The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
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A lawyer's political rise is haunted by a secret from the frontier past involving a notorious outlaw.
The story
Near the turn of the 20th century, U.S. Senator Ransom "Ranse" Stoddard and his wife Hallie arrive in Shinbone, a frontier town, to attend a funeral. Stoddard recounts a story from 25 years prior when he arrived in the territory as a young lawyer. He was beaten and robbed by the infamous outlaw Liberty Valance. While establishing his practice, Stoddard befriends the local newspaper editor and begins practicing with a gun after being bullied by Valance. As the town prepares for a statehood convention, Valance attempts to intimidate the voters, leading to a tense confrontation between the law and the outlaw.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Near the turn of the 20th century, Senator Ransom "Ranse" Stoddard and his wife Hallie visit Shinbone for Tom Doniphon's funeral. Stoddard recounts how, 25 years earlier, he was a young lawyer bullied by the outlaw Liberty Valance. Doniphon and his handyman, Pompey, rescued Stoddard, and Hallie treated his wounds. Stoddard eventually opened a school and began practicing with a gun. When Valance tried to block the town's statehood, he challenged Stoddard to a gunfight. Doniphon secretly assisted Stoddard by shooting Valance at the same moment Stoddard fired, a fact he kept hidden. After Valance's death, Stoddard rose to political prominence, becoming a governor and senator. In the present, the newspaper editor decides to burn the notes of Stoddard's past to preserve his legend, stating, "when the legend becomes fact, print the legend." The film ends with Stoddard and Hallie reflecting on the past as they return from Washington.
- First release year
- 1962
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Ford
- Writers
- James Warner Bellah · screenplay; Willis Goldbeck · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- James Stewart · Ransom "Ranse" Stoddard; John Wayne · Tom Doniphon; Vera Miles · Hallie; Lee Marvin · Dutton Peabody; Edmond O'Brien · Maxwell Scott; Andy Devine; Ken Murray; John Carradine; Woody Strode; Strother Martin; Lee Van Cleef
- Genres
- Western; Drama
- Themes
- Myth vs. Reality; Civilization vs. Wilderness; Legacy; Violence
- Tone and mood
- Elegiac; Pensive; Gritty; Realistic
- Setting
- A frontier town in an unnamed Western state (likely Colorado) near the turn of the 20th century.
- Premise and plot tags
- Western; Revisionist Western; Historical Drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- A 1949 short story by Dorothy M. Johnson.
- Reception
- The film was a financial and critical success, recognized as one of Ford's best and a classic Western. While some contemporary critics found the final act anticlimactic, modern assessments praise its pensive nature and political depth.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Costume Design (black-and-white) · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The song "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" became a top-10 hit but was not used in the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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