A Classic Tale
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was directed by John Ford in 1962 and features three of my favorite actors of all time: John Wayne, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin. The film begins in 1910 with Sentor Ranse Stoddard and his wife Hallie traveling a great distance to attend the funeral of one of their friends, Tom Doniphon. The senator’s visit is big news and his story is sought after by several news reporters. Ranse, played by James Stewart, recounts his story, which is the heart of the film.
The characters in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance are very interesting. Ranse is an attorney who hates the idea of using guns to settle a dispute. Meanwhile, Tom Doniphon, played by John Wayne, is a classic Wayne character — independent, self-reliant, more than capable with a gun, and a strong force of good. Lee Marvin stars as Liberty Valance.
The beginning of Ranse’s tale has him riding in a stagecoach that is held up by Valance. After being brutally beaten, he is rescued by Tom who finds the beaten Ranse and takes him into the little town of Shinbone where Hallie, played by Vera Miles, helps nurse Ranse back to health. Hallie is meanwhile being courted by Tom, but it’s Ranse that eventually marries her. He also teaches her how to read and write, as well as many others in town.
Eventually, the threat of Liberty Valance must be met head on. When he’s unable to find a legal way to bring him to justice, Ranse decides to take up shooting and spends a great deal of his time practicing for the eventual clash.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is just a superb movie. With a cast of legends, a great director, and a superb script, there really wasn’t much room for error.
Centennial Collection Volume 8
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance slides into the Centennial Collection as Volume 8. As with all of the other volumes in this expanding collection, the packaging is very nicely designed in black and gold. Inside the removable cardboard cover is a keep case with two discs inside. The first disc contains the film as well as two commentary tracks. The second disc includes other features.
-Audio Commentary by Filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich – This also includes archival recordings of John Ford and James Stewart.
-Selected Scene Commentary – Certain scenes have commentary that are first introduced by Dan Ford that are then supplemented with archival recordings from John Ford, James Stewart, and Lee Marvin.
-The Size of Legends, The Soul of Myth – A seven part feature including plenty of production stills and interviews by various industry experts and others related to the film, including Pamela Marvin, Lee’s wife. Spotlights on the actors and director are also included. The seven parts total to fifty minutes.
-Theatrical Trailer
-Galleries – Dozens of still images from production and promotion.
Let’s get to the summary…