ipl-logo

Film Analysis: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

1088 Words5 Pages

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a Western film directed by John Ford in 1962(The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), starring James Stewart and John Wayne as the lead characters, and Vera Miles who stars as their love interest. The movie opens with Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) and his wife, Hallie Stoddard (Vera) who returns to Shinbone. The citizens of Shinbone are very excited and surprised at this unexpected visit and the editor of the Shinbone Star wants an exclusive story on this unlikely visit. Ransom sits down with the editor and tells him the story of his rise to fame, the story of the man who really shot Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), explaining the true story of how he gained his power and fame. He takes the editor on flashback and explains how Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) played an enormous role in it and he elucidates that Tom is the reason for his return, as he is attending Tom’s funeral. The screenplay for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance was adapted from a short story written by Dorothy M. Johnson (Nixon) in 1953 and it is a coming of age story about the mythological old west altering into a more civilised society, it is the age-old tale of the Eastern influence versus the obstinate West. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is structured as a flashback and the film is shot in black and white to create a sense of …show more content…

In still four, she has a very stern facial expression and has one hand on her hip, which shows that she is upset. The reason for these emotions are that Ranse was late for class and as he stated a teacher should never be late. In still fifteen Hallie’s eyes are teared up and she is touching the side of her face with her one hand which shows despair. Her body language represented her feelings because at that time she was worried about Ranse’s safety and was searching for help from

Show More
Related

  • Eye On The Film: The Bridge To Freedom

    219 Words  | 1 Pages

    In 1987, PBS started airing a fourteen-hour documentary series on the civil rights movement called Eye on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement. The purpose of this series was to inform the public about the civil rights movement from 1954 -1985. In episode six, “The Bridge to Freedom” the series turns it focus onto Selma, Alabama right before the death of Lee Jackson. The documentary which is based on primary sources including both images and interviews of SLCC leaders, SNCC leaders, personal friends of Martin Luther King Jr., supporters of segregation, and television reporters give a broad over view of the events in Selma from a plethora of perspectives.

    Read More

  • Ransom Stoddard's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

    206 Words  | 1 Pages

    When watch this The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and watching the end, would could really think, Ransom Stoddard did shot Liberty Valance. Many stories that we are told when one is young, always stretch the truth, naming a few Columbus not really discovering America, even urban legends. Yes, one could state there a sense of sadness to do the lie (myth), but you also giving the people something to believe in. Yes, we see Tom Doniphon go into a fit of rage, and burn down his house, he lost the girl. He put his goal aside for something bigger.

    Read More

  • Robert F. Kennedy's Assassination Analysis

    326 Words  | 2 Pages

    Robert F. Kennedy developed his argument about Martin Luther 's King 's assassination by giving details about somethings Martin Luther King Jr wanted to do for people. One thing is that he didn 't put Martin Luther King 's real speech, but he did an excellent thing by informing those who didn 't know about Martin 's assassination. For example one of the things he wanted to change was that all black people should have the same rights as all white people. I agree with this because no one should be treated differently everyone should be at a equal place. He had a dream that he would change all this cruelty for the best!

    Read More

  • The Killings Andre Dubus Analysis

    790 Words  | 4 Pages

    Affairs affect people in different ways, but no one could imagine an affair destroying their ability to psychologically function. The “killings” by Andre Dubus is a shocking story about a killer named Richard who murders frank the man having an affair with his wife, who is his pride and joy. Riveted with murder and passion the author revels the characteristics of Richard Strout’s in the “killings” as a psychological obsessive and controlling person; these traits effect his emotions and behaviors throughout the story. Richards’s anger which evolves throughout the story, is what leads to his obsessive and controlling behaviors. The author explains Richards’s background as a young, striving man, who is overcome by failure, and this contributes

    Read More

  • The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Film Analysis

    976 Words  | 4 Pages

    Classic western films dominated the screen in the 1960s, with major productions such as The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) and Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) directed by Sergio Leone, The Magnificent Seven (1960) directed by John Sturges, and what is considered a well-known western produced in this area, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and James Stewart as the main characters. While The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance meets all the criteria to classify it as a classic western, that being set in a culture structured around codes of honor and personal justice and gunslingers in every scene of the movie, the film lacks many characteristics to classify it as a well-rounded film. Set in the late 1800s, a senator by the name of Ransom Stoddard visits this town in the middle of nowhere with his wife to attend the funeral of one of his old friends Tom Doniphan. Many question the reasoning for the appearance of Ransom because not many know who Tom Doniphan was. With the local newspaper harassing him for answers as to who Tom Doniphan was, Ransom gives in and tells the tale through the use of flashbacks.

    Read More

  • Jfk Assassination Analysis

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    At 11:35 A.M. Air Force One landed. Crowds had gathered at the landing site to show support for Kennedy’s re-election. Although this concerned the secret service the first family was unfazed. Mrs. Kennedy was given a dozen red roses and the first family preceded to shake hands and greet the crowd. At 11:35 the Kennedy’s along with Texas governor, John Connally, and his wife began the half hour drive through Dallas.

    Read More

  • The Abolitionists Film Analysis

    804 Words  | 4 Pages

    The film’s omission of the ACS offers a sanitized version of early American abolitionism in which white heroes rescue grateful and downtrodden slaves. When the film gets to the jubilation of emancipation it is from Garrison as his “savior’s” well doing. Later sixty-three people vowed to participate in the antislavery act and spread it around. Shortly after Angelina and Theodore two believers of the same belief got married, where there was a black and white minister first time in history. Angry slave owners set flames that engulfed the building.

    Read More

  • Freedom Riders Film Analysis

    795 Words  | 4 Pages

    The filmmaker Stanley Nelson has a stunning accomplishment in “Freedom Riders,” a documentary that chronicles a crucial, devastating episode of the civil rights movement, an episode whose gruesome visuals impinged on the perception of American liberty around the world. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the freedom rides, the film (to be shown Monday on PBS) is a story of ennobled youth and noxious hatred, of decided courage and inexplicable brutality. In May 1961 the Congress of Racial Equality sought to challenge the segregation of interstate travel on public transport and sent forth activists, both black and white, and many of them students, on a bus journey through the South, where they were received with violence that law enforcers

    Read More

  • Sunset Boulevard Film Analysis

    1617 Words  | 7 Pages

    Mise-en-scéne is crucial to classical Hollywood as it defined an era ‘that in its primary sense and effect, shows us something; it is a means of display. ' (Martin 2014, p.XV). Billy Wilder 's Sunset Boulevard (Wilder 1950) will be analysed and explored with its techniques and styles of mise-en-scéne and how this aspect of filmmaking establishes together as a cohesive whole with the narrative themes as classical Hollywood storytelling. Features of the film 's sense of space and time, setting, motifs, characters, and character goals will be explored and how they affect the characterisation, structure, and three-act organisation.

    Read More

  • Rite Of Passage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a small town, the lives of three children are altered due to a series of events occurring around them. They are exposed to the horrors of the world when a black man is accused of raping a white woman. The father of two of the children previously mentioned is the one representing the accused and he goes through trials and tribulations. The resulting impact of this trial is that one child, in particular, loses his innocence and goes through what is called, the rite of passage.

    Read More

  • A Death Of One's Own Movie Analysis

    642 Words  | 3 Pages

    The documentary, A Death of One’s Own, explores the end of life complexities that many terminal disease patients have to undergo in deciding on dying and dignity. It features three patients, their families, and caregivers debating the issue of physician-assisted suicide or pain relief than may speed up death. One character, Jim Witcher has ALS and knows the kind of death he is facing and wants to control its timing. Kitty Rayl is suffering from terminal cancer and wants to take advantage of her state’s Death with Dignity Act and take medication to terminate her life. Ricky Tackett, on the other hand, has liver failure and together with his family and caregiver agrees on terminal sedation to relieve his delirium and pain.

    Read More

  • The Patriot Movie Analysis

    996 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Patriot Sadness, hope, war and freedom The movie’s name is “The Patriot”. Mel Gibson plays the role of Benjamin Martin who is an American farmer in the 1800th century. Benjamin has the lead role in this movie. There are a lot of characters in the movie such as his son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) and his six other siblings.

    Read More

  • Fruitvale Station Character Analysis

    702 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fruitvale Station is based on a true story that occurred in Oakland, California in 2009. Oscar Grant III was unarmed and lying face down on a subway platform. He was shot by a white Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Officer. This movie is about what we can imagine when we cast our gaze across the longstanding divides in this segregated American society. Oscar Grant was a real 22 - year old man.

    Read More

  • Shot Analysis: Citizen Kane

    1038 Words  | 5 Pages

    Shot Analysis: Citizen Kane Orson Welles, director of “Citizen Kane”, is well known for his unusual directing methods that defied conventional cinematic techniques. Welles provided his audience with original forms of cinematography, narrative structures, and music. The scene I chose to analyze is extremely important to the plot of the film because Kane begins to realize that he is going through some serious financial problems. During the scene, Kane maintains a sarcastic mood, until he finally decides to surrender and signs the papers that transfer the ownership of his media empire to Mr. Thatcher.

    Read More

  • 12 Years A Slave Film Analysis

    1731 Words  | 7 Pages

    In the film 12 Years a Slave the editor, Joe Walker, makes use of a couple of techniques and styles that adds to the film in its own way. Long shots – Joe kept the long shots as long as he thought was necessary to add to the subject matter and the feeling he wanted to bind with the story. At the end of the film there’s this extremely long shot where Solomon is practically staring at the camera for about a minute and a half. The timing of that shot is so perfect because it’s not too short so you don’t have enough time to think about what just happened or too much time to overthink the situation. Closer to the end of the shot he lets the sound fade slowly and rapidly gives you a wakeup call when the next shot starts off where Solomon and the rest of the slaves are busy working in the field.

    Read More

More about Film Analysis: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Open Document