A revered Western about the clash between law and legend in the final days of the American frontier.
When idealistic young lawyer Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) arrives in the frontier town of Shinbone, he finds it under the thumb of the brutal outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Stoddard’s attempts to bring law and order through education and due process put him in direct conflict with Valance’s violent rule. The only man in town Valance fears is the rugged rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), who understands that justice sometimes requires a faster draw than the law allows. A fateful street duel leaves Valance dead and Stoddard a hero, a reputation that propels him into a long political career.
John Ford’s film is a mournful examination of the myths that built the American West. The narrative pivots on its most famous line: “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” Ford uses the structure of a classic Western to question the very nature of heroism and history, framing the story as a flashback that dismantles the celebrated career of a respected senator. The three central characters represent a nation in transition: Valance is the savagery that must be tamed, Stoddard is the civilized law that will replace it, and Doniphon is the old-school frontier justice that must become obsolete for civilization to flourish. The film’s melancholic tone is underlined by its use of black-and-white cinematography, a deliberate choice that gives the story the feel of a fading photograph.
Production Co: Paramount / 123 minutes / 1962
Director: John Ford
Main Cast: John Wayne (Tom Doniphon), James Stewart (Ransom Stoddard), Vera Miles (Hallie Stoddard), Lee Marvin (Liberty Valance), Edmond O’Brien (Dutton Peabody), Andy Devine (Link Appleyard), Woody Strode (Pompey)
