The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [4K UHD]

ESSENTIAL MOVIE!!! One of the greatest westerns ever filmed stars James Stewart & John Wayne & was directed by the incomparable John Ford. The character of the film's title isn't made clear until near the end of the movie. The film is shot in black & white which fits its moody atmosphere, it's like western/film noir. The movie opens with Ranson Stoddard (James Stewart), known as Rance to his friends, & his wife, Hallie (Vera Miles), returning to the town where they had met 25 years before. They've returned to the sleepy hamlet to attend the funeral of a nobody. Stoddard is now a Senator of the unnamed state & it's big news to the local newspaper as to why he's there. When asked, Stoddard begins a story that becomes a film-long flashback. Stoddard arrives in a wild west town as a green & mild mannered lawyer who has no idea of the ways in the unruly West. He runs afoul, almost immediately, of the outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Their encounter leads eventually to the inevitable showdown. More than once, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), steps in to thwart Valance's desire to harm the hapless Stoddard, who can't even handle a gun. It's understood that Hallie is Doniphon's girl though nothing has been formally announced. Doniphon has even begun adding a room, with the help of his black ranch hand Pompey (Woody Strode), to his ranch home in preparation of the day they marry. But Stoddard, inept as he is, is appealing to Hallie because he's educated & she isn't. Stoddard, unable to have a thriving law business at the outset, washes dishes at the busy cafe that's owned by Hallie's parents & also begins teaching in a school he's started. None of this is viewed very highly because these were jobs almost exclusively handled by women at that time; Stoddard isn't a man's man. The conflict in the cafe sets the tone for the movie; Doniphon orders a steak & it's brought to him by Stoddard, another job not viewed as being masculine. He's tripped by Valance, who doesn't know the steak is Doniphon's. After Stoddard is tripped the steak ends up on the floor, an argument ensues between Valance & Doniphon over the steak. In order to stop the potential violent eruption, Stoddard picks up the steak. In this classic scene the entire stage is set for what is to follow. Finally, there comes the showdown between Stoddard & Valance. Valance wounds Stoddard in the shoulder, like a cat toying with a mouse. Though Valance is drunk, he's still deadly accurate with a handgun. He taunts Stoddard into picking up the gun with his other hand, then he slowly takes aim to issue the coup de grace "right between the eyes." What follows is an incredible piece of luck when Stoddard fires the gun & kills Valance. The whole town now treats him as the conquering hero. At this time Doniphon kind of fades away, he gets to drinking, becomes bitter, finally burning down his ranch house, knowing he has lost Hallie. The territory this all occurs in is seeking statehood, they turn to "the man who shot Liberty Valance" & send him as one of their represenatives to the territorial meeting that intends to seek statehood. In this regard Stoddard is well suited, able to handle the requirements of the job to represent the good folks of Shinbone. This leads to a political career in which Stoddard shines on the national stage, he's been Senator, Governor & an Ambassador. But the truth is Rance Stoddard is NOT "the man who shot Liberty Valance", it was really Tom Doniphon, who had been standing in an nearby alley, witness to the gunfight. At the critical moment Doniphon shoots Valance himself with a rifle, managing to fire at the exact same moment as Stoddard, & killing Liberty Valance. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has a cast that is way beyond superb. In a major supporting role is Edmond O'Brien portraying the drunken editor of the Shinbone newspaper. John Carradine has a small role near the end as a voice the cattlemen speaking against statehood. There's also Denver Pyle in a small role. Strother Martin & Lee Van Cleef portray the two cronies of Valance. There's also Andy Devine playing the town sheriff who's scared of his own shadow. It all adds up to being one of Hollywood's greatest westerns. The role of Tom Doniphon was an excellent one for Wayne as he stepped outside his normal personna, giving one of his best acting portrayals of his entire career.

When great actors made great westerns

For those of you who have never seen The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, you are in for a visual treat. The new blu ray edition that was released by Paramount is a vast improvement over past DVD releases. And another treat is that this edition is affordably priced for casual fans of the Western genre and serious collectors alike. I compared this new Liberty Valance 2017 blu ray edition to the 2001 DVD edition that I own, and the difference is night and day. The picture quality of the 2001 DVD edition is dark, grainy, and sometimes muddy, even in brightly lit exterior scenes. The 2017 blu ray edition has a very sharp and clear picture and small details jump out, unlike the older version. For instance, in blu ray, when Valance and his gang rob the stagecoach at night, we can now see the people inside the stagecoach before they get out. With the 2001 edition, it is dark inside the stagecoach and you can't see anyone until they start to come out. The sharpness of the blu ray picture showcases the beautiful cinematography, the richness of the sets, costumes, and other Western elements, and it highlights more details with the actors themselves. For example, John Wayne's famous double breasted shirt now has a bit of a shine to the material, something that cannot be seen with the 2001 edition. The creases in his canvas pants are clearly visible. And the beard stubble on numerous actors, such as the wonderful Edmond O'Brien, are so visible, you can just about count each hair. This film is the crowning achievement of legendary director John Ford and his rock solid star John Wayne. The other members of the stellar cast give the performances of their lives, and those include James Stewart, Vera Miles, Edmond O'Brien, Woody Strode, Andy Devine, and many more. Also, Ford rounded up just about every character actor in Hollywood and gave them minor roles in the movie, so it is fun when they appear. I do have two very minor complaints, the sound is a bit lower with the blu ray edition than with the 2001 edition. But this can be easily remedied by adjusting the sound to your comfort level. Also, there are no extras whatsoever, not even the theatrical trailer. It would have been nice to have had one or two commentary tracks to go along with this monumental film. This film is a huge favorite of many directors and film historians such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Speilberg, and Peter Bogdanovich. And I'm sure there are plenty of other film historians who would have loved to have provided commentary for this film. That aside, maybe commentary will be there is future releases. All in all, this new 2017 blu ray release is well worth buying at this bargain price. So saddle up your trusty horse, gallop over to your computer, and lasso this classic Western today. It makes a great rainy afternoon film, or any at-home "movie night." And as John Wayne would have said, "Take my word for it, Pilgrim, you're gonna enjoy this one."

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Ottimo

Blu Ray copy worked ,4k did not work

Everything was great 👍

John ford,john wayne y james stewart Esta película es considerada una despedida Al cine wester vaya forma de brindar homenaje Obra maestra