As a note of trivia, a Burt Bacharach-Hal David song by the same name was recorded for the film by Gene Pitney, but wasnt used in the soundtrack. Recognizing that that kind of cowardice is his own and not Stoddards, he gives him a pep talk and tells him what he wants to hear: that he did not violate his belief in non-violence, that he is the man he always thought he was. He pays off room and board to her Swedish parents by working in their cafe. 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. His chief victim was Woody Strode, with whom he very nearly came to blows. As the film opens, U. S. Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) arrives in Shinbone by the new railroad with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) to attend the funeral of a man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). [sic Arkansas] For two years police of two states have been unable to solve five slaying at the state-line city. The Man who shot liberty valance Tom Doniphon, the outlaw hero, shot Liberty Valance To protect Hallie and Ransom Stoddard because he knew that Ransom is the right future for his town and Hallie, even though Ransom views contradict with Toms views and wishes. His tragedy is his unwillingness to act. I just had to wander around in that son of a bitch and try and make a part for myself. When Stoddard arrived in town by stagecoach, he was a fresh young lawyer with some romantic notions about bringing law & order to the west. Why does this man, who has no trouble dominating a political meeting while simultaneously refusing to participate in it, skulk in the shadows like a thief, a coward? Big studios were giving way to Independents, and a new kind of gritty, violent cinema was being made for an emerging counter-cultural audience. But in Liberty Valance (as well as in his previous filmSergeant Rutledge) I find a strong influence of Kurosawas Rashomon; especially, dealing with the exploration of a particular event (involving a crime) from multiple vantage points. He goes to the convention and sees Stoddard break down and try to flee rather than stand for election. Just finished watching The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. They were playing dual archetypes of the myth: the grizzled veteran cowboy and the idealistic, young, city-slicker lawyer. Next to me., Tom Doniphon, after reading Ransoms Attorney at Law sign: Pilgrim, you really aim to hang that up outside somewhere? Stoddard was the only man in town who would stand up to Valance and if Valance wasnt stopped, hed continued to destroy and hurt people. We watch events of long-ago happen before our eyes, and are content to take a temporary departure from the Twentieth Century. In the film, except for two notable acts that change Stoddard's life forever, Doniphon isn't quite so proactive with an eye to Stoddard's future. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance from 1962 was one of their final projects together, though John Wayne was cast by the studio against Ford's wishes. A part-time hobby soon blossomed into a career when he discovered he really loved writing about movies, TV and video games; he even (arguably) had a little bit of talent for it. A newspaper reporter and editor begin asking questions about why the senator is back in town; Doniphon, after all, did not die as a man of any significance. He finds out real soon while traveling to the town of Shinbone that the West doesn't really care about law or . Even his house is far outside the town (whereas Stoddard lives in its heart: at the restaurant and newspaper office). He makes a positive first impression when he brings Stoddard in. 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. Edmond OBrien Dutton Peabody Working in the restaurant is young Hallie. And as they swarm around the senator for details, Stoddard starts recalling the events leading up to that day and, the film cuts to a flashback. Tom Doniphon tells him that without a gun in his hand and the experience to use it, he will sooner or later certainly be killed by Valance. UPDATE: Whoa, looks like I am two days ahead of an official discussion of this film, my apologies. He arranges his characters within the frame to reflect power dynamics--or sometimes to suggest a balance is changing. Liberty Valance : Three against one, Doniphon. John Ford and John Wayne together created much of the mythology of the Old West we carry in our minds. There is so much to love about this movie and John Ford is especially skilled at luring sentimentality out of you (even for otherwise comic-relief characters like the town drunk/newspaperman). He is putting to death all that Wayne represented in his westerns up until that time and for the rest of the film, he is going to painfully reconstruct the mythology of the west and Wayne through some cold hard facts. It is the Ford town, complete with a drunken doctor, a crusading newspaper editor, a cowardly marshall (brillantly played by Andy Devine), two saloons-one high class, and then the Spanish place down the street--and assorted cowboys and farmers. But Pompey won't drink. He also got along well with John Ford; Marvin was in the Navy in WWII, like Ford and they bonded over that. The film ends with the defeat of American cavalry and the pathetic death of Col. Thursday (Henry Fonda). He's super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. From thereon, he goes onto even more heights in his political career, and now he is expecting a nomination to be the vice-president of the country. The way Ford employs the African-American Pompey is observant. Stoddard grabs a six-gun he can barely use and offers to meet Valance in the street while Hallie summons Doniphon for help. In its tone, structure and visual style, the film is very different from other John Ford Westerns. He then asks about a cactus rose that was placed on Doniphon's coffin, and she reveals she placed it there; Tom had earlier given Hallie a cactus rose, with the strong implication being that she never stopped loving him. Good history is necessary because bad history exists. Though we still see Stoddard shoot in the direction of Valance simultaneously, almost making the true killer ambiguous. The final line of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance sees the conductor ensuring the couple of a smooth journey and stating nothing is too for the man who killed Valance. Is it that the Randian half of him is ashamed of his altruistic impulses? Jeanette Nolan Nora Ericson All three spend much of their time hanging out in the restaurant kitchen. His mood made life difficult for all the actors involved but he was especially tough on Wayne, who found himself in the direct firing line again. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceis one of those classic films I hadnt gotten around to seeing other than having caught the end on TNT one day. Doniphan is ready to kill Valance over spoiling his steak by tripping Stoddard, but does nothing while Valance oppresses his neighbors, and torments innocent people. The film was a direct influence on Leones own end of the west westernOnce upon a time in the West. Valance and his gang beat up a drunken Peabody nearly to death, and ransack his office. After hearing all this, the newsmen decide not to print the story, as the mythology that propelled Stoddard has to be protected at any cost. Now Stoddard accepts Valances challenge (ignoring Doniphons advice to leave town) to shoot it out with him. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend., Tom Doniphon: It aint mannerly out west to let a fella drink by himself., Tom Doniphon, about to leave town and knowing the newspaper is about to pick a fight with Liberty Valance: Take note of what goes on around here, because by the time I get back there aint gonna be no newspaper to read it in., Linc Appleyard, on the prospect of getting tough with Liberty Valance: The jails only got one cell, and the locks broke and I sleep in it., John Wayne as Tom Doniphon, the one man in Shinbone willing to stand up to Liberty Valance in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), James Stewart as Ransom Stoddard, victim of a stage holdup in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Vera Miles as Hallie trying to talk Ransom Stoddard out of a showdown in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Andy Devine as Lince Appleyard, the rather meek sheriff of Shinbone in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Ken Murray as Doc WIlloughby, realizing the day hes wished for has arrived in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Woody Stode as Pompey, welcoming Ransom and Hallie Stoddard back to Shinbone in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), ohn Qualen as Peter Ericson, father of Hallie and owner of a restaurant in Shinbone in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Jeanette Nolan as Nora Ericson, taking English lessons at Ransom Stoddards school in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), John Wayne as Tom Doniphon, sharing a secret about the night an outlaw died with Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), James Stewart as Ransom Stoddard and Vera Miles as Hallie Stoddard, reflecting on their visit to Shinbone in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). When Liberty Valance was finally released, it met with mixed critical reaction, the American critics didnt think much of it, but the European critics called it one of Fords masterworks. He had married Hallie in the interim, and now, they have come to pay their final respects to The real Man who shot Liberty Valance. Doniphon takes Stoddard aside, and in a flashback within a flashback, confides that he, Doniphon, actually killed Valance from an alley across the street, firing at the same time as Stoddard. That Stoddard, thus relieved of the sin of murder has no problem committing the sin of dishonesty says as much about the nature of politicians as it does his own character. The age factor was a bigger problem with Stewart, because he was playing aguy half his real age for most part of the film, but with Wayne, he was again playing a personality, a symbol which represents some abstract values, so it was not a problem for him. He even takes on the duty of helping out with waiting tables. The body of Tom Doniphon is at rest in a plain, wooden casket. From the time Ford first teamed up with Wayne inStagecoachin 1939, Waynes towering persona was Fords chief instrument in conceiving and propagating the myths about the old west. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He receives a brutal beating from Valance and is left to die. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. But, it was in direct opposition to the Western code. In this scenario, Doniphon is not simply a radical individualist who refuses to partake in community out of a twisted kind of idealism, rather hes simply a coward. 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. Years ago Shinbone was held in a grip of terror by the sadistic Liberty Valance (played by Lee Marvin in a performance evoking savage cruelty). Now that's out of the way, a brief introduction. Even Doniphans attempts to help Stoddard had mixed motives at best. 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. Here, Doniphon is a horse trader while the bad guy Valance is a stagecoach robber; within the framework of the film, both are from the same world and are pretty much allies; both are trapped in obsolescent careers, neither seems willing to adapt; they represent the best and worst of that old-world. The flashback itself was absurdly unrealistic, with Tom being casually tossed a rifle and firing at the last moment. This famous aphorism (One of the most famous lines in Movie history) is spoken by the character of a newspaperman in Fords 1962 western,The Man who shot Liberty Valance. When Stoddard found the town marshal was a coward, he began to take an old gun out and practice. Doniphan takes it for granted that Hallie will be his wife and resents it when she stars having feelings for Stoddard. When he died in 1961, Corriere della Sera wrote: "Perhaps with him there has ended a certain America: that of the frontier and of innocence" Photograph: SNAP/Rex Features John Wayne His first. Wayne always plays characters who take charge of the situation, the guy who takes the fight to the opposition and, the contrast between him and the bad guy is always well defined. 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. Doniphon - calling Stoddard 'Pilgrim', an epithet . I said you, Valance; you pick it up. Liberty Valance, who supports cattle barons opposed to statehood. Ford's westerns represent one of the most significant achievements in the history of American art. There are few comparisons to Tom as an artist; even fewer to him as a . 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 film, then, chronicles the death of the old West and of its heroes, men sacrificed to the needs of a growing society. It also seems that Doniphans decision to put Stoddard in as delegate and then offer him a wagon out of town when Valance threatens him is motivated by his desire to keep Hallie to himself. 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. When he recovers, the college-education lawyer goes to work as a dishwasher in the hotel that took him in. Instead, we are left with the typical 'John Wayne was an amazing hero' ending. And so Stoddard tells them the story, one they decide not to print because, in this case, legend has become fact. 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. As a showdown between Stoddard and Valance Ford begins to seem inevitable, Ford creates considerable tension. It asks the question: Does a man need to carry a gun in order to disagree or state an opinion? This would make him a tragic figure, even if he lived the rest of his days honorably under the 'law and order' creed. Fords westerns portrayed truth, honor, courage, family and community as the chief weapons by which the American West was won. I really enjoyed it but felt somewhat cheated by the 'twist' ending. Without Ransom Stoddards courage and convictions, there is no movie. All his assets that he had accrued in his lifetime has been wiped out; on top of that, he too developed severe health problems (which was later diagnosed as lung cancer), which drove him into deep depression. His mental downfall afterwards still makes sense if he didn't secretly shoot Valance. John Ford is regarded as one of the great American filmmakers and has many classics to his name, including Stagecoach, The Quiet Man and The Searchers. Here, he is practically rendered motionless. 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. But the films of John Ford make no attempt to take us into the past; they are about the past. However, he was nowhere near good enough as Doniphan proved in ahumiliating display. Hallie attends to Stoddards wounds and it appears to Doniphonthat she has fallen in love with Stoddard. In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the newspaper editor says, "This is the West. But Liberty Valance and his guns work for the cattle barons who want to keep the territory for themselves. Then there was also the fact that with the advent of 60s, the social climate in Hollywood (and in America)was changing drastically. In it, Ford gives us a capsule version of the world it took him 40 years to create, and then shows us how it died. He asks if she wants to move back to the town when they retire, which makes her delighted as she states her heart belongs there. Why does Doniphon hesitate? 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. Even the impact of this noble deed is lessened by Doniphan indulging himself in bitterness and self-pity. He forbids Stoddards to teach Hallie to read. But still he admires Stoddard immensely. A dejected Doniphon, who was hoping to marry Hallie and move into his new house, gets drunk andburns down his house. Was Hollywood, at that time, incapable of leaving us a more complicated, conflicted ending? They would make one more film together, the lighthearted comedyDonovans Reef (1963), and call it quits. He faced Valance, who immediately shot him in his gun hand. I think even if Tom had lied to Stoddard about the shooting to ease Stoddard's conscience, it would strike me as more profound. Either way, the film ends with the question of whether Doniphons nature is individualistic or cowardly (or whether theres really any difference between the two) deemed irrelevant. 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. But he is a sort of reluctant hero, who minds his own business, and is roused into action only if his path crosses with the outlaws. A man of action and few words (note his instinctive hatred of the rhetoric in the Convention speeches), Doniphon is very much an individual who minds his own business. So the newspapermen are all surprised, as to why Ranse Stoddard: three-term governor, two-term senator, ambassador to the Court of St. James, would attend his funeral. Stoddard was inept but courageous. As Stoddard revives, weak and in a daze, he feels he has something he must do: he wants to arrest Valance and his men. Valance and his two henchmenterrorize Shinbone, while the bumbling Marshal Link Appleyard (Andy Devine ) lacks the courage and gun fighting skills to challenge him. The story takes place in a fictitious town ofShinbonein an unnamed Western territory (probably Colorado). Learn how your comment data is processed. Tom Doniphon and Ransom Stoddard are the two key characters in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, directed by John Ford and filmed in 1962. The film, surprisingly for its downbeat nature, made money, at the box office,though not on the level of a John Wayne picture. When a meeting is held to vote on statehood, Pompey sits outside on the porch. At the convention, Stoddard and an ally (a local newspaper and town drunk played by Golden Globe Winner Edmond OBrien) are elected, but Valance threatens to kill him. Rarely do we find the influence of other directors in Fords movies. Answer, Bart Allison (Randolph Scott) to rancher Morley Chase in 1957's. The character of Tom Doniphon was supposed to be a younger man, and the filmmaker relentlessly mocked and teased Wayne during filming. He has no fear about standing up for what he believes is right, regardless of his physical inability to defend it or himself. What Doniphon craves most is domesticity, but by finally shooting Valance, he loses that opportunity; thismakes Doniphon the most tragic character that John Wayne has ever. But the most important of all, the film begins with the death of his lead character, Tom Doniphon, played by none other than John Wayne. Tom Doniphon shoots the outlaw thug Liberty Valance from the shadows, keeps it a secret, then realizes that his girl Hallie is in love with Ransom Stoddard, whereupon he burns his house to the ground (starting with the new wing hed built for her. Stoddard believes so firmly in the law that he is willing to lose his life for his principles. Mr. Connors died in Peterborough, Ont., at the age of 77 from "natural causes," according to spokesman Brian Edwards. Authorities hoped to learn the answer today as they continued an investigation of the poison death of H. B. Director John Ford has been a pioneer, not only of the Western genre, but also the art form of cinema itself; he is an inspiration to some of the greatest filmmakers all around the world; Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, David Lean,.. Have all expressed their admiration and debt to Ford in developing their own cinematic technique. 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. Stoddard also becomes friends with Dutton Peabody (Edmond OBrien), editor of the Shinbone Star, as the two advocate for statehood for the territory. The film, also starring James Stewart, Lee Marvin and Vera Miles, is Fords most political film that subverts a lot of myths about the American West as well as the John Wayne persona that Ford himself created, This is the West, sir. Doniphon revealed how he was hidden on a side street with Pompey when the showdown occurred. 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). Most of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance's story is told in flashback, as Stoddard and Hallie return to the town over 25 years later to attend Doniphon's funeral. He built a home which he assumed Hally (Vera Miles) would share with him as his wife, but he lost her to the hero of the moment, Stoddard. John Wayne as Tom Doniphon, the man who finds Stoddard wounded on the road to Shinbone in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), James Stewart as Ransom Stoddard, fresh off a beating at the hands of Liberty Valance in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Its not just a matter of printing the legend: it really makes no difference. There are here to attend the funeral of a man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). Ford isn't making an anachronistic statement on racism, but he's being sure we notice it. True Grit: How The 2010 Movie Compares To The Book & John Wayne Version, The Barbarian And The Geisha Had John Wayne Literally Fighting His Director. Stoddard decides that he cannot be entrusted with public service after killing a man in a gunfight and he decides to withdraw. 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. 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. He strides around as the quickest gun on the side of right, calling Stoddard pilgrim, standing up to Valance when the need arises. This twist does little to impress the editor, who refuses to run the story revealing the truth, proclaiming When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance ends with Stoddard and Hallie - who also knows the truth about Doniphon - on a train ride home. By killing Liberty Valance, facilitating Stoddard's rise to political prominence and the progressive modernization of the West, Doniphon destroys himself. Has anyone else felt this way upon viewing The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? TakeFort Apache (1948) for instance, which is a strong polemic on American military intervention against the Native Americans. John Qualen Peter Ericson Vera Miles Hallie Stoddard They're just too good to be stopped. So, when Stoddard and Valance face off, Doniphan fires the shot that kills Liberty Valance from across the street, thus losing the girl he loves to give her what she wants. Three men stand at the center of the story: Stoddard, Doniphon, and Valance. One of John Fords most effective later films, told flashback fashion as the senator and his wife arrive unannounced in Shinbone to pay tribute to an old friend who has passed. Scan this QR code to download the app now. He explains: "The Western is intrinsically the most political movie genre, because, like Plato's 'Republic,' it is concerned with the founding of cities, and because it depicts the various abstract functions of government as direct, physical actions." What about Tom Doniphan? A newspaper reporter and editor begin asking questions about why the senator is back in town; Doniphon, after all, did not die as a man of any significance. He dies a drunkard, having lost everything in his life, unacknowledged and unknown. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance focuses on the love triangle between Stoddard, Doniphon and his girlfriend Hallie (Vera Miles, Psycho). In this film, it is related to the killing of Liberty Valance, which is shown from two different perspectives. In fact, they find themselves up for election as territorial delegates to work toward that goal. (Doodie) Tennison, 18, of Texarkana, Texas. Does this make sense? Hes even elected as a delegate to the territorial convention but refuses to serve. But what if Doniphon is lying, what if Stoddard really is the man who shot Liberty Valance? Ford would repeatedly use Marvin (and Stewart, who also served in WWII) as a stick to beat John Wayne, who hadnt served in WWII, something that always offended Ford. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved. 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. Tom Doniphon came to the rescue and saved Ransom's life. Almost no traces of the old Shinbone can be found at the beginning and end of the film. It's clear they loved him. Now with his conscious clear, Stoddard returns to the convention, accepts the nomination, and is elected to the Washington delegation. 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. But he hasnt. Wayne had every right to be pissed at the character he was assigned; Tom Doniphon is the most Anti-Johnwayne character that Wayne has ever played. He was the one man who would face Liberty Valance come what may. As played by Jimmy Stewart, Stoddard spends much of the film wearing an apron and washing dishes in the restaurant, sending a hardly ambiguous message about a man who doesn't wear a gun. Liberty Valance, his masterpiece, is one of the greatest films of all time. Marvin is magnificent as the snarling villain. Want to keep up with breaking news? At the end of the film, we learn that Tom Doniphan (John Wayne) really had shot Liberty Valance while the public had given credit to Ransom Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) who went on to have a successful political career. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Now you can rate you favorite and least favorite Westerns, too.
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