western films that brought back the vibrancy of that era. One of which is, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Back in 1962, when the film was made, many dismissed it as a petty, disappointing work. Much of the criticism leveled against The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance focused on its look. The majority of films were done in color that gave it a bright, upbeat tone that the public loved. The “look” present in Liberty Valance was black and white, which went against the normal film characteristic of its
‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ is both optimistic and pessimistic. It is unsatisfactory to call the film plain optimistic, which it was in the middle of the movie, as the beginning but more so the end was pessimistic. The middle of the film was optimistic because it showed the joyous personalities of the people and about ten minutes from the end of Ransom Stoddard’s flashback, film reached it’s climax when Liberty Valance was killed. On the pessimistic side of the film however, is what has become
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) and The Wild Bunch (1962) are both critically acclaimed western films, regarded as some of the best in their genre. They are both different however in their portrayal of the western myth and the characters therein. This essay will compare and contrast these movies focusing on firstly their depiction of the national identity and mythology of the old west. Secondly, it will look at the differences of the portrayal of different character types, with specific reference
Western film “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” centers around Ranse Stoddard and his struggle with morality and justice. The film opens with Stoddard and his wife Hallie returning to Shinbone, a small town in the west, for Tom Doniphon’s funeral. In a flashback that spans most of the film, Stoddard recounts how Doniphon, a relatively unknown man, became so important to him, a famous, well respected senator. 25 years ago, Stoddard was beaten up and left by the road by Liberty Valance, leader of a notorious
surrounded by nature because he is a slave, and throughout the movie the viewer can notice the great change in both Django’s personality and appearance. Django leaves the forest and becomes a kind of citizen by means of Dr. King Schultz’s character, who provides him with proper clothes and a horse among other things. He learns how to ride and also how to shoot, he is becoming over the movie a sort of cowboy. At the end, he leaves Calvin J. Candie’s house with his wife Broomhilda and they both go away
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Dark Knight, dogmatic beliefs creating the foundation for social structures are present in even the most liberal, progressive societies. The movies The Man Who Shot
West wind kicks up dust off a lone road through a lawless town, a road once dominated by men with gun belts attached at the hip, boots upon their feet and spurs that clanged as they traversed the dusty road. The gunslinger hero, a man with a violent past and present, a man who eventually would succumb to the progress of the frontier, he is the embodiment of the values of freedom and the land the he defends with his gun. Inseparable is the iconography of the West in the imagination of Americans, the figure
means needed to kill Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) even if, in isolation, an action like back-killing is condemned. Valance’s death gives Ransom acceptance, increases his status in the community and gets him elected a U.S. senator. To Falconer, “the Western has been able to accommodate alternative perspectives on violence” (Falconer, 2014, pp. 18-19). Only Wayne and Marvin’s characters show guns and threaten violence in the film. Even the selection of the name, Liberty Valance, emphasizes the frontier’s
The film is beautifully shot in black and white, using Ford’s trademark of great depth of field that visually displays the stunning geography, combined with chiaroscuro lighting by cinematographer Joseph MacDonald and edited by Dorothy Spencer. The film has a wonderful film noir quality, moody, and dramatic night shots. By dawn, the camera captures the magnificent desert landscape that seems tailored made for Ford’s romantic action western film. Enhanced by the musical direction by Alfred Newman
Cowboys in Kilts: The Failure of the Scenic in Rob Roy & Braveheart There was recently a cartoon in the New Yorker magazine.The cartoon shows a group of kilt-clad Highlands charging up a hill, claymore swords drawn and waving, as one of them says to another, "You know, if we didn't wear this damn skirtsmaybe we wouldn't have to defend our manhood every five minutes." My analysis begins, as it will end, where most cowboy movies begin and end, with the landscape.Western heroes are essentially
late. Stephen Tatum, writing in 1983, called critics such as Brian Garfield and Don Graham "shootists," indicting them for a variety of sins. They are said to hold a "fundamentalist," transcendent conception of the Western. They are "redeemer" critics who wish to stop the clock, deny history, and halt the inevitable evolution of genres. Not only that, Garfield and Graham are moreover accused of being "authoritarian" and suspiciously close to the "moral majority" position.' It seems quite possible, however
Westerns are the most important genre of the American film industry, a reflective tribute to the early days of the grand, wild American frontier. They are one of the oldest, most prevailing and versatile genres and one of the classically American genres in their mythic origins. The popularity of westerns has changed over time. Their most productive period was in the 1930s to the 1960s, and most lately in the 90s, there was a restoration of the genre. This original American art form concentrates
Hollywood Westerns essentially focus on the concept of bringing the law to the lawless and for movie goers, it has been said, that the best Westerns were the movies that moved, not only from a physical action standpoint, but also in terms of moving an audience emotionally. It was this engaging combination that garnered the most satisfaction and praise from movie-going audiences. Most film scholars believe the first Western to be ‘Cripple Creek Bar Room’ (W. Dickson’s 1898 tableau). To understand
(1924), The Informer (1935, Academy Award), Stagecoach (1939), The Grapes of Wrath (1940, Academy Award), Tobacco Road (1941), How Green Was My Valley (1941, Academy Award), My Darling Clementine (1946), Wagonmaster (1950), Rio Grande (1950), The Quiet Man (1952, Academy Award), Mister Roberts (1955), The Searchers (1956), How the West Was Won (1962), Cheyenne Autumn (1964), etc. Bibliography:
Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Random House (May 13, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 1400062128 ISBN-13: 978-1400062126 Lost and Found Peter Birkenhead We see them on the news, holding photos of daughters who never came down for breakfast. Or huddled in airports, waiting for information about planes that have mysteriously disappeared. We catch glimpses of them napping on cramped couches in Intensive Care units, or rocking back and forth on courtroom benches — wondering what they did to deserve