I hope this note is not a spoiler, but the film's ending in brilliant Technicolor and song may be one of most joyful, optimistic, and redemptive scenes ever filmed. It is not possible to see the ending and not have one's heart stirred. Thank you for this selection.
I agree. With "Perley" and "Marmaduke" and Mrs. Sweet -- and people who see how much the man gave up just to save a baby boy who wasn't even his. John Ford was a poet, and when he showed the grandeur of the human heart, he was easy for cynics to snicker at, but nobody excelled him at showing, frankly, the dark corners of that same human heart. He didn't have to create monsters (as you get in a lot of noir films); all he had to do was to be honest about human sin. And he understood the pain of sacrifice, especially when (as in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) the sacrifice must go unrecognized and unrewarded.
Louise, when it comes to classic films, we often find that we like both the original and the remakes .. until we get to recent times. Then, not so much on the contemporary remakes.
My personal VERY favorite John Wayne films and performances: “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”; “Rio Bravo”; and, “The Quiet Man” … with Liberty Valance being (in my humble opinion) the best Ford/Wayne collaboration.
I agree with your ranking. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is for the ages. It's one of those films you can struggle with and argue about all day long: who is the greater man, Ransom Stoddard or Tom Doniphon? I think the film suggests that it's Tom, but it also suggests, tragically, that his day is past. The moment on the train when Vera Miles' face freezes, after she says that she's the one who laid the rose on Tom's coffin, is for me the pinnacle of her own impressive career.
Good grief, you must know all of my favorite movies.
Hahaa! Well, preaching to the choir is always good, too. :)
I hope this note is not a spoiler, but the film's ending in brilliant Technicolor and song may be one of most joyful, optimistic, and redemptive scenes ever filmed. It is not possible to see the ending and not have one's heart stirred. Thank you for this selection.
I agree. With "Perley" and "Marmaduke" and Mrs. Sweet -- and people who see how much the man gave up just to save a baby boy who wasn't even his. John Ford was a poet, and when he showed the grandeur of the human heart, he was easy for cynics to snicker at, but nobody excelled him at showing, frankly, the dark corners of that same human heart. He didn't have to create monsters (as you get in a lot of noir films); all he had to do was to be honest about human sin. And he understood the pain of sacrifice, especially when (as in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) the sacrifice must go unrecognized and unrewarded.
Another family favorite, both versions!
Louise, when it comes to classic films, we often find that we like both the original and the remakes .. until we get to recent times. Then, not so much on the contemporary remakes.
My personal VERY favorite John Wayne films and performances: “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”; “Rio Bravo”; and, “The Quiet Man” … with Liberty Valance being (in my humble opinion) the best Ford/Wayne collaboration.
We've done all three of these at Word & Song, as it turns out. We're great fans of John Ford's films. "Liberty Valance" is also my favorite.
I agree with your ranking. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is for the ages. It's one of those films you can struggle with and argue about all day long: who is the greater man, Ransom Stoddard or Tom Doniphon? I think the film suggests that it's Tom, but it also suggests, tragically, that his day is past. The moment on the train when Vera Miles' face freezes, after she says that she's the one who laid the rose on Tom's coffin, is for me the pinnacle of her own impressive career.