I just had to wander around in that son of a bitch and try and make a part for myself. It was like Gary Cooper inHigh Noonexcept Stoddard wasnt Gary Cooper with the gun. Because he had murdered Valance, rather than shooting him in self-defence, Doniphon had to conceal his role, lest he be prosecuted. The legend of how Stoddard stood up to Valance and killed him spread wide and helped him build a career in politics. After being one of Hollywoods pre-eminent directors for more than three decades, Fords career was coming to an end. An ending where Stoddard finally breaks down and miraculously kills Valance, ironically catapulting him to political success, strikes me as far more interesting. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - INSP TV | TV Shows and Movies You put that thing up, youll have to defend it with a gun. Tom Doniphon, rancher and longtime resident of the small western town of Shinbone, has died.He was well-regarded around the region, but was by no means a man of great distinction. Why does Doniphon hesitate? Learn how your comment data is processed. He comes into conflict with Liberty Valance again when the town has to elect two representatives to the Statehood Convention; Sotddard and the townspeople want statehood--it would mean government protection of their rights, the establishment of schools and the railroad. Hallie, once Tom's girl, has fallen in love with Stoddard, and in sparing him, Doniphon loses her. (Doodie) Tennison, 18, of Texarkana, Texas. One that almost seemed forced upon the story. Hallie nurses Stoddard back to health; he pays her back by teaching her how to read. The character of Tom Doniphon was supposed to be a younger man, and the filmmaker relentlessly mocked and teased Wayne during filming. Ford's westerns represent one of the most significant achievements in the history of American art. He faced Valance, who immediately shot him in his gun hand. He has written words for Den of Geek, Collider, The Irish Times and Screen Rant over the years, and can discuss anything from the MCU - where Hawkeye is clearly the best character - to the most obscure cult b-movie gem, and his hot takes often require heat resistant gloves to handle. But in Liberty Valance (as well as in his previous filmSergeant Rutledge) I find a strong influence of Kurosawas Rashomon; especially, dealing with the exploration of a particular event (involving a crime) from multiple vantage points. His own conscience clear, Stoddard goes back into the hall and accepts the nomination; Doniphon goes home alone. Personality chivalrous, calm, and tough as all hell. There are few comparisons to Tom as an artist; even fewer to him as a . But the very final scene of the film had John Wayne extolling the virtues of the American soldier, and in the background, the Cavalry is seen riding out take on the Indians. Three men stand at the center of the story: Stoddard, Doniphon, and Valance. By killing Liberty Valance, facilitating Stoddard's rise to political prominence and the progressive modernization of the West, Doniphon destroys himself. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance at 60: the great American western He then throws down a challenge to Stoddard: leave town or face him in a gunfight. This will be very true for Liberty Valance; everyone except Wayne not only had the best scenes, but Ford made sure they all give the most flamboyant, over the top performances of their careers, to contrast with the sour and dour Wayne, who represented the truth and moral core of the film. Doniphan is ready to kill Valance over spoiling his steak by tripping Stoddard, but does nothing while Valance oppresses his neighbors, and torments innocent people. Just finished watching The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. An old black cowboy named Pompey (Woody Strode) takes Hallie on a buckboard ride into the countryside where they regard the burned-out remains of Doniphon's cottage. His illiterate students include Hallie. He is left without the girl he loves at the dawn of a new era that has no need for his kind of individuality. Stoddard recounts the whole tale to a local newspaper reporter - and plans to come clean about that night. In a film with Lee Marvin's snarl, Andy Devine's squeaky voice and the accent of the Swedes, John Wayne as usual provides the calm center, never trying for an effect. It turns out he hadn't worn a handgun in years. Doniphan offers Stoddard a wagon out of town, and he considers it. Valance toys with Stoddard, shooting his arm and laughing at him. The Teflon Don - A 90s Crime Boss - History of the 90s - Substack It is the Ford town, complete with a drunken doctor, a crusading newspaper editor, a cowardly marshall (brillantly played by Andy Devine), two saloons-one high class, and then the Spanish place down the street--and assorted cowboys and farmers. Questions arise when Senator Stoddard (James Stewart) attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) in a small Western town. Also, he was angry that Ford always put him in colorless characters, while other actors in the film got all the juicy scenes. John Wayne as Tom Doniphon, the man who finds Stoddard wounded on the road to Shinbone in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), James Stewart as Ransom Stoddard, fresh off a beating at the hands of Liberty Valance in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Doniphon revealed how he was hidden on a side street with Pompey when the showdown occurred. Farmers want statehood. But things are not that easy. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Who Fired The Shot & Final Twist James Stewart Ransom Stoddard So the resulting fame for Stoddard was hugely unfair, right? Now with his conscious clear, Stoddard returns to the convention, accepts the nomination, and is elected to the Washington delegation. As played by Jimmy Stewart, Stoddard spends much of the film wearing an apron and washing dishes in the restaurant, sending a hardly ambiguous message about a man who doesn't wear a gun. But in addition to drawing on Americana, Ford created it; the characters and situations in his westerns, from The Iron Horse to Stagecoach to Ford Apache to The Searchers to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, have become as much a part of American tradition as those on which Ford originally drew. Doniphan, while still doing dishwashing work, hangs. The other could easily bring order, but doesnt because hes so busy taking care of number one and his crowning heroic moment is shooting down a distracted man in the city streets. The territory is granted statehood and, being the man who shot Liberty Valance, Stoddard became its first governor. The film, surprisingly for its downbeat nature, made money, at the box office,though not on the level of a John Wayne picture. When Stoddard is wracked with guilt thinking he killed Valance, Doniphon relieves his conscience, leaving him free to pursue his political career, founded on his false heroism. Stoddard continues to defy Valance and earns the respect of the townsfolk, by first opening a law practice in town and then starting a school for teaching illiterate townspeople. Some of this motivated by his desire for Hallie (Vera Miles) whose heart was slowly moving towards Stoddard. Fortunately James Stewart, one of Waynes closest friends, was the other star of the picture, and he afforded Wayne some moments of light relief. The deadliest and most sadistic killer in all Ford's films, Liberty Valance has been filtered through all Ford's other villains, emerging as a composite of the worst features in each. When they confront each other in the restaurant, Ford cuts directly back and forth between close shots of the two of them, establishing the direct link between them and the instinctive understanding each one has of the other. The year is 1910. Most of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance's story is told in flashback, as Stoddard and Hallie return to the town over 25 years later to attend Doniphon's funeral. Realizing that he will be nominated on the grounds that he shot Liberty Valance. Does this make sense? Their opponent? James Stewart is Ransom Stoddard, an idealistic young lawyer who heads West and quickly runs afoul of an outlaw named Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Why does this man, who has no trouble dominating a political meeting while simultaneously refusing to participate in it, skulk in the shadows like a thief, a coward? John Gotti's ability to avoid the long arm of the law earned him the nickname the Teflon Don. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. In fact, they find themselves up for election as territorial delegates to work toward that goal. Then there was also the fact that with the advent of 60s, the social climate in Hollywood (and in America)was changing drastically. A Thought on the Ending of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance His films begins on an optimistic note and ends on an optimistic note; even if the they would detour into darker, pessimistic territory in between, his films always end on a note of hope and glory. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. But the fact is that Wayne is really good as Tom Doniphon; Both he and Stewart, who were 54 and 53 respectability, were too old for the parts, but the film could not have been made without them. And so, when Doniphon sees that Stoddard killed Valance, and thus won the heart of the girl Doniphon was too afraid to propose too, he shatters in self-disgust. Tom Doniphon from The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | CharacTour But Pompey won't drink. Tom Doniphon came to the rescue and saved Ransom's life. It was exacerbated by his failing health and his drinking problem, as the cantankerous Ford became even more of a misanthrope, thus alienating the big studios from hiring him. Despite his many abilities, he simply will not take part in the community. > did Tom Macdonald was born on November 22, 1900 and on! Ford is not interested in reality but in subjective viewpoint, not fact but romance and legend. The flashback itself was absurdly unrealistic, with Tom being casually tossed a rifle and firing at the last moment. What Hallie Knew | The Smart Set But as he would come to reveal in Liberty Valance, he was just printing the legend all along, leaving out the hard facts. There was nothing more for Ford to do with Wayne, at least in the western genre. His westerns were all optimistic in nature and concentrated on building a myth, rather than showing the gritty reality. Even the impact of this noble deed is lessened by Doniphan indulging himself in bitterness and self-pity. Tom Doniphon shoots the outlaw thug Liberty Valance from the shadows, keeps it a secret, then realizes that his girl Hallie is in love with Ransom Stoddard, whereupon he burns his house to the ground (starting with the new wing hed built for her. 3 Stagecoach (1939) Stream now on Prime Video, Max, Roku, Tubi, and DirecTV ; In the 1930s, Wayne mostly worked as an extra or had small roles in films.
