{"id":32080,"date":"2013-07-31T14:05:21","date_gmt":"2013-07-31T21:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32080"},"modified":"2022-04-10T23:23:52","modified_gmt":"2022-04-11T06:23:52","slug":"man-who-shot-liberty-valance-the-1962","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32080","title":{"rendered":"Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Somebody better listen to somebody about Liberty Valance!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Valance-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Valance-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-32081\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Valance-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Valance-Poster-85x128.jpg 85w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Valance-Poster.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA beloved politician (Jimmy Stewart) returns with his wife (Vera Miles) to the small Western town where he&#8217;s famous for having killed a bullying gunslinger named Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin); but as he begins to relate the story of his relationship with the recently deceased town drunk, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), new details about the killing emerge.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>John Carradine Films<\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Ford Films<\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Qualen Films<\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Wayne Films<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lee Marvin Films<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Lee Van Cleef Films<\/li>\n<li>Revenge<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Westerns<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Woody Strode Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary argues that this &#8220;marvelous John Ford western&#8221; &#8212; about the transition from an untamed western frontier to an era of &#8220;law and order&#8221;, as well as our tendency to valorize legends at the expense of the grittier truth &#8212; &#8220;looks better with every viewing&#8221;, and &#8220;certainly&#8230; summarized themes that were vital to earlier Ford westerns&#8221;. He notes that &#8220;for Ford, the real heroes were men like Tom who tamed the wilderness and made it possible for civilization to take root&#8221;, and he points out that &#8220;it is a shame that such pioneers have no place in civilization&#8221;, given that &#8220;in a law-and-order world of lawyers and politicians, Tom is just as anachronistic as gunslingers like Liberty&#8221;. He writes that the &#8220;picture has interesting characters and their relationships with each other are complex&#8221;, and he argues that the &#8220;picture has strong emotional resonance&#8221;. As noted in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/this-month\/article\/12475%7C0\/The-Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Valance.html\">TCM&#8217;s article<\/a>, upon its release <em>&#8230;Valance<\/em> was apparently dismissed as a lesser entry in Ford&#8217;s lengthy oeuvre, with specific criticisms leveled at Ford&#8217;s choice to make the film in black-and-white and primarily on a sound-stage; but in later years, critics (like Peary and many others) began to recognize its thematic and aesthetic values. <\/p>\n<p>While I appreciate much about how <em>&#8230;Valance<\/em> is constructed, I&#8217;ll admit it&#8217;s not a personal favorite. Ford&#8217;s characteristic inclusion of comedic supporting characters &#8212; most specifically Andy Devine&#8217;s cowardly sheriff, presumably meant to provide some levity to the proceedings &#8212; simply feels forced and out of place here; and Stewart&#8217;s idealistic, stubborn &#8220;young&#8221; lawyer comes across as merely another iteration of his earlier starring roles for Frank Capra. With that said, I admire the craftsmanship of the script (based on a story by Dorothy M. Johnson), which manages to evoke a surprising amount of tension despite the fact that we can guess the truth behind the title from the beginning; however, it starts to bog down a bit towards the end, when Stewart goes head-to-head with Marvin in a contrived, Capra-esque town hall scene, and Wayne (&#8220;Think back, pilgrim.&#8221;) conveniently saves the day. Speaking of Marvin, he deserved the notoriety he gained for his key role here as Liberty Valance; he represents everything corrupt and vile about a lawless west in which might overtakes right every time. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lee Marvin as Liberty Valance<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Marvin.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Marvin-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-32084\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Marvin-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Marvin-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Marvin-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Marvin.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>William Clothier&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-32086\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-32083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography2-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography2-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Cinematography2.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The impressive final shoot-out<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Shootout.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Shootout-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-32085\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Shootout-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Shootout-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Shootout-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/Man-Who-Shot-Liberty-Shootout.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as one of Ford&#8217;s acknowledged classics. Listed as one of the Best Films of the Year in Peary&#8217;s <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0056217\/\">IMDb entry<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s264ford.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.reelviews.net\/php_review_template.php?identifier=852\">ReelViews Review<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/manwhoshot.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/82756\/the-man-who-shot-liberty-valance#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.qnetwork.com\/index.php?page=review&#038;id=478\">Q Network Review<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Somebody better listen to somebody about Liberty Valance!&#8221; Synopsis: A beloved politician (Jimmy Stewart) returns with his wife (Vera Miles) to the small Western town where he&#8217;s famous for having killed a bullying gunslinger named Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin); but as he begins to relate the story of his relationship with the recently deceased town drunk, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), new details about the killing emerge. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: John Carradine Films John Ford Films John Qualen Films&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=32080\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32080","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32080"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82916,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32080\/revisions\/82916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32080"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}