The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Media:	DVD
Directed by:	John Ford
Starring:	James Stewart
Release date:	05 June, 2001
List price:	~~$12.99~~
Our price:	$11.00 that is 15% off!

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Average rating: Stars

John Ford's Last Hurrah

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962) rightly takes its place among the great Westerns. Though not his last film, "Liberty Valance" was director John Ford's final masterpiece and a melancholy epitaph to the genre he nurtured. The iconic casting of James Stewart and John Wayne -- with effective support from Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, Edmund O'Brien, Woody Strode and Andy Devine -- lends emotional power to Ford's elegiac depiction of the civilized frontier. It's a haunting valedictory and an integral work in cinema history.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - James Stewart

A Top-10 Classic John Wayne Western

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is without a doubt, one of John Wayne's best western films. If you don't own this film, I highly recommend it. It is fun watching over and over again as the script is solid and engaging, and the acting performances among the three principle stars is more than superb!

"Vallance" is Oscar winning Director John Ford's last best effort in western film making. He put together an all-star cast and the cast put out for Ford as well, with stunning performances from John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and Lee Marvin. Wayne's acting is Academy Award material. He brings a depth of character to the Tom Doniphon role that will have you remembering his performance long after the film ends. In one scene, a drunken and despondent Wayne returns to the home he has built for his future wife Hallie. In a rage, he lights a lantern and sets fire to the new structure, with the intention of burning it, and himself, to the ground. The scene is riveting, and the expressions and movements of Wayne are some of the greatest ever filmed.

Although John Wayne is the "star" of this film, the film in reality has three stars, Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin. Jimmy Stewart plays Ransom Stoddard, an idealistic lawyer who comes to bring legal law to the west. Stoddard is introducted to the west by none other than the terorist outlaw Liberty Valance, who robs the stage Stoddard is on. When Stoddard tries to resist the robbery of an elderly fellow passenger, Valance, played by Lee Marvin savagely beats him with a whip, leaving him to die. Wayne's character, Tom Doniphon, happens upon Stoddard and brings him to town. This sets the stage for the rest of the movie, as Stoddard tries to bring Liberty Valance to justice.

Lee Marvin's "Valance" is yet another superb acting performance. Whenever Marvin is on screen, there is tension and conflict, as Marvin plays the out of control Valance to the hilt. Marvin's acting rivals and matches those of Wayne and Stewart, making this a film that you will want to watch over and over again, for the acting performances alone.

The film hosts a fine supporting cast. Vera Miles very adequately plays Hallie, a young girl who has to decide upon the man she will spend the rest of her life with - Wayne or Stewart. Andy Devine provides comic relief as the bumbling overweight sheriff who avoids conflict any way he can.

Although a bit old in real life for the roles they play, both Stewart and Wayne excel in their parts to such an extent that the ages of the actors are forgotten. The plot is satisfying and in the end we finally learn who REALLY shot Liberty Valence, and what the death of Valance has on the lives of the characters.

In my list of the best westerns of all-time, "Liberty Valance" is certainly in the top 10. An added bonus is that this film can be viewed by the entire family; my boys especially have enjoyed the film. You will not regret buying this DVD.

Jim Konedog Koenig

James Stewart - The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

One of the Best of the Old Westerns!

What can I say? It has the Duke, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin as a really evil Villian! What more do you want?