The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the first true western I’ve decided to review on my blog. I am disregarding Cowboys & Aliens in this consideration because while that is really more of a sci-fi movie with a western setting as opposed to a true western. Some may find that to be a bit nit-picky, but in my mind, a Western, while describing the setting, also describes a certain type and a certain feel for a film. A western (at least in classic terms) is a simpler film, both in budget and in morality. A simpler budget because, well… it doesnt cost a lot to film a movie on a ranch in a desert (which is why you saw an explosion of westerns from the 40s to the 60s) and in morality because struggling to survive in a frontier makes everything pretty black and white by rule.
Now, a black and white morality doesn’t mean that you cannot have complex characters; contrarily, characters can actually be MORE complex because they are cast against a background of western stereotypes to which everyone can relate. The kindly preacher can portray the draw of pure morality, the town drunk can become a stand-in for the draw of self-destructive behavior, and the black hat bandits can become the analogy for hardship that must be overcome. I would venture to say that a western allows for complex character pieces to be created more easily as it allows for a complex image of a troubled character to be portrayed against the muted analogies for complex social systems that tend to rule human life.
I think my above thoughts on Westerns needs to be more fleshed out, so let me get back on topic. I know very little about this film beyond its synopsis, easily found on IMDB. Jimmy Stewart might be one of my favorite classic actors, so I am excited to see him act against John Wayne, one of the first Hollywood stars from back in the day. I know my father loves this movie, and I seem to remember him having this on DVD when I was younger. I’ll watch it now, and come back with my thoughts after it’s done. Here is the trailer.
I’ve never really been much a fan of westerns, but as I stated in my pre-view portion, the genre has grown on me. This movie has some real deep concepts and touches on a lot of strong points, and I think the western genre is a great way to do that. But first, lets get into the cast.
Now, this movie being made in 1962, I don’t have any pop-culture reference do Jimmy Stewart or John Wayne. Just about everything I’ve seen with Jimmy Stewart, however, has been a movie I would recommend to anyone. From Harvey, to Its a Wonderful Life, to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and a few more I fail to remember off-hand, I think Jimmy Stewart is just a joy to watch in movies, especially back in his heyday. He is equally great here.
Now, I’ve seen John Wayne before, but I don’t know if I have finished a lot of his films. To this point, I’ve generally avoided the westerns from the 40s – 60s, but my dad is enough of a fan that I have at least a passing understanding of what he brings to a film. John Wayne is fine here, except for the fact that he clearly is playing a character far younger than his age.
On that point, so is Jimmy Stewart… Both Stewart and Wayne were born 2-3 years apart in 1907 – 1909, which means in 1962 they both would’ve been in their 50s. Stewart was a bit more baby-faced than Wayne, but they clearly were not the “young” men that they were portraying here. It is unclear how old John Wayne is, but he is attempting to “woo” a woman to become his wife so I’d put him in mid-to-late 30s at best. Stewart was described as being freshly graduated from law school, so i would guess maybe he is the same? The entire movie is a flashback, and in the end he is described to have been in Washington for 20-30 years, so he is either playing a REALLY old looking forty year old or a REALLY young looking 70. It is a bit entertaining to think about, but it isn’t hugely detracting if you don’t take the ages too seriously.
But beyond all that, lets talk about what this movie actually is trying to say. As I stated originally, Westerns are essentially a great canvas to build complex concepts. In this one, essentially you have Jimmy Stewart playing a peace-loving man where John Wayne plays the rough cowpoke. Jimmy Stewart attracts the attention of Liberty Valance, the local gang leader, as Stewart is attempting to open a legal practice in the area. Throughout the entire movie, both the leads are playing for the hand of Hallie, the local girl who works at the restaurant. The ending of the movie essentially makes the case that a legend can make more of an impact than the truth, if the legend supports a good cause. To clarify, Jimmy Stewart is believed to have shot Liberty Valance, until the final scene in the flashback shows that he missed the mark entirely, with the outlaw instead being shot by Wayne off-screen. The mix-up launches Stewart to win the heart of Hallie and the nomination to the US Congress, meaning that he has taken credit for another man’s heroic actions.
All in all, this movie was far more enjoyable than I thought. As I said earlier, westerns have never really been my thing, especially these older varieties. However, I think my enjoyment of this one has led me to include the genre in my mix of movies… I hope to include a few more of these moving forward.
In regards to who should watch this movie, I think I’ll need to recommend this to fans of westerns, first and foremost. If you like the genre, you’ve probably already seen this. Also, if you like to see Jimmy Stewart, check this one out. It’s probably a great film to watch with your baby boomer parents, as well. Honestly, the only people I wouldn’t watch this with are large groups of friends. This movie is good, but it really wouldn’t be great to comment on through the film. Finally, I’d recommend this one if you are fans of this era of film. It is a solid flick.
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