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. Because he did so in violation of the Western Code, he becomes an alcoholic, burning down his house and losing the woman he loves. Ford uses a flashback within a flashback technique to accomplish this, which is very unusual for him. The film was a direct influence on Leones own end of the west westernOnce upon a time in the West. Stoddard's first instinct is to demand the arrest of Liberty Valance; Doniphon tells him that law books mean nothing out West, that if Stoddard wants to take Valance, he'd better start carrying a hand-gun. Legend is that Ford wanted younger actors for his film, and didnt want to use John Wayne. 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. Doniphon revealed how he was hidden on a side street with Pompey when the showdown occurred. He asks if she wants to move back to the town when they retire, which makes her delighted as she states her heart belongs there. Ford had pestered Wayne to take up the role, because without him there would be no film. Doniphan offers Stoddard a wagon out of town, and he considers it. After this film, his career would see a meteoric rise and, by the mid 1960s, he would become one of the top stars in the industry. Did Hallie love Tom Doniphon? The film opens as Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) arrive at Shinbone to bury a friend, Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - TCM Message Boards In glorious, retro black & white! From thereon, he goes onto even more heights in his political career, and now he is expecting a nomination to be the vice-president of the country. There are few comparisons to Tom as an artist; even fewer to him as a . 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. All that said, its a bit of an odd film for Wayne, who got top billing but has one of the least interesting characters. Learn how your comment data is processed. Years ago Shinbone was held in a grip of terror by the sadistic Liberty Valance (played by Lee Marvin in a performance evoking savage cruelty). Christ there was no place for me. Tom Doniphon : My boy, Pompey; kitchen door. Big studios were giving way to Independents, and a new kind of gritty, violent cinema was being made for an emerging counter-cultural audience. It takes place in the town of Shinbone, in an unnamed territory that is moving toward a vote on statehood. He's super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. When Hallie says to Stoddard at the end, "This country used to be a wilderness. Analysis Of 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' - Bartleby.com Because he had murdered Valance, rather than shooting him in self-defence, Doniphon had to conceal his role, lest he be prosecuted. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The movie becomes about making a sacrifice for the greater good, and includes an element of chance or fate. The year is 1910. Stoddard was inept but courageous. Is The man Who Shot Liberty Valance based on a true story? Without Ransom Stoddards courage and convictions, there is no movie. And so begins the political career for the lawyer from back East. Predictions for the 95th Annual AcademyAwards. The other could easily bring order, but doesnt because hes so busy taking care of number one and his crowning heroic moment is shooting down a distracted man in the city streets. A newspaper reporter and editor begin asking questions about why the senator is back in town; Doniphon, after all, did not die as a man of any significance. The body of Tom Doniphon is at rest in a plain, wooden casket. There was nothing more for Ford to do with Wayne, at least in the western genre. Doniphon is not a person of any importance around town, just a sorry old man on the fringes, who passed away unnoticed. 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. But Stoddard is a powerless man; powerless before Valance; and powerless before Doniphon; and Doniphon lets Stoddard have his woman, his town, and his West. Personal plans.". They're just too good to be stopped. None of his recent films have been big hits, even the ones he made with John Wayne likeThe Horse Soldiers were failing to find favor with the audience. Stoddard also becomes friends with Dutton Peabody (Edmond OBrien), editor of the Shinbone Star, as the two advocate for statehood for the territory. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance paired James Stewart and John Wayne but here's who killed the title villain, and the final twist explained. Earlier, we have seen Doniphon training Stoddard in the use of guns, but findingStoddard not up to the task, Doniphon had humiliated him. Doniphan, while still doing dishwashing work, hangs up his shingle at a local newspaper, and begins teach people to read, and about their country. This is also the last western he would make with his most favorite actor John Wayne, with whom he did close to 14 films. Tom Doniphon is a local farmer, who observes, "Liberty Valance's the toughest man south of the Picketwire--next to me." The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Filmsite When Stoddard found the town marshal was a coward, he began to take an old gun out and practice. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Who Fired The Shot & Final Twist Almost no traces of the old Shinbone can be found at the beginning and end of the film. A Thought on the Ending of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (LogOut/ 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). Shinbone is the only Western town I've seen in a movie with no prostitutes. [Spoilers] My thoughts on the ending of The Man Who Shot - Reddit Everyone in Shinbone hates Liberty Valance, but they're powerless against him and his two sidekicks, one of them a giggling fool. 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. Fazing Tom is a nearly impossible task, partly because he knows he'll beat anyone in a fight, whether fought with . Post-Liberty Valance, John Wayne would continued to be the most dependable American movie star of his times. Out of either James Stewart or John Wayne, who was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and how does this alter the ending? In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the newspaper editor says, "This is the West. One that almost seemed forced upon the story. This is fascism against democracy: the tyranny of the strongman over the ordinary people. They would make one more film together, the lighthearted comedyDonovans Reef (1963), and call it quits. It's clear they loved him. However, when Stoddard decides to face Valance, she sends Doniphans servant Pompey to let him know because she scared of what will happen to Stoddard. 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. In its sparseness and interplay of light and darkness, Ford evokes moments from Film Noirs- where Wayne comes out of the darkness, shoots Marvin, and then recedes back into darkness. The main conflict in the film, then, is not that between the gunslinger Tom Doniphon and the outlaw Liberty Valance; the real conflict is that between "the Old West" (Doniphon and Valance) and the forces of "progress" (Stoddard). In all other respects, hes the same character John Wayne played in countless films throughout his career, the competent hero, cool under fire, respected by all. Doniphon warns Stoddard his law books will be useless in the West, where might and a fast gun determine whos right. Carleton Young Maxwell Scott, Edmond OBrien as Dutton Peabody, the man who lets Stoddard set up a law office and school in his newspaper building in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Woody Strode as Pompey, backing up Tom Doniphon as Hallie (Vera Miles) looks on in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Tom Doniphon: Liberty Valance is the toughest man south of picket wire. Go to the bottom of each blog and youll find a ratings widget. There was lot of tension between Ford and Wayne during shooting. 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. 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. Andy Devine says "he hasn't worn them in years" . But Pompey won't drink. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. UPDATE: Whoa, looks like I am two days ahead of an official discussion of this film, my apologies. Keeping to one side, Tom Doniphon observes everything but is slow to act; his strength is silently coiled. 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). Adam Graham is a follower of Christ and currently a political Independent. Valance can be countered only by Doniphon, but Doniphon is a man too busy with his own affairs to want power or to impose his own beliefs on anybody else. Marvin is magnificent as the snarling villain. Doniphon is not a person of any importance around town, just a sorry old man on the fringes, who passed away unnoticed. When a meeting is held to vote on statehood, Pompey sits outside on the porch. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance at 60: the great American western 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. (LogOut/ He receives a brutal beating from Valance and is left to die. 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 films mostly on sets, but we're not particularly aware. Wayne losing out to such a loser of a characterwould anger any john Wayne fan, most of all Wayne himself Wayne (and his audience) like to see Wayne triumphant, not as a tragic, moody alcoholic who dies off-screen. Now obviously this revelation makes the frame story of Old Senator Stoddard work better. A * Tom Doniphon, we need to EACH BECOME Tom Doniphon, need. He then asks about a cactus rose that was placed on Doniphon's coffin, and she reveals she placed it there; Tom had earlier given Hallie a cactus rose, with the strong implication being that she never stopped loving him. 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. Ford is not interested in reality but in subjective viewpoint, not fact but romance and legend. You aint exactly the type., Liberty Valance: You lookin for trouble, Doniphon? However, he was nowhere near good enough as Doniphan proved in ahumiliating display. Watching the film, we see that Ransom Stoddard is indeed the story true hero and protagonist, and at times, almost a Christ-like figure. 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. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Film Analysis | ipl.org Waynes idea of himself always involved action and movement. Valance gives him a choice: Leave town, or face him in a shootout on Main Street. The corpse is being held in a plain pine box, and when he views it Stoddard is angered to see the boots have been stolen. 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. But today I saw it and came away with a different conclusion. His illiterate students include Hallie. Doniphan, while still doing dishwashing work, hangs. The film, then, chronicles the death of the old West and of its heroes, men sacrificed to the needs of a growing society. Jeanette Nolan Nora Ericson He quickly makes an enemy out of local bully and killer Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin, The Dirty Dozen), who tries to force him to leave town. The newspaper refuses to accept the lamer story and the disconnect between Stoddard and his wife on the train made for a decent ending. The rough and tough Doniphon later tries to teach Stoddard to defend himself and shoot a gun, all to little success. But he hasnt. It was like Gary Cooper inHigh Noonexcept Stoddard wasnt Gary Cooper with the gun. Edmond OBrien Dutton Peabody Subscribe to our email newsletter. Usually, when John Wayne fans count the number of films in which Wayne had died, they always miss out Liberty Valance, because he dies off-screen; but that only makes the character more insignificant; as opposed tofilms he died on screen, likeRide the whirlwind, The AlamoorTheCowboys, where Wayne always got a heroic death: he dies saving somebody else, or he dies for a greater cause. 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. Tom Doniphon was rough-edged, but gentlemanly to all but Liberty Valance and his henchmen. Why does this man, who has no trouble dominating a political meeting while simultaneously refusing to participate in it, skulk in the shadows like a thief, a coward? Some of this motivated by his desire for Hallie (Vera Miles) whose heart was slowly moving towards Stoddard. Fatal Attraction Works As Entertainment, Fails as Social Commentary, Prime Videos Citadel Traps Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden in Played-Out Spy Game, New York Philharmonic and Steven Spielberg Celebrate the Music of John Williams, A Piece of His Fire: Harry Belafonte (1927-2023). Vera Miles Hallie Stoddard [Valance looks and sees Pompey at the door holding a rifle] Floyd : I'll get it, Liberty! However, when Valance savagely beats the elderly newspaper editor, Stoddard walks down to confront Valance, still wearing the apron from his dishwashing job, a servants garment. Doniphon finds him in Hallies arms. A man of action and few words (note his instinctive hatred of the rhetoric in the Convention speeches), Doniphon is very much an individual who minds his own business. Tom Doniphon is the archetypal Ford hero, the John Wayne of all Ford's westerns. Stoddard recounts the whole tale to a local newspaper reporter - and plans to come clean about that night. 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. Now that's out of the way, a brief introduction. These westerns are memory films, filled with the traditions of the past, created from the anecdotes, fables, and songs that sprang from American history. Meanwhile, throughout the film, Tom has not 'done the right thing' and stood up to Liberty Valance except in circumstances where he felt he had to. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. Look instead at a debate that continues between the lawyer and the farmer about guns. But hes conflicted: he finds himself drawn back to the community time and again, ostensibly by his love for Hattie, but also from an honest desire to help the townspeople avoid being killed by Valance and other instruments of the Northern cattle interests that are attempting to block statehood, and thus the establishment of law and order in the territory (statehood means the end of the so-called open range the literal and symbolic manifestation of the raw capitalist power of the cattle barons: the land belongs to them because they have the power to take it). 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. 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. He dies a drunkard, having lost everything in his life, unacknowledged and unknown. It's Doniphon, offscreen, who breaks our hearts, a man shrunken and made smooth by decades of slow erosion. Tom Doniphon came to the rescue and saved Ransom's life. Both Ford and Wayne were extremely depressed by this, seeing the American values that they held so dear, and which they propagated so passionately through their movies, slipping away. He pays off room and board to her Swedish parents by working in their cafe. Thom Donovan (born Thomas Joseph Donovan; July 24, 1974 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer.He has released five solo albums and was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Lapush.His international performance career has included concerts across the United States as well as cities around the world. It also seems that Doniphans decision to put Stoddard in as delegate and then offer him a wagon out of town when Valance threatens him is motivated by his desire to keep Hallie to himself. In a long flashback involving most of the film, Ford recalls the events leading up to that day. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Culturedarm Stoddard thus fascinates and shames Doniphon. 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. His films appeared very simple and, at times, very simplistic, but they dealt with huge themes: the expansion of American military might, the conflict between the European settlers and native American civilizations, the establishment of law & order in the wilderness, and the coming of religion, trade and commerce; all these themes are reflected in one way or the other in all his westerns. Marvin stole almostevery scene in which he is featured. After being one of Hollywoods pre-eminent directors for more than three decades, Fords career was coming to an end. Did Doodie Do It - Texas Psychiatry His composition is classical. He goes to the convention and sees Stoddard break down and try to flee rather than stand for election. So why then does he shoot Liberty Valance? Liberty Valance: Three against one, Doniphon. When movies depict the past, that past generally becomes the immediate present of the audience. But his luck finally ran out on April 3, 1992 when a jury found Gotti guilty of arranging the assassination . The legend of how Stoddard stood up to Valance and killed him spread wide and helped him build a career in politics. Ford bitterly laments the intrusion of reality on his legend. Ford's westerns represent one of the most significant achievements in the history of American art. 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. Everyone similarly assumes he and Hallie will get married, but he never asks her. But, it was in direct opposition to the Western code. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Gil Grissom says a final farewell to 'CSI' - Today He is left without the girl he loves at the dawn of a new era that has no need for his kind of individuality. An ending where Stoddard finally breaks down and miraculously kills Valance, ironically catapulting him to political success, strikes me as far more interesting. Ransom: Thats why I painted it. 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. His own conscience clear, Stoddard goes back into the hall and accepts the nomination; Doniphon goes home alone. Senator Stoddard (James Stewart) comes into town for his funeral, which confuses the. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - INSP TV | TV Shows and Movies Ford reveals Stoddard as incapable of adjusting to the life of the West: when Tom brings Hallie a "cactus rose," Stoddard, having seen real roses, cannot appreciate the beauty of the desert flower. The characters in Liberty Valance are the archetypal figures of all Ford westerns brought together for a last reunion, in order that they might be destroyed. He was the one man who would face Liberty Valance come what may. Ford isn't making an anachronistic statement on racism, but he's being sure we notice it. Virginia Mayo and Joel McCrea meet a tragic end in this 1949 Western directed by Raoul Walsh and based on his 1941 film, "High Sierra." Pompey had thrown Tom a rifle and at the exact moment of Valance's fourth and potentially-fatal shot, Doniphon killed Valance from a side angle, without anyone knowing at the moment of the blast. Tom Doniphon: Pilgrim, hold it. John Ford's Funeral Oration: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance This was a breakout role for Marvin, who has been struggling in supporting parts and TV roles. They were playing dual archetypes of the myth: the grizzled veteran cowboy and the idealistic, young, city-slicker lawyer. 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. But what if Doniphon is lying, what if Stoddard really is the man who shot Liberty Valance? So, when Stoddard and Valance face off, Doniphan fires the shot that kills Liberty Valance from across the street, thus losing the girl he loves to give her what she wants. The film flashes forward to the present, where Stoddard sums up the rest of his story. > did Tom Macdonald was born on November 22, 1900 and on! I think even if Tom had lied to Stoddard about the shooting to ease Stoddard's conscience, it would strike me as more profound. 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. Ford turns the ending into a rousing beginning and constructs an elaborate mythology for the American military. Its much more explicit in Sergeant Rutledge, which transposes the incident involving rape and murder in medieval Japan to the American frontier west. He finds out real soon while traveling to the town of Shinbone that the West doesn't really care about law or . Whatever the reasons, the end result is that the studios refused to finance Liberty Valance, if Wayne was not in the cast.