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John Wayne will forever be known as the king of the American western films. With classics such as The Searchers and Rio Bravo, “The Duke’s” library is filled with wonderfully wholesome films in which Wayne, regardless of his age, played the heroic gunslinger character. In 1963, he played the hero role once again alongside James Stewart in the John Ford directed The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
The plot follows Ranse Stoddard (Stewart) a recent graduate of law school who’s moving to the small western town of Shinbone to instill law and order. On his way to Shinbone, his carriage is attacked by a bandit named Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Determined to seek vengeance but by the books, Stoddard enlists the help of local rancher Tom Doniphon (Wayne) a pessimist who believes that the only way to deal with Liberty Valance is violence.
Both Wayne and Stewart are in top form here, with their scenes together being the highlights of the film. The rest of the cast also holds their own with Lee Marvin playing the villain perfectly and Vera Miles doing some of her best work as the love interest of both Stewart and Wayne.
Although this film is terrific and is one of John Wayne’s best, the fact about this movie that it is always known for is how old John Wayne and James Stewart were while shooting it. For the majority of the film James Stewart is supposed to be playing a man in his mid-twenties when in reality he was fifty-three years old at the time. Wayne meanwhile, was fifty-four. This detail is why the film was shot in black and white instead of color.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a great western starring two of the most renowned actors of all time at the peak of their powers. The flick not only features great action scenes but also effectively executes it’s theme of the moral choice between violence and pacifism. If you’re a fan of the western genre, then The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance should be required viewing.
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