The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [4K UHD]

When great actors made great westerns

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.

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."

Great Movie. I've watched it yet, but I've seen it previously, the price to was great so I bought it.

Great picture quality & good price

MERCI POUR LE DVD

Ottimo

Blu Ray copy worked ,4k did not work

Everything was great 👍

"Der Mann, der Liberty Valance erschoß" von John Ford enstand 1962 - im gleichen Jahr wie Sam Peckinpahs "Sacramento" (Ride the High Country). Beide Filme begründen den Spätwestern, denn die alten Zeiten des Wilden Westens sind vorbei. Erhalten hat sich neben den müde gewordenen Helden und vor allem ein wehmütiger Blick auf die Vergangenheit. Denn die hat Legenden und Mythen erschaffen, die irgendwann zu Wahrheiten wurden. John Ford stellt dieses Phänomen in Frage und zeigt dem Zuschauer und macht den Mechanismus durchschaubar. Doch statt einer Demontage ist es eine der schönsten Liebeserklärungen für den Western, wenn das Bild des wegfahrenden Zuges, in den der Mann, der Liberty Valance sitzt, den Schlußpunkt setzt. Es ist Senator Ransom "Ranse" Stoddard (James Stewart) mit seiner Frau Hallie (Vera Miles). Doch die Wahrheit ist anders: Ransoms Freund Tom Doniphan (John Wayne), der gerade in der kleinen Grenzstadt Shinbone beerdigt wurde, hat den Banditen Valance aus dem Hinterhalt erschossen. Er kann dies begründen mit der höheren Gerechtigkeit und hat aber den ungeschriebenen Ehrenkodex des Wilden Westens "Auge und Auge" gebrochen. "Es war glatter Mord, aber ich kann damit gut leben" wird Doniphan einmal in der Geschichte zu Stoddart sagen, der bisher annahm, dass er tatsächlich mit viel Glück das ungleiche Duell gegen Liberty Valance auf den Straßen von Shinbone für sich entschieden hat. Entschieden hat er dadürch auch, dass er - der Anwalt - das Mädchen bekommt, dass auch Doniphan liebte. Aber die melancholische Geschichte fängt ganz anders und sehr hart an. Und sie wird von Stoddard, inzwischen angsehener Senator im Rückblick erzählt, denn der Chefredakteur der Lokalzeitung will um jeden Preis wissen, warum der berühmte Politiker zu der Beerdigung des unbekannten Tom Doniphan kommt. Und Stoddard fängt zu erzählen an: Als junger Mann reist Ransom Stoddard in einer Postkutsche in Richtung Westen. Er kommt von der Ostküste und will sich im Weiten Land niederlassen. Doch die Reise endet in Shinbone, denn die Kutsche wird von Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) und seinen Männern (Lee van Cleef, Strother Martin) überfallen. Als Stoddard eine Frau verteidigt, wird er von dem Banditen beinahe zu Tode geschlagen. Schwerverletzt wird er von Doniphan gefunden und dessen Freund Pompey (Woody Stroode) gefunden und in die nächste Stadt Shinbone gebracht. Die junge Hallie (Vera Miles), die im Wirtshaus von von Peter (John Qualen) und Nora Ericson (Jeanette Nolan) arbeitet, kümmert sich um den Verletzten Mann. Eigentlich müsste Sheriff Link Appleyard (Andy Devine) den Verbrecher verhaften, aber er ist ein Hasenfuß und so werden die Banditen weiterhin in der Gegend ihr Unwesen mit Raub und Schlägereien treiben können. Auch macht sich der Herausgeber der Lokalzeitung Dutton Peabody (Edmond O'Brien) bei Liberty unbeliebt, weil er unverfälscht über die Geschehnisse im Umkreis berichtet. Über die Macht der Viehbarone und über deren Verstrickungen zu den Banditen. Liberty Valance hat es ausserdem immer wieder auf Stoddard abgesehen, er weiß genau, dass dieser mit seinen Gesetzesbüchern keinen Stich gegen ihn - den großen Revolverhelden - machen kann. Die Waffen der Gerechtigkeit und des geltenden Rechts versagen, so stellt sich der schießunerfahrene Stoddard dennoch zum ungleichen Duell. Der Bandit fällt tot zu Boden. Stoddard wird umjübelt - er wurde Sieger im Duell und hat Liberty Valance besiegt. Eine Legende wird geboren... "Der Mann, der Liberty Valance erschoß" ist der vorletzte Western des großen John Ford und für mich sein zweitbester nach "Der schwarze Falke". An diesem Film stimmt alles - großen Anteil am Erfolg hatte sicherlich das perfekt herausgearbeitete Drehbuch von James Warner Beelah und Willis Goldbeck. Der Score von Cyril C. Mockridge und Alfred Newman verströmt eine gewisse Sentimentalität, die aber sehr gut zum Thema "Glorifizierung längst vergangener Zeiten" passt und etwas Wehmut vermittelt. Ausserdem wie so oft eine großartige Leistung des Kameramanns William H. Clothier, der hier wunderschöne schwarz-weiß Bilder erschuf. Getragen wird dieser herrliche klassiker aber von den hervorragenden Schauspielerleistungen von John Wayne und James Stewart. Die beiden Westerntitanen liefern hier ganz starke Rollen ab. Zudem sind auch die Nebenrollen mit Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Woody Stroode, Andy Devine oder John Carradine perfekt besetzt.