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John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien ... see more see more... , Andy Devine , Ken Murray , John Carradine , Jeanette Nolan , John Qualen , Woody Strode , Denver Pyle , Strother Martin , Lee Van Cleef , Robert F. Simon , O.Z. Whitehead , Paul Birch , Joseph Hoover , Mario Arteaga , Gertrude Astor , Danny Borzage , Willis B. Bouchey , Robert Donner , Shug Fisher , Helen Gibson , Sam Harris , Chuck Hayward , William Henry , Earl Hodgins , Stuart Holmes , Anna Lee , Ted Mapes , Montie Montana , Bob Morgan , Charles Morton , Eva Novak , Dorothy Phillips , Chuck Roberson , Buddy Roosevelt , Charles Seel , Slim Talbot , Ralph Volkie , Blackie Whiteford , Jack Williams , Carleton Young , Larry Finley , Jack Pennick , Edward Jaurequi , Jack Kenny

Like Pontius Pilate, director John Ford asks "What is truth?" in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance--but unlike Pilate, Ford waits for an answer. The film opens in 1910, with distinguished and influenti... read more read more...al U.S. senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) returning to the dusty little frontier town where they met and married twenty-five years earlier. They have come back to attend the funeral of impoverished "nobody" Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). When a reporter asks why, Stoddard relates a film-long flashback. He recalls how, as a greenhorn lawyer, he had run afoul of notorious gunman Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who worked for a powerful cartel which had the territory in its clutches. Time and again, "pilgrim" Stoddard had his hide saved by the much-feared but essentially decent Doniphon. It wasn't that Doniphon was particularly fond of Stoddard; it was simply that Hallie was in love with Stoddard, and Doniphon was in love with Hallie and would do anything to assure her happiness, even if it meant giving her up to a greenhorn. When Liberty Valance challenged Stoddard to a showdown, everyone in town was certain that the greenhorn didn't stand a chance. Still, when the smoke cleared, Stoddard was still standing, and Liberty Valance lay dead. On the strength of his reputation as the man who shot Valance, Stoddard was railroaded into a political career, in the hope that he'd rid the territory of corruption. Stoddard balked at the notion of winning an election simply because he killed a man-until Doniphon, in strictest confidence, told Stoddard the truth: It was Doniphon, not Stoddard, who shot down Valance. Stoddard was about to reveal this to the world, but Doniphon told him not to. It was far more important in Doniphon's eyes that a decent, honest man like Stoddard become a major political figure; Stoddard represented the "new" civilized west, while Doniphon knew that he and the West he represented were already anachronisms. Thus Stoddard went on to a spectacular political career, bringing extensive reforms to the state, while Doniphon faded into the woodwork. His story finished, the aged Stoddard asks the reporter if he plans to print the truth. The reporter responds by tearing up his notes. "This is the West, sir, " the reporter explains quietly. "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Dismissed as just another cowboy opus at the time of its release, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance has since taken its proper place as one of the great Western classics. It questions the role of myth in forging the legends of the West, while setting this theme in the elegiac atmosphere of the West itself, set off by the aging Stewart and Wayne. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Unrated, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: John Ford

Release Date: May 28, 1962

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DVD Release Date: June 5, 2001

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Stats: 1,221 reviews

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News of the Senator's Arrival Robbed and Beaten Hallie Woody Strode Andy Devine The Deed is Done Statehood Convention Tom Doniphon The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Andy Devine & Vera Miles "Pick it up dude" Edmond O'Brien Lee Marvin Woody Strode Rance & Hallie The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Returning to Shinbone Ransom Stoddard
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Flixster Reviews (1,221)

  • fb1664868775
    October 27, 2011
    fb1664868775
    Ford's last masterpiece. A truly epic story of the end of the old west, Stewart and Wayne put in masterful performances.
  • axadntpron
    July 19, 2011
    axadntpron
    I initially wasn't too enthused about the idea of sitting down with this film. While I certainly admire John Ford, I had grown accustomed to the more coarse view of human nature on display in the spaghetti westerns of Leone, Corbucci, and Petroni. However, I was in for quite a pl... read moreeasant surprise with this film.
    The film centers on the life of Rance Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart) and his return to the Western town where he came of age. In a series of flashbacks, we follow the exploits of Stoddard and his brush with the town's hero Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), and the town menace Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Yet, while this seems to have all the makings of a classic good vs. evil confrontation, Ford plays around with the idea of justice.
    As if representing two adverse parts of the brain, Wayne and Stewart are ardent about fighting their own fights in their own ways. For Wayne, justice can be achieved with old-school heroism, a little gunpowder, and a dash of wit. For Stewart, the law of the land is sufficient and he is intent on reshaping the town's attitudes in such a way. Both men mock the avenues taken by their counterpart and blindly follow what they know to be true. They are two opposing forces, both immensely powerful in their own right. However, influence eventually leaks in on both sides and both men seem to come to at least some sort of understanding regarding the importance of their separate ways.
    This sense of duality is strongly diffused throughout the picture and Ford highlights this visually by his expert use of shadows. In most shots, the characters shadows are projected on the wall behind them as if to showcase the dual nature that lurks in the hearts of these men. Yet, rather than casting judgement, it seems as though Ford wants to illuminate and understand these two opposing ways of life, and to lament the passing of western way.
    Being one of Ford's last films, the viewer gets a sense that he knew the rule of the Western was coming to an end. Although Wayne is just in his own way, his character seems to know that the times are changing. No longer does having the fastest draw bring virtue and success and Wayne's character goes through a heartbreaking acceptance that Stewart's generation is taking over. In one shot in particular, Ford has Stewart's character standing in front of an old stage coach covered in dust and cobwebs. It is an homage to the old west that is both understanding and mournful.
    While Clint Eastwood's "The Unforgiven" has long be touted as the definitive eulogy of the western, I would argue that Ford's film is a much more fitting tribute to such a wonderful genre of film.
  • dwt5411
    February 20, 2011
    dwt5411
    The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance asks the question: can the moralist Jimmy Stewart civilize the west, or will it uncivilize him? Stewart, John Wayne, and Lee Marvin come together under the guidance of master John Ford in a film that appears to adhere to respective Hollywood pers... read moreona's only to shatter them later on. Who ever expected to see Stewart pick up a six shooter and duel or Wayne shoot a man square in the back? Nobody.
  • garyX
    January 29, 2011
    garyX
    An ageing senator returns to a frontier town for the funeral of an old friend and reminisces over his life as a young man. Considered one of John Ford's best and a classic of the genre, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the closest Ford came to making a Frank Capra movie. It ch... read morearts the transition of the west from law of the gun to law and order, as an idealistic young lawyer comes to town in the shape of a typically fantastic James Stewart and finds his courage and knowledge are useless in the face of the violence he encounters. Up steps John Wayne as a pragmatic gunman, and as was the case with many of John Ford's films, there was a perfect John Wayne shaped hole in the script that enabled him to shine. Add enjoyable turns from Lee Marvin as the total shit-heel of the title and Edmond O'Brien as a sozzled newspaper man and you have one the the great tales of the old west. It's a shame it gets a bit wordy and heavy handed at the end, but it's still essential viewing for true cinephiles.
  • ythelastman89
    July 7, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Easily one of the greatest movies ever made and a true Hollywood classic. John Wayne and John Ford always make flawless movies together, this is no exception. However, this falls into the extra special category in the same reign as The Searchers or Stagecoach; it signifies everyt... read morehing the western genre aspires to be. I feel that this particular movie dealt with the idea of a legend so perfectly that no western has really tried since, except for Assassination of Jesse James nearly fifty years later. It has it all, beautiful cinematography, direction and acting from two megastars. John Wayne and James Stewart really have some great chemistry together and really play well off of their very different styles. This is a movie that everyone should see, it's a true gem.
  • DrZeek
    June 3, 2010
    DrZeek
    Liberty Valance: You lookin' for trouble, Doniphon?
    Tom Doniphon: You aim to help me find some?

    A solid western that puts a number of great stars and western icons together. The film is well made, well acted, and has the right kind of elements that emphasize why these actors ar... read moree all well regarded.

    Senator Ranse Stoddard, played by Jimmy Stewart, returns to the city of Shinbone in the Wild West, to go to the funeral of his friend, Tom Doniphon. To a journalist, who's wondering what the senator is doing in Shinbone, he tells how his career started as "the man who shot Liberty Valance". As a lawyer he came to Shinbone to bring law and order to the west by means of law books. When the stagecoach is held up by outlaws, he is savagely beaten by Liberty Valance, played by Lee Marvin. He survives the attack and is nursed by his future wife, Hallie, played by Vera Miles. Hallie is being wooed by a local rancher, Tom Doniphon, played by John Wayne, who also starts to help Ranse with his principled grude against Valance. Ranse teaches the people of Shinbone to read and write, all the while trying to find a way of bringing Valance to justice.

    I really liked the fact that this film shows me exactly what I find entertaining about each of the three male leads. Stewart is a nice guy, but principled and doing what he believes is right. Wayne embodies the cool cowboy swagger. Marvin is just bad ass throughout, even if he is a pretty big dick in this movie.

    Certainly helping is the layout of this story. Flashbacks are handled appropriately and John Ford's direction further shows off the talent of a man who has directed a huge number of films.

    Solid flick all around.

    Link Appleyard: Did you know Liberty Valance is in town tonight?
    Dutton Peabody: I'd be a poor newspaperman indeed if I didn't know what everybody knows!
  • FilmFanatik
    January 23, 2010
    FilmFanatik
    Another fantastic John Ford picture.
  • danperry17
    December 12, 2009
    danperry17
    Another legendary work from John Ford, this one tells the tale of the arrival of the rule of law in the Old ("Wild") West. I subtract a few points for being slow and stagey in the early going, but this film is no less than a truly American classic. For the Western lover in all of... read more us, we have the Duke as well as a brutish Lee Marvin, and for the "rest of us", a stunning performance by Jimmy Stewart that is as good as any in his career. Great story, at once heartwarming and heartbreaking, and featuring one of the best final lines in film history, this is unquestionably one for the "don't die without seeing" file.
  • blacksheepboy
    November 7, 2009
    blacksheepboy
    I'm not a big fan of black-and-white westerns, but I really enjoyed this film, specially because of Stewart's awesome performance, as well as Wayne's solid acting, and the well-written story with this nice twist.
  • pier007
    May 9, 2009
    pier007
    Exceptional elegy.
    A poignant and romantic story about the meaning of honor, and the thin line that separates legends from facts.

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Critic Reviews

Dave Kehr
April 24, 2009
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

A great film, rich in thought and feeling, composed in rhythms that vary from the elegiac to the spontaneous. Full Review

Ryan Cracknell
December 9, 2010
Ryan Cracknell, Movie Views

The best film about bullying ever made. Full Review

Kevin Carr
January 9, 2010
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures

The movie does not offer a clean-cut look at morality and heroes, who emerge from a reluctant position, but it does draw a definitive line between good and evil. Full Review

Ryan Cracknell
May 18, 2009
Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide

As relevant today as it was when it was released in 1962, John Ford's classic Western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the best film about bullying ever made. It's also right up there among my favo... Full Review

John J. Puccio
May 17, 2009
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

...an appropriate tribute to the passing of the Old West, and a fitting salute to the films of screen legend John Ford. Full Review

Steve Crum
January 10, 2009
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Superb John Ford--a western classic--with strong Wayne, Stewart, Marvin in tow.

Michael E. Grost
August 8, 2008
Michael E. Grost, Classic Film and Television

Remarkable John Ford Western. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
December 25, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

In one of his last (good) Westerns, John Ford draws even more explicitly the contrast between charismatic and legal authority, between the Wilderness of the West (John Wayne) and the values of the Civ... Full Review

Phil Villarreal
March 3, 2006
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star

In their final Western together, Wayne and Ford gave the past a resounding send-off. Full Review

Willie Waffle
May 26, 2005
Willie Waffle, WaffleMovies.com

My favorite movie of all time

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Facts

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    • Liberty Valance: Alright dude, this time right between the eyes!
    • 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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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Trivia

  • In which movie did John Wayne keep calling Jimmy Stewart "pilgrim"?  Answer »
  • Who played in "You cant take it with you", "Pot of Gold" and "the man who shot liberty valance"?  Answer »
  • In what movie was the first time John Wayne ever called anyone "Pilgrim"?  Answer »
  • 'When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.' -- 1962 (Hint: This is the only movie in which John Wayne uses the word "pilgrim" to refer to a tenderfoot.)  Answer »
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