Review of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) by Cameron J — 11 Jun 2014

Man, I'd shoot Liberty Valance just to put him out of the misery of having such a girly name. Shoot, - so to speak - forget girly, because Liberty Valance sounds kind of like a stripper name or something. You know what, I'm going to make a prediction so likely that it just has to be a spoiler: Valance was shot by... Chastity Summers! Sometimes, you can't afford to have competition, and I'm glad no one said that when John Ford was alive, because he probably would have ended up killing anyone else who made a western film, and John Wayne would have been his accomplice. Man, Ford sure could make a western, and Wayne sure could star in one... just as Lee Marvin sure could play a sarcastic jerk, and Jimmy Stewart sure could get involved in some sort of a murder-mystery situation. Come to think of it, so much about this film seems to be conventional that I'm surprised that a stripper didn't turn out to be Valance's murderer, although I'm glad it wasn't (Sorry to spoil your expectations, folks), because this is a serious western right here. Mind you, it was serious for 1962, and while that isn't to say that the film isn't good, it is to say that time sort of timed this drama with certain shortcomings.

Perhaps the film doesn't fall too deeply victim to Hollywood superficialities of the time, but there are still plenty of Hollywood melodramatics, and other cheesy, maybe even overly safe aspects which even have the nerve to fall into formula. There are some surprising refreshing touches here, as well as more than a few unsurprising conventional touches, which betray a certain ambition to freshen things up and might even commit the great sin of placing some predictability over a plot which is driven by certain twists and turns. Among the elements that help keeping predictability at bay is a certain undercooking to exposition, for although the developmental shortcomings are hardly all that great, certain characters seem to lack dimension, with some coming off as cheesy types which exacerbate the Hollywood fluffiness and a sense of familiarity, no matter how much the film keeps you from getting too familiar with the characters. Of course, as little time as the film dedicates towards fleshing out its characters, it takes some time to drag its feet, having a somewhat minimal story that is interpreted into a two-hour affair that drags out developmental segments over action, despite not putting all that much meat to the execution, resulting in some relatively serious slow spells, limited though they may be. Quite frankly, there is little to complain about here, but there are subtle consequential shortcomings, and quite of few of them, and each one of them sheds some shred of light onto prominent natural shortcomings. As I said, this story, no matter how compelling, is minimalist, being more about talk than momentum, which is further retarded by the Hollywood superficialities, as well as certain other superficialities to exposition and pace control. The final product could have gone a long way for a 1960s Hollywood western, but as it stands, however, it's still very rewarding, sustaining your attention pretty thoroughly with sharp storytelling, and even good looks.

Having to work with a black-and-white color palette, William H. Clothier turns in a cinematographic performance that is limited by technical shortcomings of the time, but still handsome in its subtle emphasis on lighting that takes advantage of coloration limitations in order to provide a certain sense of grit that art director Hal Pereira compliment with his capturing of the grimy environment through solid production value. It's a subtle appeal to the visuals, make no mistake, but the appeal is still very much there, with a subtle immersion value that is, of course, augmented by some tasteful direction. Though held back by dramatic limitations of the time, John Ford's subtle directorial flavor to pacing typically cut through slow spells with some solid entertainment value, and when the slower spells go accompanied with thoughtfulness by Ford, there's a certain dramatic bite that was uncommonly effective for the time, and does justice to an intriguing story. The story is at least refreshing in concept, with an intriguing narrative about a stranger being embraced by a strange land, especially upon performing actions of questionable morality, that ultimately comes down to a pretty solid twist, yet is never short on thought-provoking themes regarding morality which thrives on smart scripting. Hollywood fluff holds some bite to James Warner Bellah's and Willis Goldbeck's script back, as does developmental lapses and thin spells, but characterization is generally strong, drawing memorable characters who are made all the more compelling by twists which make the should-be villains seem merely flawed, and make the should-be heroes seem irrational and immoral, thus reinforcing the themes on the thin lines between true heroes and true villains that are further complimented by performances which are as memorable as the characterization. There is the occasional cheesy performance to accompany some cheesy characterization moments, but there are still plenty of endearing supporting performances, - particularly those by the effectively intimidating Lee Marvin as the titular outlaw, Edmond O'Brien as the drunken newsman who speaks for the people, the beautiful Vera Miles as a flawed woman who falls for a flawed protagonist, and by John Wayne as, well, himself, complete with extreme charisma - as well as a strong lead performance by James Stewart, whose classic dramatic layering sells a man's pride as an intelligent man seeking honor in a lawless land, and anxiety over being given a great deal of respect for a brutal deed. The flaws rarely abate, but the strengths never abate, and whether they be respectable for being ahead of their time, and respectable for still being strong to this day, they craft a drama which is never less than compelling.

When the case is closed, some dated and conventional aspects slow down momentum almost as much as thin spells to exposition, dragging, and, of course, natural shortcomings, which go defied enough by handsome cinematography and art direction, well-paced direction, intriguing themes and scripting, and many an endearing performance - especially by James Stewart - to make "The Man Who Shout Liberty Valance" a plenty entertaining, compelling and all around rewarding portrait on challenging morals for justice.

3/5 - Good.