»The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance« (1962) wins a top spot among my favourite classic westerns. The first shots of the film take us to Shinbone, a border town in an unnamed Western state, and the arrival of Senator Rans Stoddard and his wife Hallie. The funeral of local small rancher Tom Doniphon brings them, after many years, back to the town where the senator began his career, becoming known as "the man" from the title line. In an interview with a young reporter and editor-in-chief of a local newspaper covering this occasion, hence in the accompanying retrospective, he tells a never-before-told story: the real truth about the early trigger of his sudden local popularity and the consequent lightning-fast rise on the political ladder... Avoiding the main spoiler, let it be only known that subsequent to hearing that far unknown, history changing facts, the editor-in-chief, to Ranse's surprise, theatrically tore up his reporter's notes, giving the following explanation, "when the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Thus uncompromising, legend goes on and, in the last scene on the train, thankful for the railroad's courtesies Ranse continues to be honoured with the answer that will force him to swallow lumps in his throat for the rest of his days and beyond, "Nothing's too good for the man who shot Liberty Valance!"
What is most interesting is that it was exactly Ford who has, in his rich oeuvre, often (but by no means exclusively) directed Westerns (or as he liked to introduce himself: "My name is John Ford and I make Westerns .") and built many of these myths and legends, but here, towards the end of his directorial career, he relativizes them.
Unfortunately, in the present world filled with overdependence on technology (that makes us conformists), intolerance to the hardships and inconveniences of nature, reduction of warm feelings and empathy as well as increased insensitivity among people... especially newer generations are becoming less exposed to the good stuff of the past, including John Ford's movies. Ford knew how to choose a perfect scenario or bring a less perfect one to perfection, and, although himself somewhat withdrawn and distanced, infused such a scenario with emotions and sentiment. Often he filled them with humour and the joy of life, but also wisdom and humanism, making them deeply woven into what a man actually is and thus engraved in the minds of generations of movie goers. Nowadays, somehow we have all forgotten the importance of such films that go beyond their simple purpose of being just a forgettable pastime, and the film "The Man Who Killed Liberty Valance" is exactly such a film that, seasoned with Ford's beautiful aesthetics, has an added value in itself and then for the culture and civilization which produced it.
Not even a decade after the golden age of Hollywood films, Ford warns of the danger that politics destroys the beauty in people, it erases the legend, while, in fact, the legend and the storytelling are more important to people than a purely political narrative. Here, and especially here, for the umpteenth time we experience the phenomenon of the western, the miracle of that once most popular genre, which does not reflect our lives in any obvious way (neither in the manner or content, nor in the location or scenography), and yet, though hard to believe, it appears as if in itself it keeps some kind of a core to each one of them (our lives). Furthermore, the action in the film is so universal that despite the fact that it is a complete fabrication, not based on a real place and events, it seems as if we are watching a documentary presentation of historical events. And whenever a film portrays a historically important time, whether real or imaginable, it is very interesting to experience that cinematic meta-moment prophetically dedicated to events that will only happen, once or repeatedly, thus reversing sentimentality for the past, a nostalgia, and advancing it to the predictable future. Included here are depictions of a free press, town meetings, territorial conventions and statehood debates, subjecting politics to interest lobbies and corruption, violence in elections... foreseeing their future recurrences and anticipating nostalgia for them.
The acting contributions are very worth mentioning. Despite his shorter screen time, thanks to his usual commanding presence John Wayne skilfully brings about the pivotal role of Tom Doniphon, while both main opponents show versatility of their onscreen persona at times of temptation: Lee Marvin as infamous outlaw, tough and mean Liberty Valance, shows weakness when, subsequent to his failed attempt to get nominated for the regional delegate to the upcoming statehood convention at the territorial capital, he resorts to excessive vandalism and then drowns his frustration in alcohol, while James Stewart as Ransom "Ranse" Stoddard, at first, after Valance bullies him in the restaurant, begins practicing with an old gun, and then responds to Valance's gunfight challenge when his attempts to bring Valance to justice through the law fail. Outstanding in supporting roles are Vera Miles (who, sadly, missed an earlier opportunity to join Jimmy Stewart in another magnum opus, Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo," due to her real-life pregnancy at the time) as the not-meant-to-be Tom's, eventually Ranse's wife Hallie Stoddard, Edmond O'Brien as Dutton Peabody, founder, owner, editor of the local free press (the Shinbone Star), uncompromising "old servant of the public weal", waiting for his "shining hour" ... yet to come," who, also, "sweeps out the place", Woody Strode as Pompey, Tom Doniphon's hired hand, John Carradine as Maj. Cassius Starbuckle, speaker on behalf of the cattle barons at the territorial convention, Strother Martin and Lee Van Cleef as Floyd and Reese, Valance's myrmidons, Andy Devine as the fearful Sheriff Link Appleyard, looking only for the ways not to have beef with the criminals but rather a free beef on his plate, and some more, all benefiting from Ford's unique way of handling actors, bringing out the best in them, as many acknowledged subsequently.
