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There are few comparisons to Tom as an artist; even fewer to him as a . 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. Doniphan offers Stoddard a wagon out of town, and he considers it. But he is a sort of reluctant hero, who minds his own business, and is roused into action only if his path crosses with the outlaws. On the page, Tom Doniphon was more of a mentor to Ranse Stoddard, easing him along the road from frontier lawyer to state senator. Standing Up for Liberty Valance - True West Magazine However, thematically I felt wronged by this outcome. Three men stand at the center of the story: Stoddard, Doniphon, and Valance. Stoddard believes so firmly in the law that he is willing to lose his life for his principles. Tom is highly respected by his peers, because of the laid-back cut of his jib, and because he may be the only man willing to stand up to the violent outlaw Liberty Valance. There was lot of tension between Ford and Wayne during shooting. Funeral of Tom Doniphon taken from the classic The Man Who hot Liberty Valance John Wayne would never play this character for anybody else, expect for his pappy Ford. His tragedy is his unwillingness to act. But the most important of all, the film begins with the death of his lead character, Tom Doniphon, played by none other than John Wayne. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Culturedarm And as they swarm around the senator for details, Stoddard starts recalling the events leading up to that day and, the film cuts to a flashback. 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. In this scenario, Doniphon is not simply a radical individualist who refuses to partake in community out of a twisted kind of idealism, rather hes simply a coward. When they confront each other in the restaurant, Ford cuts directly back and forth between close shots of the two of them, establishing the direct link between them and the instinctive understanding each one has of the other. Doniphon finally does kill does kill Valance. Four sons reunite in their Texas hometown to attend their mother's funeral. The body of Tom Doniphon is at rest in a plain, wooden casket. "At the heart of the Western", argues John Lenihan, was always 43 of 48 found this interesting | Share this Liberty Valance: Three against one, Doniphon. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The Hero of the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Caffeinated Thoughts 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). 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). Ransom: Thats why I painted it. But today I saw it and came away with a different conclusion. It was exacerbated by his failing health and his drinking problem, as the cantankerous Ford became even more of a misanthrope, thus alienating the big studios from hiring him. Stewart turns in another winning performance. When someone tried to comfort him that Doniphon was full of ambiguity and his mindset may help his performance, Wayne snapped back, Screw ambiguity I dont like ambiguity. Though we still see Stoddard shoot in the direction of Valance simultaneously, almost making the true killer ambiguous. Adam Graham is a follower of Christ and currently a political Independent. Wayne is seen by many as the hero because he realized the only way you could deal with someone like Liberty Valance was through force and he did the deed that had to be done. Wayne was furious for allowing himself to get roped in to play such a passive character, which he found very difficult to play, and Fords behavior didnt help. In this movie Ransom Stoddard is a well educated attorney from the East who comes to the West to find new opportunity and a place to practice law. Marvin stole almostevery scene in which he is featured. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. When the shooting ends, Valance is dead; Stoddard is hailed a hero as the man who shot Liberty Valance.. All slaying were attributed to a "phantom." But his luck finally ran out on April 3, 1992 when a jury found Gotti guilty of arranging the assassination . Tom Doniphon: My boy, Pompey; kitchen door. Gil Grissom says a final farewell to 'CSI' - Today The story takes place in a fictitious town ofShinbonein an unnamed Western territory (probably Colorado). Either way, the film ends with the question of whether Doniphons nature is individualistic or cowardly (or whether theres really any difference between the two) deemed irrelevant. 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. Besides, there is a complication. (LogOut/ This is important as an election for two delegate to the territorial convention are to be held. The drunken marshal won't protect him. It is also his most claustrophobic western; shot in Black & White and completely on a studio lot with minimal sets, the film has none of his trademark shots of stunning landscapes and colorful panoramic vistas. 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. There seemed to be a realization. Stoddard believes so firmly in the law that he is willing to lose his life for his principles. He is the author. As is the question of who really killed Liberty Valance. In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the newspaper editor says, "This is the West. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Wikiquote An ending where Stoddard finally breaks down and miraculously kills Valance, ironically catapulting him to political success, strikes me as far more interesting. Does this make sense? His relationship with Wayne was a little strained at the time, mainly because of incidents involving Waynes directorial ventureTheAlamo, in which Ford worked as a second unitdirector. Tom Doniphon is played by John Wayne, while Ransom Stoddard is played by Jimmie Stewart. The movie becomes about making a sacrifice for the greater good, and includes an element of chance or fate. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. The newspaper editor prints the truth about Valance, and for his pains has his office trashed and is whipped nearly dead. He also got along well with John Ford; Marvin was in the Navy in WWII, like Ford and they bonded over that. He makes a positive first impression when he brings Stoddard in. In the film, except for two notable acts that change Stoddard's life forever, Doniphon isn't quite so proactive with an eye to Stoddard's future. Did Doodie Do It - Texas Psychiatry The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance at 60: the great American western Stoddard becomes disgusted and leaves, but Doniphon stops him and reveals that it was he who actually shot Liberty Valance. Hes the individualistic strain in American history: the isolationist, the Randian, the pioneer who wants not to build a community, but his own private empire. 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. John Ford is regarded as one of the great American filmmakers and has many classics to his name, including Stagecoach, The Quiet Man and The Searchers. Wayne was always against doing End of the west westerns, because End of the west means end of the western which translates as end of John Wayne. Tom Doniphon is a local farmer, who observes, "Liberty Valance's the toughest man south of the Picketwire--next to me." Related: True Grit: How The 2010 Movie Compares To The Book & John Wayne Version. With Valances death, the road is clear for Stoddard to become the delegate to Washington and with Doniphon out of the way, he can also marry Hallie. Tom Doniphon and his handyman, Pompey, find Ranse and take him to Shinbone, where Tom's girlfriend, Hallie, treats his wounds. Stoddard was wounded in the shooting. Stoddard and Hallie then sit in silence as the politician reflects on the life he built on a myth and John Wayne's Doniphon sacrificing his own happiness for him and Hallie. It was like Gary Cooper inHigh Noonexcept Stoddard wasnt Gary Cooper with the gun. As a result, Stoddard gains an unearned reputation as the man who heroically shot Liberty Valance - a reputation that eventually propels him into the US Senate. 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. 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. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Plot - IMDb James Stewart is Ransom Stoddard, an idealistic young lawyer who heads West and quickly runs afoul of an outlaw named Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). But in addition to drawing on Americana, Ford created it; the characters and situations in his westerns, from The Iron Horse to Stagecoach to Ford Apache to The Searchers to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, have become as much a part of American tradition as those on which Ford originally drew. > did Tom Macdonald was born on November 22, 1900 and on! Stoddard recounts the whole tale to a local newspaper reporter - and plans to come clean about that night. Valance and his two henchmenterrorize Shinbone, while the bumbling Marshal Link Appleyard (Andy Devine ) lacks the courage and gun fighting skills to challenge him. This makes Doniphon a very passive character with respect to Valance, which explains why a direct confrontation never takes place between them, though at many points in the film, they come close. He had many murders on his conscience, and much enjoyed using a leather bullwhip. It's pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. Strother Martin Floyd However, he is rescued by Doniphan. A man of action and few words (note his instinctive hatred of the rhetoric in the Convention speeches),. While many people have imagined Stoddard as naively unaware that the law wouldnt be sufficient to deal with Liberty Valance, Stoddard was no fool. The story focuses on Ransome Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart), an American senator arriving at the town of Shinbone with his wife, Hailey (Vera Miles), to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon (Wayne). That he does this by mixing in history, humorous supporting characters and a poignant romance is typical; his films were complete and self-contained in a way that approaches perfection. He built a home which he assumed Hally (Vera Miles) would share with him as his wife, but he lost her to the hero of the moment, Stoddard. Stoddard decides that he cannot be entrusted with public service after killing a man in a gunfight and he decides to withdraw. 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. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Film Analysis | ipl.org When he walks into a bar to fetch Tom, the bartender won't serve him, and Tom slams hard on the bar: "Give him a drink." Thom Donovan - Wikipedia But still he admires Stoddard immensely. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The 10 best screen cowboys - in pictures - The Guardian Director John Ford has been a pioneer, not only of the Western genre, but also the art form of cinema itself; he is an inspiration to some of the greatest filmmakers all around the world; Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles, David Lean,.. Have all expressed their admiration and debt to Ford in developing their own cinematic technique. Ford was very angry about it, having to secure a favor from his protge and he doubled down on his venom on Wayne during the shooting. Stoddard demands that Doniphon's boots and spurs and gunbelt be returned to his corpse. He films mostly on sets, but we're not particularly aware. What about Tom Doniphan? Stoddard also becomes friends with Dutton Peabody (Edmond OBrien), editor of the Shinbone Star, as the two advocate for statehood for the territory. He appears to be a roguish heroic type at first blush, but when you look deeper, you find a very self-centered character. Ford's view of women is interesting. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.. But his is the old form of Western prowess; its Stewart who represents the territorys future. In town, he's nursed back to health by Nora and Peter Ericson, two recent Swedish immigrants who run the local chowhouse. 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 Wayne continued to bristle about the bad experience on making the picture, years later he recollected on his experience: It was a tough assignment for me because dammit, Ford had Jimmy for the shit-kicking humor, OBrien playing the sophisticated humor, and he had the heavy, Marvin. He always wanted to play heroes and he always looked at cinema as a medium for the audience to believe in heroes; there is the famous story where he chastised Kirk Douglas for playing a mad and tragic Van Gogh inLust for Life. His mood made life difficult for all the actors involved but he was especially tough on Wayne, who found himself in the direct firing line again. Setting aside the question of why Stoddard thinks its morally acceptable to base his career on a lie, but not on the real killing (hed rather have people think he killed Valance than actually do it), rewatching the film this most recent time its Doniphon that fascinates me. John Ford and John Wayne together created much of the mythology of the Old West we carry in our minds. He strides around as the quickest gun on the side of right, calling Stoddard pilgrim, standing up to Valance when the need arises. Personal plans.". So why then does he shoot Liberty Valance? Is The man Who Shot Liberty Valance based on a true story? His composition is classical. He pays off room and board to her Swedish parents by working in their cafe. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance focuses on the love triangle between Stoddard, Doniphon and his girlfriend Hallie (Vera Miles, Psycho). 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. He is everything Doniphon wishes he could be. One night Valance demands a showdown and toys with the lawyer, shooting him in the arm and taunting him before Stoddard finally gets off a shot and Valance drops dead. Wayne always plays characters who take charge of the situation, the guy who takes the fight to the opposition and, the contrast between him and the bad guy is always well defined. He and two sidekicks (played by Lee Van Cleef and Strother Martin) wreck the newspaper office and badly beat Peabody. Yes, but there's more to it than that, and in John Ford's mind, gun ownership is very much an open question. 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. 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. All three spend much of their time hanging out in the restaurant kitchen. Stoddard has come to town with a satchel full of law books, and hangs out his shingle at the newspaper office. Either way,Doniphon destroys of himself in favor of Stoddards elevation, and America is built on a lie. James Stewart Ransom Stoddard He finds out real soon while traveling to the town of Shinbone that the West doesn't really care about law or . Go to the bottom of each blog and youll find a ratings widget. 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. Asked by the Shinbone Star editor why an important Senator should return to a small town to bury an unknown man, Stoddard tells his story; a long flashback begins. 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. The final line of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance sees the conductor ensuring the couple of a smooth journey and stating nothing is too for the man who killed Valance. Stoddard was inept but courageous. After being one of Hollywoods pre-eminent directors for more than three decades, Fords career was coming to an end. Ford would make one more Western (without Wayne),Cheyenne Autumn (1964),the penultimate movie of his career which told the story of the Old-west from the perspective of the Native Americans. This is all to be seen: The role of a free press, the function of a town meeting, the debate about statehood, the civilizing influence of education.