The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

As the "Old West" is dying and statehood and a new, more complex society looms, a Senator, played by Jimmy Stewart returns to his humble beginnings of Shinbone to attend the funeral of his friend, played by John Wayne.

As a journalist interviews Stewart, he reveals how his career got it's ultimate boost because he was known as "the man who shot Liberty Valance," a violent criminal. In a flashback, we see what really happened. Stewart was not the man who shot the criminal, but it was John Wayne, who witnessed the gunfight from an alleyway and managed to kill Liberty Valance with a shotgun at the same moment that Stewart fired his own gun. He did this despite the fact that he had lost the love of his life to Stewart. He was doing the right thing!

When the journalist hears the truth, he refuses to print it, stating, "When the legend becomes fact, we print the legend." That statement captures the essence of this classic film.

Without a doubt, this is a movie is a classic that should not be missed.

ESSENTIAL MOVIE!!! One of the greatest westerns ever filmed stars James Stewart & John Wayne & was directed by the incomparable John Ford. The character of the film's title isn't made clear until near the end of the movie. The film is shot in black & white which fits its moody atmosphere, it's like western/film noir.

The movie opens with Ranson Stoddard (James Stewart), known as Rance to his friends, & his wife, Hallie (Vera Miles), returning to the town where they had met 25 years before. They've returned to the sleepy hamlet to attend the funeral of a nobody. Stoddard is now a Senator of the unnamed state & it's big news to the local newspaper as to why he's there. When asked, Stoddard begins a story that becomes a film-long flashback.

Stoddard arrives in a wild west town as a green & mild mannered lawyer who has no idea of the ways in the unruly West. He runs afoul, almost immediately, of the outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Their encounter leads eventually to the inevitable showdown. More than once, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), steps in to thwart Valance's desire to harm the hapless Stoddard, who can't even handle a gun.

It's understood that Hallie is Doniphon's girl though nothing has been formally announced. Doniphon has even begun adding a room, with the help of his black ranch hand Pompey (Woody Strode), to his ranch home in preparation of the day they marry. But Stoddard, inept as he is, is appealing to Hallie because he's educated & she isn't. Stoddard, unable to have a thriving law business at the outset, washes dishes at the busy cafe that's owned by Hallie's parents & also begins teaching in a school he's started. None of this is viewed very highly because these were jobs almost exclusively handled by women at that time; Stoddard isn't a man's man. The conflict in the cafe sets the tone for the movie; Doniphon orders a steak & it's brought to him by Stoddard, another job not viewed as being masculine. He's tripped by Valance, who doesn't know the steak is Doniphon's. After Stoddard is tripped the steak ends up on the floor, an argument ensues between Valance & Doniphon over the steak. In order to stop the potential violent eruption, Stoddard picks up the steak. In this classic scene the entire stage is set for what is to follow.

Finally, there comes the showdown between Stoddard & Valance. Valance wounds Stoddard in the shoulder, like a cat toying with a mouse. Though Valance is drunk, he's still deadly accurate with a handgun. He taunts Stoddard into picking up the gun with his other hand, then he slowly takes aim to issue the coup de grace "right between the eyes." What follows is an incredible piece of luck when Stoddard fires the gun & kills Valance. The whole town now treats him as the conquering hero. At this time Doniphon kind of fades away, he gets to drinking, becomes bitter, finally burning down his ranch house, knowing he has lost Hallie.

The territory this all occurs in is seeking statehood, they turn to "the man who shot Liberty Valance" & send him as one of their represenatives to the territorial meeting that intends to seek statehood. In this regard Stoddard is well suited, able to handle the requirements of the job to represent the good folks of Shinbone. This leads to a political career in which Stoddard shines on the national stage, he's been Senator, Governor & an Ambassador.

But the truth is Rance Stoddard is NOT "the man who shot Liberty Valance", it was really Tom Doniphon, who had been standing in an nearby alley, witness to the gunfight. At the critical moment Doniphon shoots Valance himself with a rifle, managing to fire at the exact same moment as Stoddard, & killing Liberty Valance.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has a cast that is way beyond superb. In a major supporting role is Edmond O'Brien portraying the drunken editor of the Shinbone newspaper. John Carradine has a small role near the end as a voice the cattlemen speaking against statehood. There's also Denver Pyle in a small role. Strother Martin & Lee Van Cleef portray the two cronies of Valance. There's also Andy Devine playing the town sheriff who's scared of his own shadow. It all adds up to being one of Hollywood's greatest westerns. The role of Tom Doniphon was an excellent one for Wayne as he stepped outside his normal personna, giving one of his best acting portrayals of his entire career.

Critically panned on it's release, this John Ford film is now considered a classic. John Wayne, James Stewart and a really vicious performance by Lee Marvin. The cornerstone of any western/John Ford collection.

I remember seeing this when it came out, and haven't seen it in its entirety since. It really brought me back to that time, when there were so many Westerns yet so few memorable ones. This one really sticks in the mind, not only for the acting, but for the situation and its ideals.

Jimmy Stewart arrives as a young man determined to make his mark, but is brutalized by Lee Marvin. He is rescued by a local heavy, a cynical but just John Wayne, who takes him to "his girl", the wonderfully subtle and beautiful actress Vera Miles. I just loved these male characters, who are drawn together yet are also competitors, almost alternative futures of the West. Wayne preaches armed resistance, Stewart a legal/political one. In a way, they trade places, as the West is won, generating a myth. It is truly masterful and spellbinding, even moving.

Warmly recommended. My kids will love this ancient film as sharing with us oldies.

One of the great westerns and one of Wayne's best. Lee Marvin is perfect as Liberty Valance. Come to think of it, Stewart's not bad either.
However,this is no shoot em up - it's a western with a message. Spoiler Warning! If you haven't seen the movie, read no more.

The man who, ostensibly, shot Liberty Valance, gets the girl and is elected to Congress to boot. The man who actually did shoot Liberty dies in obscurity.
Sometimes, life is like that.