Review of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) by Christopher B — 26 Oct 2013

"I had taken Horace Greeley's advice literally. 'Go west, young man. Go west, and seek fame and fortune, adventure.' " So starts U.S. Senator Ransom Stoddard's (James Stewart) story of his first arrival to the small western town of Shinbone in John Ford's highly thought-provoking 1962 Western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. His arrival to Shinbone is not welcoming at all as he is brutally whipped and left for dead by a town bully by the name of Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who basically tells him that the laws created by the U.S. government will not suffice in the West. Ransom is eventually rescued by local rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) and nursed back to health by a restaurant owner, his wife, and their daughter Hallie (Vera Miles).

Even with all of his belongings (law books and documents) scattered and lost, a now healthy Ransom is determined to bestow justice upon this local daily menace and his henchmen once and for all. There's only one problem with his plan to put Liberty Valance behind bars. Apparently, Tom states that in Shinbone, the law books and documents that Ransom uses won't apply to this politically unstable town. "Out here, a man settles his own problems," Tom states to Ransom. Furthermore, many of the townsfolk, including Hallie, can't read or write. However, Ransom does volunteer to teach some of Shinbone's citizens how to read and write. While his voluntary teaching works well so far, the next big encounter with Liberty comes ever so closer to the point where Tom has to teach Ransom how to shoot a gun against his will.

And no matter what the end result of Ransom and Liberty's next encounter will be, it will profoundly change the town of Shinbone permanently. Either way, it makes the whole plot all the more fascinating especially when it comes to dissecting what the main moral behind this film is. Does this story argue for the importance of educating others how to read and write as well as reinforcing law? Does it argue for the importance to defend yourself regardless if you're incapable and unwilling to kill a man? What makes this particular tale all the more interesting is that it answers these certain questions by giving us indirect answers and raising more questions both at the same time. In short, we're given an answer that makes us draw our own conclusions as to why it had to end up this way. Without revealing too much about this climax, it's unforgettable to say the least.

Along with the climax's brilliant and complex payoff, the way director John Ford brings the town of Shinbone to life is also worth examining. By the end of this film, one can obtain a better appreciation of what this town was like between when Ransom first arrived and when Ransom returns at an older age. When Ransom first arrives to Shinbone, we can clearly see how poorly run this town is. The town marshal (Andy Devine) does absolutely nothing about his town's troubles except get drunk at the saloon. The only person aside from Ransom who's willing to stand up against what's going on in Shinbone is the editor of Shinbone's newspaper (Edmond O'Brien). Everyone else is either too afraid to confront Liberty over his actions or too afraid to even admit or say that Liberty's actions are unjustified. When Ransom returns to this town at an older age however, that's a different story.

I appreciate the way John Ford captures the change that the town experiences by simply focusing on the folks that occupy it as opposed to just showing the town physically change. After all, the main way change can be brought about is by being introduced to original thoughts and ideas regarding how we can make life better for all of us. In this case, the citizens of Shinbone agree to put an end to the Western law being determined by gunslingers and let it now be determined by politicians. By analyzing the dilemmas our main characters experience, we can obtain a better understanding of how change is created through this technique as opposed to just being shown shots of a town physically changing. This was not just a well-chosen storytelling decision on John Ford's part, but also on the part of the film's screenwriters James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck.

I also respect how Ford and his writers handled the love triangle between Ransom, Hallie, and Tom. Even though Ransom and Tom are basically competing for Hallie's affection, I admire how they still end up respecting each other as opposed to becoming each other's foes. It just makes these characters feel more real as opposed to just becoming plot devices. It's all the more encouraging since these three all have very strong personalities. I respect how Ransom believes in the written law so strongly that he'll stand up to gunslingers without a gun just to stick to his morals. I found Tom's internal struggle between his beliefs in guns being the law and having Liberty Valance killed for the town's good to be fascinating. The main reason is because he realizes that he isn't going to win either way by having the best of both worlds. Although she can't read or write, I like how tough and defensive Hallie can be and how she stands up for herself.

Many people agree that if there's one quote that sums up The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, it would be this: "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." That quote basically means that regardless of the facts, this is the kind of story that people want to hear. But these words won't do justice unless viewers, Western fans or not, see this outstanding film for themselves especially if they want to have a career in politics.