Westerns often discuss the same thing. They look at the relationship between the Wild West and the approaching civilization of law and order. The Searchers (John Ford, 1956) did something similar to this, and it featured western legend John Wayne. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance also has John Wayne, although in not such a big part. The main protagonist is played by maybe one of my favourite actors of all time, James Stewart, who to me became a legend in the Hitchcock films he did. Some claim that he was miscast as the character is supposed to be a young lawyer right out of university, while Stewart at the time was over 50 years old. However, he fills the role with such grace and his undeniable strength of character that I can’t imagine anyone doing it better. I’m not quite on the level with the morals and what the film is trying to say, however, unlike before, I won’t let this influence my perception of the films quality.
Again, I’m looking into these old Hollywood films, and this is one of the late classics of the golden years of Hollywood. While some of the films made previously by John Ford were in colour, this is in black and white. The cinematography was very nice, creating the strong and tense atmosphere in the small city. Much like Howard Hawks who I previously talked about, John Ford’s directing here is very tight and slightly distanced from the events on the screen. Ford has also put some limits on the use of music of the film, avoiding the very heavy scores Hollywood films used to use, although I at times usually loves them. The most spectacular aspects of John Ford’s films are his wonderful wide shots of the wilderness of the west, and there are several of these shots in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, although not as many as one would like, or as there were in The Searchers. But, it’s adequate, and leaves room for more interpretive drama, which is one of the strongest points about this film. Another strong point about the film, which is supported by the first point, is the interesting conflict between James Stewart’s character and John Wayne’s character. While they are not direct enemies, they both have different philosophical points of views and looks on the world. This philosophical debate between the two characters creates much of the drama in the film, and builds up the challenges that James Stewart’s character has to face. While westerns often discuss this issue, the Wild West versus law and order, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is probably the best example and execution of this debate, and creates serious questions about how to act in society, which doesn’t reveal what is right or wrong, but asks the audience to question these issues themselves.
Moral dramas are interesting, but often become tenuous because too much stuff is gutted down the audiences throats. This is not done to too much of a degree in this film, and there is a good degree of personal interior drama, and mixes this with the philosophical drama of the two main characters. I love James Stewart, and he is great in this. But a lot of credit should also be given to John Wayne, who does the best role I’ve seen by him. Stewart is great at bringing naivety and a strong belief to the film, while Wayne brings his assuredness and physical presence. When the two characters clash, it works out as a great combination, and John Wayne creates a great cockiness towards Stewart’s character. But, John Wayne probably brings us the best scene in the film, alone, late in the film when he has an outburst. This is one of the best moments of a interior outburst that has ever been brought to the screen, and John Wayne brings so much emotion to it, showing a man who once was very self confident loosing his head and feeling lost. Of course, this is assisted by John Ford’s great directing, which escalates the scene. I’ve not seen many of John Ford’s films, and I’m not a great fan of westerns, but this is the best film I’ve seen by John Ford and the best western I’ve seen. As said, I was also very much impressed by John Wayne, who I’ve never given much credit, you can always see in stores cheap DVD boxes with 4 or many more John Wayne westerns, and I’m sure that for the very low prices they go for, they are quiet crummy. But while John Wayne was way too typecast throughout his career, his performance in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance really shows what a great presence he could be to a film and what kind of interesting and multileveled characters he could create.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is continuing to make me more and more excited about old Hollywood films. I’ve said it before, I have been sceptical of these kinds of films, but lately I’ve really began to discover some of the greats of classical Hollywood, and this film fills the rooster. It is a great film and remarkable piece of cinema. I am going to continue exploring more and more of these wonderful films, and I am continuously being fascinated by them. All hail the golden era of Hollywood!
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