Review of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) by Scott R — 27 Apr 2014

As I was impressed with The Searchers, another collaboration between John Ford and John Wayne sounded like it was a good choice to watch, so The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was a must see.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of John Ford's westerns which are a lot less focused on the frontier and getting filmed on a large scale, and instead keeps its focus on a smaller level. A lot of the film is more political and focused on the dramatics behind the fight against Liberty Valance from a non-violent perspective. This makes The Man Who Shot Liberty one of John Ford's most anti-violence westerns as it values dealing with its character from a peaceful perspective a lot more than shooting them until realising that it is futile to do so. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a film which is certainly anti-violence and doesn't glamourize its battle between good and evil. It finds the appropriate themes and rests on then, giving them a meaningful exploration throughout.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a far from perfect film because it isn't as great as John Ford's western masterpiece The Searchers. It stays on a small scale and focuses on the political side of the west a lot which it does through having its characters talk a lot. While the dialogue is effective, some viewers may find that it makes the pace if the feature a lot slower than it already is as a western. Western films are generally slow, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is slower than the average, so it is not a film for the impatient. But it is still a good piece of western cinema.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is interesting because of its two main characters. One of them is the political Ransom Stoddard who refuses to carry a gun around as he is a non-violent person and feels that the law will protect the innocent and persecute the guilty, while on the other hand there is Tom Doniphon who knows that the only thing criminal cowboys understand is violence and should be treated as such. The contrast between both characters emphasises both the negative and positive elements of violence in the west, even though the main focus is largely on trying not to resort to violence. So John Ford's style of storytelling in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a truthful and honest look at the west which is packed with a lot of talking which may prove too much for certain viewers, but others that can appreciate its innovative approach to the western genre as a means of preventing it from falling into the territory of being a generic western allows it to maintain its strength as a memorable feature which proves just what kind of writing talent James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck maintain when they put their minds to it.

John Ford also gives a great stylish direction to the film. He ensures that the scenery maintains a strong western feel and that the look of the buildings and sets all fit into the appropriate timeframe, as well as the fact that all the costumes enhance the actors in successfully portraying characters from the time of the film's setting. And the cinematography is great because it constantly has a feeling of stability and captures everything from a good distance without excessive editing.

There is a lot of strong elements in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, but when you get right down to it none are more key to its success than the skill of its cast.

As Cary Grant dominates the screen most of the time in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, his performance is arguably the most important to the story. Playing the man who thinks that the law can handle itself without having to resort to violence, Cary Grant has to experience a lot of character development in the role of Ransom Stoddard. As he comes to terms with the true violent nature of the west, he must develop as a person to face the kind of harsh reality that truly is the West. And without fail, Cary Grant succeeds every time. He faces the material head on and puts his natural sophisticated charisma into the role so that in contrast to tough guy John Wayne who he acts opposite, the two are very different figures. This allows a complicated chemistry to ensue between them which shows both characters approaching situations in different ways and revealing more about how the other characters react as a result. Cary Grant is firm with developing his character at a strong pace over the course of the running time in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and his line delivery projects his emotions as well as his facial gestures do, so his performance is thoroughly convincing.

And John Wayne is the other leading man in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Capitalising on his natural cowboy charisma and ability to give a performance with true grit to it, John Ford brings out some of the best talents in John Wayne once again. Projecting his natural cowboy persona, John Wayne takes on the role of Tom Doniphon, the man very different to Ransom Stoddard and he rides it to another successful performance. Refusing to back down, John Wayne stands tall with his heroic charisma in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and establishes a sense of support that comes with his fearless leading strength. John Wayne is a great presence in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and his leading skills are as fine as ever.

And Lee Marvin's natural skill for portraying an antagonist makes him an awesome and rough edged enemy as the titular Liberty Valance. His character represents the dark nature of the west and Lee Marvin plays it out with natural gritty charisma, so it presents another strong performance from the Academy Award winner.

So while The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is an imperfect film with a very slow pace and a lot of talking, it still emphasises John Ford's skill for directing strong western films and reveals the talents of its cast once again.