This makes Doniphon a very passive character with respect to Valance, which explains why a direct confrontation never takes place between them, though at many points in the film, they come close. Has anyone else felt this way upon viewing The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? Now obviously this revelation makes the frame story of Old Senator Stoddard work better. Even the impact of this noble deed is lessened by Doniphan indulging himself in bitterness and self-pity. Personal plans.". In its tone, structure and visual style, the film is very different from other John Ford Westerns. Losing the woman he loved to Ransom haunted Tom for the rest of his life and he was never able to move on from it and find love again with anyone else. But the films of John Ford make no attempt to take us into the past; they are about the past. And more importantly, why does he do it in secret? Ford is not interested in reality but in subjective viewpoint, not fact but romance and legend. From the time Ford first teamed up with Wayne inStagecoachin 1939, Waynes towering persona was Fords chief instrument in conceiving and propagating the myths about the old west. Throughout the film, he tells us that hes tougher than Liberty Valance, that he can beat Liberty Valance and he makes us believe. Without ever seeming to hurry, he doesn't include a single gratuitous shot. Sure, he talks a big game, and he certainly has a certain degree of martial prowess, but he refuses to put it to use, perhaps for fear of failure. Does this make sense? Stoddard was the only man in town who would stand up to Valance and if Valance wasnt stopped, hed continued to destroy and hurt people. TakeFort Apache (1948) for instance, which is a strong polemic on American military intervention against the Native Americans. His chief victim was Woody Strode, with whom he very nearly came to blows. His illiterate students include Hallie. Now Stoddard accepts Valances challenge (ignoring Doniphons advice to leave town) to shoot it out with him. And Doniphon returns home and burns down the room he was building for the day he and Hallie would marry. There was lot of tension between Ford and Wayne during shooting. He has no fear about standing up for what he believes is right, regardless of his physical inability to defend it or himself. At the time of the films release, it was dismissed as a minor work from a master filmmaker, but watching it now , it shows his extraordinary growth as a filmmaker, which is not just restricted to its thematic resonance, but also extends to its visual and narrative stylistics. By the end of Liberty Valance, it was more than obvious that Ford and Wayne had come to the end of their long association, which started when Ford cast Wayne as an Odysseus like courageous hero in his western odysseyStagecoach. His attempt to teach Stoddard to shoot only had the result of humiliating him. This twist does little to impress the editor, who refuses to run the story revealing the truth, proclaiming When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance ends with Stoddard and Hallie - who also knows the truth about Doniphon - on a train ride home. Stoddard is recovered by Tom Doniphon (Wayne), a rancher, and taken to the local eating establishment, the home of Hallie and her Swedish parents, Peter and Nora Ericson. As a note of trivia, a Burt Bacharach-Hal David song by the same name was recorded for the film by Gene Pitney, but wasnt used in the soundtrack. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is Ford's deeply personal farewell to a period in American history he loved, a folklore he helped create. Doniphon revealed how he was hidden on a side street with Pompey when the showdown occurred. The way Ford employs the African-American Pompey is observant. Tom Doniphon is the archetypal Ford hero, the John Wayne of all Ford's westerns. When Doniphan and Valance prepare to have a shootout over who will pick up the food, Stoddard intervenes, humbles himself, and picks up the food. As a showdown between Stoddard and Valance Ford begins to seem inevitable, Ford creates considerable tension. And so, when Doniphon sees that Stoddard killed Valance, and thus won the heart of the girl Doniphon was too afraid to propose too, he shatters in self-disgust. [Spoilers] My thoughts on the ending of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. It turns out an unseen Doniphon shot Valance with a rifle from across the street and he later came to regret saving Stoddard as he lost Hallie to the lawyer, but he pushes him to pursue a career in politics to make Hallie proud. He and two sidekicks (played by Lee Van Cleef and Strother Martin) wreck the newspaper office and badly beat Peabody. Thirty years ago the swaggering, tough-talking leader of the Gambino crime family was found guilty of murder and racketeering after eluding prosecutors at three previous high-profile trials. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. By killing Liberty Valance, facilitating Stoddard's rise to political prominence and the progressive modernization of the West, Doniphon destroys himself. The year is 1910. A * Tom Doniphon, we need to EACH BECOME Tom Doniphon, need. It was like Gary Cooper inHigh Noonexcept Stoddard wasnt Gary Cooper with the gun. At the end of the film, we learn that Tom Doniphan (John Wayne) really had shot Liberty Valance while the public had given credit to Ransom Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) who went on to have a successful political career. Four Earn 2023 Harvard Medals for Distinguished Service to the University, As Gay Ascends to Presidency, 61 Percent of Surveyed Faculty Say Theyre Satisfied With Her Election, Harvard School of Public Health Launches Mindfulness Center Through $25M Gift, Ex-Harvard Chemist Charles Lieber Spared Additional Prison Time, Will Serve 6 Months House Arrest, Hundreds of Harvard Affiliates Sign Open Letter for Increased Access to Mental Well-Being Support at HKS. Ford uses a flashback within a flashback technique to accomplish this, which is very unusual for him. It would be easy for him to assume the title of town marshal from lovable cowardly drunk Andy Devine, and yet he has no interest. Waynedid not use any scenes shot by Ford in the film (much to the chagrin of Ford) while Wayne was angry with the general impression that was created that it was Ford, and not him, who directed The Alamo; others believed Ford was jealous of Dukes increasing success compared to his own sudden decline. Liberty Valance is a film about death, about a sad but inevitable transition from an old social order to modern society as we know it today. He comes into conflict with Liberty Valance again when the town has to elect two representatives to the Statehood Convention; Sotddard and the townspeople want statehood--it would mean government protection of their rights, the establishment of schools and the railroad. The drunken marshal won't protect him. When movies depict the past, that past generally becomes the immediate present of the audience. The story focuses on Ransome Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart), an American senator arriving at the town of Shinbone with his wife, Hailey (Vera Miles), to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon (Wayne). Why does Doniphon hesitate? The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceis one of those classic films I hadnt gotten around to seeing other than having caught the end on TNT one day. The first time we see it, James Stewart is bullied and wounded but miraculously shoots Valance, who seems to have woefully underestimated him. However, Doniphon died a drunken, dislocated man. Here, he is practically rendered motionless. The movie becomes about making a sacrifice for the greater good, and includes an element of chance or fate. The Man who shot liberty valance Tom Doniphon, the outlaw hero, shot Liberty Valance To protect Hallie and Ransom Stoddard because he knew that Ransom is the right future for his town and Hallie, even though Ransom views contradict with Toms views and wishes. Ford's westerns represent one of the most significant achievements in the history of American art. Stoddard was inept but courageous. This will be very true for Liberty Valance; everyone except Wayne not only had the best scenes, but Ford made sure they all give the most flamboyant, over the top performances of their careers, to contrast with the sour and dour Wayne, who represented the truth and moral core of the film. Entering the then-unincorporated territory as a young lawyer, Ranse is beaten and robbed by infamous outlaw Liberty Valance and his gang. He has chronicled every conceivable part of the West, and his personal heroes are among the most fully realized characters in motion picture history: Doc Boone (Thomas Mitchell) in Stagecoach, Wyatt Earp (Henry Fonda) in My Darling Clementine, and the men that John Wayne played in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, The Searchers, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Change). He led the police on a short chase because he knew if he got pulled over it would violate his parole for a prior robbery. That Stoddard, thus relieved of the sin of murder has no problem committing the sin of dishonesty says as much about the nature of politicians as it does his own character. An ending where Stoddard finally breaks down and miraculously kills Valance, ironically catapulting him to political success, strikes me as far more interesting. Four sons reunite in their Texas hometown to attend their mother's funeral. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valancefinds Wayne playing a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. Add to that the fact that he kills the villain, not face to face, but pretty much shooting him from the back- something that he abhorred and always criticized Clint Eastwood for doing. With that one line of dialogue, John Ford pretty much dismantles the entire mythology of the American west that he had created over a course of 40 years. As is the question of who really killed Liberty Valance. ", Also online in my Great Movies Collection: John Ford's "The Grapes of Wrath," "Stagecoach," "The Searchers," "Rio Bravo" and "My Darling Clementine," and John Wayne in Howard Hawk's "Red River.". In a long flashback involving most of the film, Ford recalls the events leading up to that day. Fazing Tom is a nearly impossible task, partly because he knows he'll beat anyone in a fight, whether fought with . Keeping to one side, Tom Doniphon observes everything but is slow to act; his strength is silently coiled. Andy Devine says "he hasn't worn them in years" . Stoddard picked up with his least favored hand. But things are not that easy. He is putting to death all that Wayne represented in his westerns up until that time and for the rest of the film, he is going to painfully reconstruct the mythology of the west and Wayne through some cold hard facts. Hallie nurses Stoddard back to health; he pays her back by teaching her how to read. The final line of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance sees the conductor ensuring the couple of a smooth journey and stating nothing is too for the man who killed Valance. Ford would repeatedly use Marvin (and Stewart, who also served in WWII) as a stick to beat John Wayne, who hadnt served in WWII, something that always offended Ford. Big studios were giving way to Independents, and a new kind of gritty, violent cinema was being made for an emerging counter-cultural audience. His mental downfall afterwards still makes sense if he didn't secretly shoot Valance. In the film, except for two notable acts that change Stoddard's life forever, Doniphon isn't quite so proactive with an eye to Stoddard's future. Go to the bottom of each blog and youll find a ratings widget. Tom Doniphon shoots the outlaw thug Liberty Valance from the shadows, keeps it a secret, then realizes that his girl Hallie is in love with Ransom Stoddard, whereupon he burns his house to the ground (starting with the new wing hed built for her. Stoddard thus fascinates and shames Doniphon. Ford would make one more Western (without Wayne),Cheyenne Autumn (1964),the penultimate movie of his career which told the story of the Old-west from the perspective of the Native Americans. Tom Doniphon: My boy, Pompey; kitchen door. Cattlemen do not. As the film opens, U. S. Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) is arriving in Shinbone by the new railroad with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles). In response to TIME making Greta Thunberg their 2019 Person of the Year, Shane Vander Hart nominates Baby Yoda and Conan the war hero dog instead. There was nothing more for Ford to do with Wayne, at least in the western genre. I just had to wander around in that son of a bitch and try and make a part for myself. Fords westerns portrayed truth, honor, courage, family and community as the chief weapons by which the American West was won. Doniphan takes it for granted that Hallie will be his wife and resents it when she stars having feelings for Stoddard. He appears to be a roguish heroic type at first blush, but when you look deeper, you find a very self-centered character. /a > Oar. This is important as an election for two delegate to the territorial convention are to be held. Liberty Valance : Three against one, Doniphon. Next: The Barbarian And The Geisha Had John Wayne Literally Fighting His Director. As the film opens, U. S. Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) arrives in Shinbone by the new railroad with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) to attend the funeral of a man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). This is why he can make a scene at the town meeting, mocking the participants and the rules (the Law says the bar is closed!) while turning down appointment to the delegation: if appointed, he might embarrass himself, perhaps showing himself to be ignorant of the rules or other social expectations. Beginning with "Stagecoach" (1939), continuing from 1948 through 1950 with the Cavalry Trilogy ("Fort Apache," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Rio Grande"), and finally to 1962 and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," together in 10 features they largely formed the templates of the Hollywood Western. Stoddard has none of this embarrassment. And the scene where Stoddard (James Stewart) confronts Valance was incredible. He goes to the convention and sees Stoddard break down and try to flee rather than stand for election. Did Hallie love Tom Doniphon? Stoddard goes into the street to face Valance. On the page, Tom Doniphon was more of a mentor to Ranse Stoddard, easing him along the road from frontier lawyer to state senator. When a meeting is held to vote on statehood, Pompey sits outside on the porch. John Ford died in 1973, and even though they didnt make any more films together, John Wayne would remain close to his mentor till his death. His sympathy for the townspeople is real, but not enough to motivate him to take action on their behalf. When Stoddard arrived in town by stagecoach, he was a fresh young lawyer with some romantic notions about bringing law & order to the west. Tom Doniphon tells him that without a gun in his hand and the experience to use it, he will sooner or later certainly be killed by Valance. Most of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance's story is told in flashback, as Stoddard and Hallie return to the town over 25 years later to attend Doniphon's funeral. But the plans of statehood for the territory upset the cattle barons, who recruit Liberty Valance to sabotage the delegation. Tom repeatedly helps Ransom and the two become a competitive force against Liberty Valance. This is all to be seen: The role of a free press, the function of a town meeting, the debate about statehood, the civilizing influence of education. From my perspective, its not even close here as to who the hero is. Then there was also the fact that with the advent of 60s, the social climate in Hollywood (and in America)was changing drastically. Ransom Stoddard, a young Eastern lawyer traveling West on Horace Greeley's advice, is in the stagecoach held up just outside of Shinbone by Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), "the toughest man south of the Picket Wire." Wayne always plays characters who take charge of the situation, the guy who takes the fight to the opposition and, the contrast between him and the bad guy is always well defined. But Pompey won't drink. But he hasnt. Viewers share their two cents: Writers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar gave viewers a chance to say their final piece to Grissom using Hodges, who told Gil, "As your friend and colleague, I . Where Tom sees Liberty Valance as a source of personal conflict, a potential menace to his own well-being, Stoddard can only see Valance as the embodiment of a social evil that must be wiped out through new laws and social reform. Legend is that Ford wanted younger actors for his film, and didnt want to use John Wayne. Doniphan, while still doing dishwashing work, hangs. To Ford, Stoddard represents blind progress. Wayne was Americas favorite cowboy, while Stewart, having graduated from the school of Frank Capra, withMr. Smith Goes to WashingtonandIts a wonderful lifeisits favorite idealist. Vera Miles Hallie Stoddard Now that's out of the way, a brief introduction. True Grit: How The 2010 Movie Compares To The Book & John Wayne Version, The Barbarian And The Geisha Had John Wayne Literally Fighting His Director. He would have rolled with Todd Beamer on Flight 93, rushed the terrorist on the French train, and helped save lives at Las Vegas just not very effectively. Because he had murdered Valance, rather than shooting him in self-defence, Doniphon had to conceal his role, lest he be prosecuted. With Valances death, the road is clear for Stoddard to become the delegate to Washington and with Doniphon out of the way, he can also marry Hallie. He is left without the girl he loves at the dawn of a new era that has no need for his kind of individuality. All three spend much of their time hanging out in the restaurant kitchen. Whatever the reasons, the end result is that the studios refused to finance Liberty Valance, if Wayne was not in the cast. Tom Doniphon and his handyman, Pompey, find Ranse and take him to Shinbone, where Tom's girlfriend, Hallie, treats his wounds. Tom Doniphon is the archetypal Ford hero, the John Wayne of all Ford's westerns. When Liberty Valance was finally released, it met with mixed critical reaction, the American critics didnt think much of it, but the European critics called it one of Fords masterworks. He had married Hallie in the interim, and now, they have come to pay their final respects to The real Man who shot Liberty Valance. Tom Doniphon came to the rescue and saved Ransom's life. Liberty Valance, his masterpiece, is one of the greatest films of all time. The legend of how Stoddard stood up to Valance and killed him spread wide and helped him build a career in politics. Of course, the pick of the lot was Lee Marvin who portrayed the anger, maliciousness, and sadism of a man who symbolized all the lawlessness of the old west, and who refused to step gently aside to encroaching civilization. It was exacerbated by his failing health and his drinking problem, as the cantankerous Ford became even more of a misanthrope, thus alienating the big studios from hiring him. It is made clear in "Liberty Valance" that segregation was the practice in the territory. The nave myths and legends (or untruths) that Ford had propagated about the civilizing of the West (and the building of the American nation), through the 70 odd films he made in his lifetime are all overturned by him in this film. Adam Graham is a follower of Christ and currently a political Independent. He arranges his characters within the frame to reflect power dynamics--or sometimes to suggest a balance is changing. So why then does he shoot Liberty Valance? Doniphon: Well, take some advice, pilgrim. First from the subjective perspective of Stoddard, and then an objective version, depicting the fact; that it was Doniphon who killed Valance, and not Stoddard. The deadliest and most sadistic killer in all Ford's films, Liberty Valance has been filtered through all Ford's other villains, emerging as a composite of the worst features in each. Doniphan, while still doing dishwashing work, hangs up his shingle at a local newspaper, and begins teach people to read, and about their country. Trying to defend a woman passenger, Stoddard is beaten by Valance, left for dead, and brought to town by Tom Doniphon. The film, surprisingly for its downbeat nature, made money, at the box office,though not on the level of a John Wayne picture. And Miles is also effective as the young woman eager to learn under Stewarts tutelage and hoping that his vision of a West where law and order prevail comes to be. But in addition to drawing on Americana, Ford created it; the characters and situations in his westerns, from The Iron Horse to Stagecoach to Ford Apache to The Searchers to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, have become as much a part of American tradition as those on which Ford originally drew. Christ there was no place for me. Your comment may take some time to appear. Tom could stand up to Valance, but it would suit him to have Stoddard out of the way so that he could bring Hallie home to that porch with its rocking chair. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. In the end,The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceis about two men: One man is humble and comes to serve the people of a frightened community and to bring law and peace, and is willing to put his life on the line for it. Related: True Grit: How The 2010 Movie Compares To The Book & John Wayne Version. Stoddard's first confrontation with Doniphon reveals absolutely no understanding between them; they eye each other as if the other were a strange animal. He receives a brutal beating from Valance and is left to die. He explains: "The Western is intrinsically the most political movie genre, because, like Plato's 'Republic,' it is concerned with the founding of cities, and because it depicts the various abstract functions of government as direct, physical actions." Was Hollywood, at that time, incapable of leaving us a more complicated, conflicted ending? Doniphon - calling Stoddard 'Pilgrim', an epithet . So Ford had to go back to his favorite son to get this picture made, and he didnt like it at all and neither did Wayne. Tom has long considered Hallie "my girl," and is adding a room to his farmhouse that has a nice porch with a rocking chair, in preparation for the day he has no doubt she will marry him. In fact, hes severely whipped by Valance after a stage holdup. Their opponent? Ford was very angry about it, having to secure a favor from his protge and he doubled down on his venom on Wayne during the shooting.
Center For Covid Control Syed,
Virginia Emissions Test Locations,
St George In The East Parish Records,
New Construction Briarcliff Manor, Ny,
Approaches In Teaching Literature,
Articles H