsmen on their 1967 album Snoopy vs. the Red Baron. Join here. Stoddard thus became a local legend, and he was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate. In contrast to prior John Ford Westerns, such as The Searchers (1956) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Liberty Valance was shot in black-and-white on Paramount's soundstages. The Blues Brothers. 4, while reaching No. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." [19] The film scholar Kathryn Kalinak notes that Ann Rutledge's theme "encodes longing" and "fleshes out the failed love affair between Hallie and Tom Doniphon, the growing love between Hallie and Ranse Stoddard, and the traumatic loss experienced by Hallie over her choice of one over the other, none of which is clearly articulated by dialogue. Edith Head's costumes were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design (black-and-white), one of the few Westerns ever nominated in that category. choose a film to view and to write a short 3 to 4 page essay. Multiple stories and speculations exist to explain this decision. [12], Stewart related that midway through filming, Wayne asked him why he, Stewart, never seemed to be the target of Ford's venomous remarks. 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