X
- 1962
- Approved
- 2 h 3 m
- 1962
- Approved
- 2 h 3 m
Summary A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.
Directed By: John Ford
Written By: James Warner Bellah, Willis Goldbeck, Dorothy M. Johnson
- 1962
- Approved
- 2 h 3 m
- 1962
- Approved
- 2 h 3 m
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
94
8.5
Where to Watch
Summary A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.
Directed By: John Ford
Written By: James Warner Bellah, Willis Goldbeck, Dorothy M. Johnson
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
94
90% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 10 Critic Reviews
94
90% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
10% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A great film, rich in thought and feeling, composed in rhythms that vary from the elegiac to the spontaneous.
A bittersweet look at the closing of the frontier by focusing on two strikingly different men who help one town choose law and order over the chaos of the open range.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 61 User Ratings
8.5
92% Positive
56 Ratings
56 Ratings
7% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
2% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 61 User Ratings
8.5
92% Positive
56 Ratings
56 Ratings
7% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
2% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Along with The Searchers, it represents John Ford at his most accomplished. And it is one of the best Westerns Hollywood has ever produced.
Mr. Ford, who has struck more gold in the West than any other film-maker, also has mined a rich vein here. He is again exposing the explosive forces involving the advent of law, in the shape of Mr. Stewart, on the raw denizens of a lawless frontier town. When legend becomes fact, a newspaper editor tells Mr. Stewart, print the legend. In Liberty Valance, there is too much of a good legend.
In a few characters and a gripping story, Ford dramatizes the debate about guns that still continues in many Western states. 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. Without ever seeming to hurry, he doesn't include a single gratuitous shot.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is an entertaining and emotionally involving western. Yet, while it is an enjoyable film it falls distinctly shy of its innate story potential.
The reputation of this John Ford Western is undeservedly high: it's a heavy-spirited piece of nostalgia. John Wayne is in his flamboyant element, but James Stewart is too old for the role of an idealistic young Eastern lawyer who is robbed on the way West, goes to work in the town of Shinbone as a dishwasher, and learns about Western life.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Laurel Awards
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Western Heritage Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
