This would make him a tragic figure, even if he lived the rest of his days honorably under the 'law and order' creed. It would be easy for him to assume the title of town marshal from lovable cowardly drunk Andy Devine, and yet he has no interest. As Stoddard revives, weak and in a daze, he feels he has something he must do: he wants to arrest Valance and his men. Comment moderation is enabled. Even his house is far outside the town (whereas Stoddard lives in its heart: at the restaurant and newspaper office). When a meeting is held to vote on statehood, Pompey sits outside on the porch. Ford is not interested in reality but in subjective viewpoint, not fact but romance and legend. Edmond OBrien Dutton Peabody However, thematically I felt wronged by this outcome. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance at 60: the great American western They were playing dual archetypes of the myth: the grizzled veteran cowboy and the idealistic, young, city-slicker lawyer. Wayne losing out to such a loser of a characterwould anger any john Wayne fan, most of all Wayne himself Wayne (and his audience) like to see Wayne triumphant, not as a tragic, moody alcoholic who dies off-screen. Working in the restaurant is young Hallie. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Rotten Tomatoes Collin Brendemuehl: Fake history is worthy of exploration if to correct bad history. Doniphon revealed how he was hidden on a side street with Pompey when the showdown occurred. Ford turns the ending into a rousing beginning and constructs an elaborate mythology for the American military. Even Doniphans attempts to help Stoddard had mixed motives at best. Hallie attends to Stoddards wounds and it appears to Doniphonthat she has fallen in love with Stoddard. The movie becomes about making a sacrifice for the greater good, and includes an element of chance or fate. In a series of videos entitled, I had planned to leave this topic alone for awhile, but I. In a film with Lee Marvin's snarl, Andy Devine's squeaky voice and the accent of the Swedes, John Wayne as usual provides the calm center, never trying for an effect. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Plot - IMDb There is a purity to the John Ford style. It turns out an unseen Doniphon shot Valance with a rifle from across the street and he later came to regret saving Stoddard as he lost Hallie to the lawyer, but he pushes him to pursue a career in politics to make Hallie proud. This leads to Stoddard being elected as a delegate (along with Dutton Peabody (Edmond OBrien), publisher of the local newspaper) for a statehood convention at the territorial capital. In a long flashback involving most of the film, Ford recalls the events leading up to that day. He then throws down a challenge to Stoddard: leave town or face him in a gunfight. He forbids Stoddards to teach Hallie to read. His chief victim was Woody Strode, with whom he very nearly came to blows. He would also emerge victorious (at least temporarily) in his fight against cancer as well,and he would go on to enjoy more than a decade and half of solid superstardom, before he would finally succumb to cancer. As Tom Doniphon, Wayne just as ideally symbolizes dogged individualism, playing the simple, old-fashioned kind of Westerner who can pat his gun and say "Out here a man settles his own problems," and who replaces community spirit with personal loyalities and friendships. 20 Best John Wayne Movies Ranked - Screen Rant Stoddard and Hallie then sit in silence as the politician reflects on the life he built on a myth and John Wayne's Doniphon sacrificing his own happiness for him and Hallie. But the fact is that Wayne is really good as Tom Doniphon; Both he and Stewart, who were 54 and 53 respectability, were too old for the parts, but the film could not have been made without them. It's pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Rodney King was beaten by the police on March 3, 1991. Stoddard has come to town with a satchel full of law books, and hangs out his shingle at the newspaper office. It should be clear from that line-up that he often worked alongside John Wayne too, who credited the filmmaker with making him a star. The territory is granted statehood and, being the man who shot Liberty Valance, Stoddard became its first governor. The newspaper refuses to accept the lamer story and the disconnect between Stoddard and his wife on the train made for a decent ending. There was nothing more for Ford to do with Wayne, at least in the western genre. This was a breakout role for Marvin, who has been struggling in supporting parts and TV roles. He always wanted to play heroes and he always looked at cinema as a medium for the audience to believe in heroes; there is the famous story where he chastised Kirk Douglas for playing a mad and tragic Van Gogh inLust for Life. Stoddard picked up with his least favored hand. Stoddard believes so firmly in the law that he is willing to lose his life for his principles. Hes the toughest man in town, admired by all, the only one brave enough, strong enough, fast enough to stand up to Valance, except he wont do it. Ford was very angry about it, having to secure a favor from his protge and he doubled down on his venom on Wayne during the shooting. And so Stoddard tells them the story, one they decide not to print because, in this case, legend has become fact. But he was frustrated with his costars leisurely pace,; he was a guy who moved fast , talked fast and worked fast. Good history is necessary because bad history exists. One night Valance demands a showdown and toys with the lawyer, shooting him in the arm and taunting him before Stoddard finally gets off a shot and Valance drops dead. A man of action and few words (note his instinctive hatred of the rhetoric in the Convention speeches),. But Stoddard is a powerless man; powerless before Valance; and powerless before Doniphon; and Doniphon lets Stoddard have his woman, his town, and his West. Tom Doniphon: Pilgrim, hold it. "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," the New Yorker's Richard Brody writes, "is the greatest American political movie." The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Film) - TV Tropes Without Ransom Stoddards courage and convictions, there is no movie. Where Tom sees Liberty Valance as a source of personal conflict, a potential menace to his own well-being, Stoddard can only see Valance as the embodiment of a social evil that must be wiped out through new laws and social reform. The rough and tough Doniphon later tries to teach Stoddard to defend himself and shoot a gun, all to little success. There's a lot in the film if we care to notice. He's super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valancefinds Wayne playing a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. But as he would come to reveal in Liberty Valance, he was just printing the legend all along, leaving out the hard facts. Usually, when John Wayne fans count the number of films in which Wayne had died, they always miss out Liberty Valance, because he dies off-screen; but that only makes the character more insignificant; as opposed tofilms he died on screen, likeRide the whirlwind, The AlamoorTheCowboys, where Wayne always got a heroic death: he dies saving somebody else, or he dies for a greater cause. It's Doniphon, offscreen, who breaks our hearts, a man shrunken and made smooth by decades of slow erosion. With Valances death, the road is clear for Stoddard to become the delegate to Washington and with Doniphon out of the way, he can also marry Hallie. Liberty Valance cannot abide anyone standing up to him, and the shingle is an affront. That and the fact that few present day people in Shinbone seem to remember Tom Doniphon suggests that after the Valance shooting, Tom Doniphon went into a seculsion, probably just stayed at his little ranch and lived like a hermit. Stoddard raises no complaint when Valance seizes his fathers gold watch and robs him. /a > Oar. Stoddard recounts the whole tale to a local newspaper reporter - and plans to come clean about that night. The story focuses on Ransome Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart), an American senator arriving at the town of Shinbone with his wife, Hailey (Vera Miles), to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon (Wayne). Everyone in Shinbone hates Liberty Valance, but they're powerless against him and his two sidekicks, one of them a giggling fool. Either way,Doniphon destroys of himself in favor of Stoddards elevation, and America is built on a lie. Setting aside the question of why Stoddard thinks its morally acceptable to base his career on a lie, but not on the real killing (hed rather have people think he killed Valance than actually do it), rewatching the film this most recent time its Doniphon that fascinates me. The 10 best screen cowboys - in pictures - The Guardian Meanwhile, throughout the film, Tom has not 'done the right thing' and stood up to Liberty Valance except in circumstances where he felt he had to. (One stylistic touch: In this film, he habitually calls Stoddard "Pilgrim," which expresses an insight into the lawyer's character.). There are here to attend the funeral of a man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Predictions for the 95th Annual AcademyAwards. When Stoddard nominate Doniphan for delegate, he refuses the post which would bring him into conflict with Valance. And while most of us dont have the talent of Tom Doniphan, perhaps by Gods grace, we can be more like Ransom Stoddard in our towns and communities. But what if Doniphon is lying, what if Stoddard really is the man who shot Liberty Valance? The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Wikiquote Once in the town of Shinbone, he finds allies in the form of tough Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) and his fiance, Hallie (Vera Miles). Ransom Stoddard, a young Eastern lawyer traveling West on Horace Greeley's advice, is in the stagecoach held up just outside of Shinbone by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), "the toughest man south of the Picket Wire." Waynedid not use any scenes shot by Ford in the film (much to the chagrin of Ford) while Wayne was angry with the general impression that was created that it was Ford, and not him, who directed The Alamo; others believed Ford was jealous of Dukes increasing success compared to his own sudden decline. He even takes on the duty of helping out with waiting tables. His films begins on an optimistic note and ends on an optimistic note; even if the they would detour into darker, pessimistic territory in between, his films always end on a note of hope and glory. He always liked his films to be clean and straight, and any form of alteration to the classical structure of the film was anathema to him. Did Hallie love Tom Doniphon? This is fascism against democracy: the tyranny of the strongman over the ordinary people. As the film opens, U. S. Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) is arriving in Shinbone by the new railroad with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles). The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance focuses on the love triangle between Stoddard, Doniphon and his girlfriend Hallie (Vera Miles, Psycho). It is also his most claustrophobic western; shot in Black & White and completely on a studio lot with minimal sets, the film has none of his trademark shots of stunning landscapes and colorful panoramic vistas. Analysis Of 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' - Bartleby.com The characters in Liberty Valance are the archetypal figures of all Ford westerns brought together for a last reunion, in order that they might be destroyed. Indeed Hallie and Nora Ericson (Jeanette Nolan) are the only two noticeable women in town; little wonder Tom's love for Hallie is intense. You helped to make it," we cannot help feeling a deep regret that it had to happen that way. Hallie, once Tom's girl, has fallen in love with Stoddard, and in sparing him, Doniphon loses her. Miraculously, Stoddard kills Valance, wins Hallie (Tom's former girl), and goes to the political convention. The film, then, chronicles the death of the old West and of its heroes, men sacrificed to the needs of a growing society. The way Ford employs the African-American Pompey is observant. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance movie review (1962) - Roger Ebert The story takes place in a fictitious town ofShinbonein an unnamed Western territory (probably Colorado). It turns out he hadn't worn a handgun in years. Then there was also the fact that with the advent of 60s, the social climate in Hollywood (and in America)was changing drastically. Stoddard also becomes friends with Dutton Peabody (Edmond OBrien), editor of the Shinbone Star, as the two advocate for statehood for the territory. Doniphon (who is courting Hallie) is the only man willing to stand up to Valance. Ford started the film full of enthusiasm and fire, but he lost interest in the film almost as soon as shooting began. When the shooting ends, Valance is dead; Stoddard is hailed a hero as the man who shot Liberty Valance.. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Filmsite document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Now you can rate you favorite and least favorite Westerns, too. Doniphon finally does kill does kill Valance. Even the impact of this noble deed is lessened by Doniphan indulging himself in bitterness and self-pity. Whatever the reasons, the end result is that the studios refused to finance Liberty Valance, if Wayne was not in the cast. He makes a positive first impression when he brings Stoddard in. The screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck contains one of the best-known lines of dialogue in any Ford movie, spoken to Stoddard years later by the town's new newspaper editor: "This is the West, sir. What about Tom Doniphan? But in addition to drawing on Americana, Ford created it; the characters and situations in his westerns, from The Iron Horse to Stagecoach to Ford Apache to The Searchers to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, have become as much a part of American tradition as those on which Ford originally drew. It's clear they loved him. Does this make sense? Ford's greatest films are his westerns, a uniquely American art form he helped create, and a genre of which he is undisputed master. Ford reveals Stoddard as incapable of adjusting to the life of the West: when Tom brings Hallie a "cactus rose," Stoddard, having seen real roses, cannot appreciate the beauty of the desert flower. An old black cowboy named Pompey (Woody Strode) takes Hallie on a buckboard ride into the countryside where they regard the burned-out remains of Doniphon's cottage. Tom Doniphon is a local farmer, who observes, "Liberty Valance's the toughest man south of the Picketwire--next to me." Stoddard believes that hes a real man, a tough and violent character who can handle himself, and that Stoddard is a tenderfoot who is pretty much useless in the real world. Doniphan offers Stoddard a wagon out of town, and he considers it. Meanwhile, John Wayne was reeling from the financial setbacks caused by his dream projectThe Alamo (1960), which he directed, produced and starred in. It takes place in the town of Shinbone, in an unnamed territory that is moving toward a vote on statehood. Doniphon teaches Rance Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) how to shoot and fight. Now Stoddard accepts Valances challenge (ignoring Doniphons advice to leave town) to shoot it out with him. His films appeared very simple and, at times, very simplistic, but they dealt with huge themes: the expansion of American military might, the conflict between the European settlers and native American civilizations, the establishment of law & order in the wilderness, and the coming of religion, trade and commerce; all these themes are reflected in one way or the other in all his westerns. Marvin is magnificent as the snarling villain. Out of either James Stewart or John Wayne, who was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and how does this alter the ending? But his is the old form of Western prowess; its Stewart who represents the territorys future. Sure, he talks a big game, and he certainly has a certain degree of martial prowess, but he refuses to put it to use, perhaps for fear of failure. His attempt to teach Stoddard to shoot only had the result of humiliating him. The film ends with the defeat of American cavalry and the pathetic death of Col. Thursday (Henry Fonda). But still he admires Stoddard immensely. These westerns are memory films, filled with the traditions of the past, created from the anecdotes, fables, and songs that sprang from American history. Stoddard's first instinct is to demand the arrest of Liberty Valance; Doniphon tells him that law books mean nothing out West, that if Stoddard wants to take Valance, he'd better start carrying a hand-gun. in Liberty Valance, he just slowly fades away from screen. John (John Wayne) is the gunfighter, Tom (Dean Martin) is the gambler, Matt (Earl Holliman) is the quiet one, and Bud (Michael Anderson Jr.) is the youngest. From my perspective, its not even close here as to who the hero is. I said you, Valance; you pick it up. And so, when Doniphon sees that Stoddard killed Valance, and thus won the heart of the girl Doniphon was too afraid to propose too, he shatters in self-disgust. The character of Tom Doniphon was supposed to be a younger man, and the filmmaker relentlessly mocked and teased Wayne during filming. It was exacerbated by his failing health and his drinking problem, as the cantankerous Ford became even more of a misanthrope, thus alienating the big studios from hiring him. Valance toys with Stoddard, shooting his arm and laughing at him. Carleton Young Maxwell Scott, Edmond OBrien as Dutton Peabody, the man who lets Stoddard set up a law office and school in his newspaper building in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Woody Strode as Pompey, backing up Tom Doniphon as Hallie (Vera Miles) looks on in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Tom Doniphon: Liberty Valance is the toughest man south of picket wire. Doniphon returns drunken to his place where he torches it and would be content to die if Pompy did not rescue him from the burning house. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - INSP TV | TV Shows and Movies Tom Doniphon is the archetypal Ford hero, the John Wayne of all Ford's westerns. Escena del funeral de Tom Doniphon tomada del hombre que mato a Liberty Valance. The flashback itself was absurdly unrealistic, with Tom being casually tossed a rifle and firing at the last moment. Virginia Mayo and Joel McCrea meet a tragic end in this 1949 Western directed by Raoul Walsh and based on his 1941 film, "High Sierra." He films mostly on sets, but we're not particularly aware. At the time of the films release, it was dismissed as a minor work from a master filmmaker, but watching it now , it shows his extraordinary growth as a filmmaker, which is not just restricted to its thematic resonance, but also extends to its visual and narrative stylistics. Of course, the pick of the lot was Lee Marvin who portrayed the anger, maliciousness, and sadism of a man who symbolized all the lawlessness of the old west, and who refused to step gently aside to encroaching civilization. When Stoddard arrived in town by stagecoach, he was a fresh young lawyer with some romantic notions about bringing law & order to the west. And he holds the center stage in a film, with his quiet dignity and powerful, charismatic presence, where everybody else, including Stewart, is giving highly exaggerated, even cartoonish performances. But Wayne continued to bristle about the bad experience on making the picture, years later he recollected on his experience: It was a tough assignment for me because dammit, Ford had Jimmy for the shit-kicking humor, OBrien playing the sophisticated humor, and he had the heavy, Marvin. Valance and his two sidekicks hold up a stagecoach on the way to town, and when one of the passengers, Ransom, stands up to him Liberty nearly whips him to death. He would have rolled with Todd Beamer on Flight 93, rushed the terrorist on the French train, and helped save lives at Las Vegas just not very effectively. Funeral of Tom Doniphon taken from the classic The Man Who hot Liberty Valance He is the author. This will be very true for Liberty Valance; everyone except Wayne not only had the best scenes, but Ford made sure they all give the most flamboyant, over the top performances of their careers, to contrast with the sour and dour Wayne, who represented the truth and moral core of the film. Ford had pestered Wayne to take up the role, because without him there would be no film. Here, he is practically rendered motionless. This is why he can make a scene at the town meeting, mocking the participants and the rules (the Law says the bar is closed!) while turning down appointment to the delegation: if appointed, he might embarrass himself, perhaps showing himself to be ignorant of the rules or other social expectations. And so Stoddard tells them the story, one they decide not to print because, in this case, legend has become fact. His tragedy is his unwillingness to act. Tom Doniphon is played by John Wayne, while Ransom Stoddard is played by Jimmie Stewart. His friend & Ranch hand Pompey (Woody Strode)saves him from the fire, but is unable to save the house. Perhaps, the existence of Valance gave Doniphan a status of importance and made him an indispensable man in a lawless community. His relationship with Wayne was a little strained at the time, mainly because of incidents involving Waynes directorial ventureTheAlamo, in which Ford worked as a second unitdirector. Valance challenges Stoddard to a show-down, although he knows Stoddard can hardly hold a gun. He quickly makes an enemy out of local bully and killer Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin, The Dirty Dozen), who tries to force him to leave town. Legend is that Ford wanted younger actors for his film, and didnt want to use John Wayne. In this sense, the ending is eerily similar to The Searchers, except there he walks back into the mythical wilderness that he came from, here he is just silently absorbed by history. of course, Ford was making a larger point; that the kind of men needed to master the wilderness are the kind of men that can only function in wilderness; they are men who civilization must expel; If society is tobenefit, then thereis no place for either Valance or Doniphon in the new world. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance paired James Stewart and John Wayne but here's who killed the title villain, and the final twist explained. Ford takes us into the past, to Shinbone before the coming of the railroad modernized the town. Just finished watching The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Tom has long considered Hallie "my girl," and is adding a room to his farmhouse that has a nice porch with a rocking chair, in preparation for the day he has no doubt she will marry him.
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