Live Action again exposes Planned Parenthood. Stoddard thus fascinates and shames Doniphon. Doniphon teaches Rance Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) how to shoot and fight. [Spoilers] My thoughts on the ending of The Man Who Shot - Reddit The story sees James Stewart's idealistic younger lawyer Stoddard arriving in a remote town with the intention of introducing law, order and education to the townspeople. And more importantly, why does he do it in secret? Tom repeatedly helps Ransom and the two become a competitive force against Liberty Valance. The final line of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance sees the conductor ensuring the couple of a smooth journey and stating nothing is too for the man who killed Valance. Rarely do we find the influence of other directors in Fords movies. Stewart turns in another winning performance. In glorious, retro black & white! He then throws down a challenge to Stoddard: leave town or face him in a gunfight. 1. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance | News | The Harvard Crimson None of his recent films have been big hits, even the ones he made with John Wayne likeThe Horse Soldiers were failing to find favor with the audience. 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. Ford's view of women is interesting. There are few comparisons to Tom as an artist; even fewer to him as a . When Hallie says to Stoddard at the end, "This country used to be a wilderness. [Doniphon kicks Floyd in the face as he bends down to retrieve the tray] [Doniphon has just faced down Valance in the diner] Wayne was always against doing End of the west westerns, because End of the west means end of the western which translates as end of John Wayne. He also got along well with John Ford; Marvin was in the Navy in WWII, like Ford and they bonded over that. Doniphon is not a person of any importance around town, just a sorry old man on the fringes, who passed away unnoticed. Thom Donovan (born Thomas Joseph Donovan; July 24, 1974 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer.He has released five solo albums and was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Lapush.His international performance career has included concerts across the United States as well as cities around the world. Comment moderation is enabled. It would be easy for him to assume the title of town marshal from lovable cowardly drunk Andy Devine, and yet he has no interest. Even his house is far outside the town (whereas Stoddard lives in its heart: at the restaurant and newspaper office). 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. These westerns are memory films, filled with the traditions of the past, created from the anecdotes, fables, and songs that sprang from American history. Hes mocked by Valance who trips him, causing him to spill Doniphans meal. Valance can be countered only by Doniphon, but Doniphon is a man too busy with his own affairs to want power or to impose his own beliefs on anybody else. When Stoddard arrived in town by stagecoach, he was a fresh young lawyer with some romantic notions about bringing law & order to the west. By the end of Liberty Valance, it was more than obvious that Ford and Wayne had come to the end of their long association, which started when Ford cast Wayne as an Odysseus like courageous hero in his western odysseyStagecoach. Change). The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Trivia - IMDb document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. /a > Oar. However, Doniphon died a drunken, dislocated man. Was Hollywood, at that time, incapable of leaving us a more complicated, conflicted ending? A man of action and few words (note his instinctive hatred of the rhetoric in the Convention speeches),. Stoddard also becomes friends with Dutton Peabody (Edmond OBrien), editor of the Shinbone Star, as the two advocate for statehood for the territory. Thirty years ago the swaggering, tough-talking leader of the Gambino crime family was found guilty of murder and racketeering after eluding prosecutors at three previous high-profile trials. Stoddard was inept but courageous. Next: The Barbarian And The Geisha Had John Wayne Literally Fighting His Director. Of course, the pick of the lot was Lee Marvin who portrayed the anger, maliciousness, and sadism of a man who symbolized all the lawlessness of the old west, and who refused to step gently aside to encroaching civilization. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Movie Review - John Wayne Stoddard's first confrontation with Doniphon reveals absolutely no understanding between them; they eye each other as if the other were a strange animal. 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. Meanwhile, throughout the film, Tom has not 'done the right thing' and stood up to Liberty Valance except in circumstances where he felt he had to. What Doniphon craves most is domesticity, but by finally shooting Valance, he loses that opportunity; thismakes Doniphon the most tragic character that John Wayne has ever. Thom Donovan - Wikipedia Valance and his gang beat up a drunken Peabody nearly to death, and ransack his office. Doniphon is not a person of any importance around town, just a sorry old man on the fringes, who passed away unnoticed. Without Ransom Stoddards courage and convictions, there is no movie. Gil Grissom says a final farewell to 'CSI' - Today He is Tom's farmhand and seems to be his only confidant, a protective presence; he always has Tom's back. Stoddard is recovered by Tom Doniphon (Wayne), a rancher, and taken to the local eating establishment, the home of Hallie and her Swedish parents, Peter and Nora Ericson. Doniphan offers Stoddard a wagon out of town, and he considers it. The legend of how Stoddard stood up to Valance and killed him spread wide and helped him build a career in politics. It's pronounced Paw-rick, not Pad-raig. As a showdown between Stoddard and Valance Ford begins to seem inevitable, Ford creates considerable tension. A newspaper reporter and editor begin asking questions about why the senator is back in town; Doniphon, after all, did not die as a man of any significance. Adam Graham is a follower of Christ and currently a political Independent. Woody Strode Pompey The movie becomes about making a sacrifice for the greater good, and includes an element of chance or fate. This is all to be seen: The role of a free press, the function of a town meeting, the debate about statehood, the civilizing influence of education. All that said, its a bit of an odd film for Wayne, who got top billing but has one of the least interesting characters. The drunken marshal won't protect him. By putting John Wayne in a coffin right at the beginning of the film, Ford makes his intentions very clear. Valance and his two sidekicks hold up a stagecoach on the way to town, and when one of the passengers, Ransom, stands up to him Liberty nearly whips him to death. So why then does he shoot Liberty Valance? There is a purity to the John Ford style. When movies depict the past, that past generally becomes the immediate present of the audience. Their opponent? Christ there was no place for me. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Film Analysis | ipl.org A man of action and few words (note his instinctive hatred of the rhetoric in the Convention speeches), Doniphon is very much an individual who minds his own business. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved. This was a breakout role for Marvin, who has been struggling in supporting parts and TV roles. Also, the rumination on the differences between truth and fact was at the heart of Kurosawas classic. John Gotti's ability to avoid the long arm of the law earned him the nickname the Teflon Don. The police tried to pull him over in Lake View Terrace in San Fernando Valley after he was speeding at 110 mph. He is putting to death all that Wayne represented in his westerns up until that time and for the rest of the film, he is going to painfully reconstruct the mythology of the west and Wayne through some cold hard facts. 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. Throughout the film, he tells us that hes tougher than Liberty Valance, that he can beat Liberty Valance and he makes us believe. When someone tried to comfort him that Doniphon was full of ambiguity and his mindset may help his performance, Wayne snapped back, Screw ambiguity I dont like ambiguity. Doniphon (who is courting Hallie) is the only man willing to stand up to Valance. 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 he'd built for her. Want to keep up with breaking news? He always wanted to play heroes and he always looked at cinema as a medium for the audience to believe in heroes; there is the famous story where he chastised Kirk Douglas for playing a mad and tragic Van Gogh inLust for Life. The newspaper refuses to accept the lamer story and the disconnect between Stoddard and his wife on the train made for a decent ending. It is also his most claustrophobic western; shot in Black & White and completely on a studio lot with minimal sets, the film has none of his trademark shots of stunning landscapes and colorful panoramic vistas. Doniphon: Well, take some advice, pilgrim. In the film, except for two notable acts that change Stoddard's life forever, Doniphon isn't quite so proactive with an eye to Stoddard's future. Ford would repeatedly use Marvin (and Stewart, who also served in WWII) as a stick to beat John Wayne, who hadnt served in WWII, something that always offended Ford. Ford was very angry about it, having to secure a favor from his protge and he doubled down on his venom on Wayne during the shooting. We also meet Link Appleyard (Andy Devine), the drunken town marshal; Doc Willoughby (Ken Murray), the drunken town doctor, and Dutton Peabody (Edmond O'Brien), the editor of the paper. The body of Tom Doniphon is at rest in a plain, wooden casket. He makes a positive first impression when he brings Stoddard in. When he recovers, the college-education lawyer goes to work as a dishwasher in the hotel that took him in. So, when Stoddard and Valance face off, Doniphan fires the shot that kills Liberty Valance from across the street, thus losing the girl he loves to give her what she wants. In this movie Ransom Stoddard is a well educated attorney from the East who comes to the West to find new opportunity and a place to practice law. As opposed to his other films, this film begins on a sad note, and as it goes on, it becomemore tragic and dark and finally ends on a very pessimistic note. how did tom doniphon die - vyrosier.org 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. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valanceis one of those classic films I hadnt gotten around to seeing other than having caught the end on TNT one day. Ransom: Thats why I painted it. His friend & Ranch hand Pompey (Woody Strode)saves him from the fire, but is unable to save the house. (LogOut/ Edmond OBrien Dutton Peabody But when Valance goes for a momento from a widows late husband. Hes even elected as a delegate to the territorial convention but refuses to serve. Beginning with "Stagecoach" (1939), continuing from 1948 through 1950 with the Cavalry Trilogy ("Fort Apache," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Rio Grande"), and finally to 1962 and "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," together in 10 features they largely formed the templates of the Hollywood Western. They're just too good to be stopped. Tom Doniphon: My boy, Pompey; kitchen door. 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. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) - Filmsite John Carradine Maj. Cassius Starbuckle This is why he can make a scene at the town meeting, mocking the participants and the rules (the Law says the bar is closed!) while turning down appointment to the delegation: if appointed, he might embarrass himself, perhaps showing himself to be ignorant of the rules or other social expectations. 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. His mood made life difficult for all the actors involved but he was especially tough on Wayne, who found himself in the direct firing line again. Why does Doniphon hesitate? He finds out real soon while traveling to the town of Shinbone that the West doesn't really care about law or . Vera Miles as Hallie Stoddard, concerned about the wounded man Tom Doniphon delivers to her home in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Lee Marvin as Liberty Valance, upset over an item published in Peabodys newspaper in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Cast: He's super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. Mr. Connors died in Peterborough, Ont., at the age of 77 from "natural causes," according to spokesman Brian Edwards. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. An ending where Stoddard finally breaks down and miraculously kills Valance, ironically catapulting him to political success, strikes me as far more interesting.