The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
1962, Western, 2h 2m
48 Reviews 10,000+ RatingsWhat to know
Featuring a trio of classic leading men and a rich story captured by a director at the peak of his craft, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of the finest Westerns ever filmed. Read critic reviews
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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Photos
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Ransom Stoddard
Tom Doniphon
Hallie Stoddard
Liberty Valance
Dutton Peabody
Marshal Link Appleyard
News & Interviews for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Critic Reviews for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (3)
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There's much to say about it; the simplest is that it's both the most romantic of Westerns and the greatest American political movie.
April 29, 2013 | Full Review… -
There is a purity to the John Ford style. His composition is classical. He arranges his characters within the frame to reflect power dynamics -- or sometimes to suggest a balance is changing.
December 30, 2011 | Rating: 4/4 | Full Review… -
John Ford and the writers have somewhat overplayed their hands. They have taken a disarmingly simple and affecting premise, developed it with craft and skill to a natural point of conclusion, and then have proceeded to run it into the ground.
July 7, 2010 | Full Review… -
A great film, rich in thought and feeling, composed in rhythms that vary from the elegiac to the spontaneous.
April 24, 2009 | Full Review… -
A remarkably complex and nuanced take on the Western.
October 29, 2008 | Rating: A- | Full Review… -
Ford's purest and most sustained expression of the familiar themes of the passing of the Old West, the conflict between the untamed wilderness and the cultivated garden, and the power of myth.
February 9, 2006 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
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Jun 27, 2013"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend". That quote is a great one, especially when it comes to taking a closer look at history, but especially historical memory, and its impact. And it's the key to this film too, which is one of many standouts from its legendary director John Ford. Jimmy Stewart is Ransom Stoddard- a greenhorn eastern lawyer whose efforts to dispense his brand of justice out in the small western town of Shinbone are hampered by the local menace Liberty Valance, played wonderfully by Lee Marvin. John Wayne plays Tom Doniphan- the toughest and meanest man in Shinbone (next to Valance), who does his best to help Stoddard, despite some complications, namely their methods of how to proceed, as well as the fact that they're both pining after the same lady- the lovely Hallie, who is played by Vera Miles. This is one of many elegiac westerns that was ahead of its time for trying to demythologize the west before it became popular. It's also maybe the only time in his career where Ford is presenting things with a decent amount of pessimism, something that would also later get popularized a few years later along with revisionism, and demythologizing. The acting is great, and Ford had a tremendous cast to work with, There's also lots of smaller appearances from way too many genre luminaries to count, and that certainly scores the film some extra points, too. I love how, even though this was made in 1962, they chose to shoot in black and white, and almost exclusively in interiors. There's a few moments outside, but there's none of the grand landscape shots you might expect. I think it really adds to the mood, tone, and point the film is trying to make about expectations versus reality.The music is also pretty fine as well. All in all, this is a superb film. Definitely give it a watch.Chris W Super Reviewer
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Feb 27, 2013Jimmy Stewart reduces the Duke to a block of wood with a classical performance but it doesn't matter much in the end. The plot thickens nicely and the good guys of course come out ahead. What you want from a good western.John B Super Reviewer
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Nov 01, 2012The strangest thing about "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is how slow its greatness sneaks up on you. John Ford doesn't let his film start out on an exciting note, opting instead to take a more low-key route. Here is a director that knows the Western genre like the back of his hand, and his subtle approach here is admirable yet again. "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" is a lot more understated than you might imagine, but I think that's where it succeeds. It's so calm and self-modulated that it throws you off when things get brutal. I'll need to revisit it again later on, but I'm almost positive that this is one of the greatest films out there.Stephen E Super Reviewer
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Oct 27, 2011Ford's last masterpiece. A truly epic story of the end of the old west, Stewart and Wayne put in masterful performances.Graham J Super Reviewer
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Quotes
| Tom Doniphon: | Liberty Valence is the toughest man south of the picket wire... next to me. |
| Liberty Valance: | Well, lookie at the new waitress. |
| Liberty Valance: | "Alright Dude, this time Right Between the eyes!" |
| Liberty Valance: | Alright dude, this time right between the eyes! |
| Dutton Peabody: | "Liberty Valence...and his Vermadons!" |
| Dutton Peabody: | Liberty Valence, and his vermadons! |
| Maxwell Scott: | This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. |
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