The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Continuing my look at the prominent films of 1962, I turn to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the first pairing of megastars John Wayne and James Stewart. Though John Ford would make a few more films after this one, it's a nice summation of his career, an elegiac film about the changes in the Old West and the power of myth.

Stewart plays an eastern lawyer, Ranse Stoddard, who has come east to hang up a shingle and earn a living. He encounters trouble right away, as his stagecoach his held up by gang of cutthroats, led by the title character (Lee Marvin). Marvin is such a villain that no one, not the cowardly marshal (Andy Devine) or anyone else will stand up to him. He is backed by the money of the cattle ranchers, who do not desire the territory to be made a state.

The only guy tougher than Marvin is a rancher, Wayne, who maintains an uneasy peace. He is sweet on Vera Miles, but has hesitated in asking to marry her.

Stewart, somewhat like the character he played in Destry Rides Again, eschews guns and believes in the sanctity of law. Repeatedly he is told that that's not the way of the west, and eventually will have a showdown with Marvin. As the title suggests, Stewart wins, and launches a political career that will take him to Washington. But is he truly the man who shot Liberty Valance?

The film is entertaining and thought-provoking. Devine and a rich supporting cast, including Edmond O'Brien as the drunken newspaper editor, provide comic relief. There's a very serious vein to the picture, though, on the American political system, and the mythmaking of the West. The story is told in flashback by Stewart to a newspaper reporter, and after revealing the truth, the reporters tears up his notes, puts them in the fire, and says, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."

Wayne and Stewart work well together, though Stewart's idealism is a bit shrill. When Wayne wanted to, he could be a very effective actor, as in the scenes when he realizes he's sacrificing Miles for a greater good. As usual with Ford films, there's a rich supply of character actors, both old and young, like Woody Strode, John Carradine, Denver Pyle, Strother Martin, Ken Curtis, and Lee Van Cleef. Unlike many of Ford's films, it was shot in black and white, which was a budget consideration, but Ford makes excellent use of the shadows. A fine film, an American classic.