They would make one more film together, the lighthearted comedyDonovans Reef (1963), and call it quits. Fortunately James Stewart, one of Waynes closest friends, was the other star of the picture, and he afforded Wayne some moments of light relief. Shinbone is the only Western town I've seen in a movie with no prostitutes. Doniphan, while still doing dishwashing work, hangs up his shingle at a local newspaper, and begins teach people to read, and about their country. He would suddenly come across as a selfish coward because he was late to the scene, certainly a shocking resolution for any John Wayne character. Does this make sense? At the convention, Stoddard and an ally (a local newspaper and town drunk played by Golden Globe Winner Edmond OBrien) are elected, but Valance threatens to kill him. 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. > did Tom Macdonald was born on November 22, 1900 and on! The main conflict in the film, then, is not that between the gunslinger Tom Doniphon and the outlaw Liberty Valance; the real conflict is that between "the Old West" (Doniphon and Valance) and the forces of "progress" (Stoddard). That and the fact that few present day people in Shinbone seem to remember Tom Doniphon suggests that after the Valance shooting, Tom Doniphon went into a seculsion, probably just stayed at his little ranch and lived like a hermit. After being one of Hollywoods pre-eminent directors for more than three decades, Fords career was coming to an end. I really enjoyed it but felt somewhat cheated by the 'twist' ending. But his is the old form of Western prowess; its Stewart who represents the territorys future. So Ford had to go back to his favorite son to get this picture made, and he didnt like it at all and neither did Wayne. I was praying that it wouldn't be revealed later that Tom (John Wayne) assisted him. "At the heart of the Western", argues John Lenihan, was always But he hasnt. Ford's westerns represent one of the most significant achievements in the history of American art. Now Stoddard accepts Valances challenge (ignoring Doniphons advice to leave town) to shoot it out with him. He quickly makes an enemy out of local bully and killer Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin, The Dirty Dozen), who tries to force him to leave town. 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. 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. Four Earn 2023 Harvard Medals for Distinguished Service to the University, As Gay Ascends to Presidency, 61 Percent of Surveyed Faculty Say Theyre Satisfied With Her Election, Harvard School of Public Health Launches Mindfulness Center Through $25M Gift, Ex-Harvard Chemist Charles Lieber Spared Additional Prison Time, Will Serve 6 Months House Arrest, Hundreds of Harvard Affiliates Sign Open Letter for Increased Access to Mental Well-Being Support at HKS. The story focuses on Ransome Stoddard (Jimmy Stewart), an American senator arriving at the town of Shinbone with his wife, Hailey (Vera Miles), to attend the funeral of Tom Doniphon (Wayne). He asks if she wants to move back to the town when they retire, which makes her delighted as she states her heart belongs there. There seemed to be a realization. He is Tom's farmhand and seems to be his only confidant, a protective presence; he always has Tom's back. Watching the film, we see that Ransom Stoddard is indeed the story true hero and protagonist, and at times, almost a Christ-like figure. Either way,Doniphon destroys of himself in favor of Stoddards elevation, and America is built on a lie. Thus buoyed, Stoddard rushes off to become the heroic figure that will dominate the politics of the territory, and then state, for decades to come. Adam Graham is a follower of Christ and currently a political Independent. The character of Tom Doniphon was supposed to be a younger man, and the filmmaker relentlessly mocked and teased Wayne during filming. 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. No problem: It became a hit anyway. 1. And he holds the center stage in a film, with his quiet dignity and powerful, charismatic presence, where everybody else, including Stewart, is giving highly exaggerated, even cartoonish performances. Subscribe to our email newsletter. Now with his conscious clear, Stoddard returns to the convention, accepts the nomination, and is elected to the Washington delegation. But when Valance goes for a momento from a widows late husband. With that one line of dialogue, John Ford pretty much dismantles the entire mythology of the American west that he had created over a course of 40 years. 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. He even takes on the duty of helping out with waiting tables. Predictions for the 95th Annual AcademyAwards. 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. Stoddard decides that he cannot be entrusted with public service after killing a man in a gunfight and he decides to withdraw. John Wayne would never play this character for anybody else, expect for his pappy Ford. Liberty Valance, his masterpiece, is one of the greatest films of all time. It also seems that Doniphans decision to put Stoddard in as delegate and then offer him a wagon out of town when Valance threatens him is motivated by his desire to keep Hallie to himself. Ransom: Thats why I painted it. On the page, Tom Doniphon was more of a mentor to Ranse Stoddard, easing him along the road from frontier lawyer to state senator. There's a lot in the film if we care to notice. Where Tom sees Liberty Valance as a source of personal conflict, a potential menace to his own well-being, Stoddard can only see Valance as the embodiment of a social evil that must be wiped out through new laws and social reform. The nave myths and legends (or untruths) that Ford had propagated about the civilizing of the West (and the building of the American nation), through the 70 odd films he made in his lifetime are all overturned by him in this film. Tom Doniphon: My boy, Pompey; kitchen door. Has anyone else felt this way upon viewing The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? Doniphan, while still doing dishwashing work, hangs. Good history is necessary because bad history exists. Tom is highly respected by his peers, because of the laid-back cut of his jib, and because he may be the only man willing to stand up to the violent outlaw Liberty Valance. 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). 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. True Grit: How The 2010 Movie Compares To The Book & John Wayne Version, The Barbarian And The Geisha Had John Wayne Literally Fighting His Director. Here, Doniphon is a horse trader while the bad guy Valance is a stagecoach robber; within the framework of the film, both are from the same world and are pretty much allies; both are trapped in obsolescent careers, neither seems willing to adapt; they represent the best and worst of that old-world. Collin Brendemuehl: Fake history is worthy of exploration if to correct bad history. So why then does he shoot Liberty Valance? And Doniphon returns home and burns down the room he was building for the day he and Hallie would marry. Without Ransom Stoddards courage and convictions, there is no movie. 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. John Gotti's ability to avoid the long arm of the law earned him the nickname the Teflon Don. You helped to make it," we cannot help feeling a deep regret that it had to happen that way. By killing Liberty Valance, facilitating Stoddard's rise to political prominence and the progressive modernization of the West, Doniphon destroys himself. Ford had pestered Wayne to take up the role, because without him there would be no film. Hallie nurses Stoddard back to health; he pays her back by teaching her how to read. When a meeting is held to vote on statehood, Pompey sits outside on the porch. 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. 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. But still he admires Stoddard immensely. Ransom Stoddard believes in the U. S. Constitution, the rule by law, the trust in government. It turns out an unseen Doniphon shot Valance with a rifle from across the street and he later came to regret saving Stoddard as he lost Hallie to the lawyer, but he pushes him to pursue a career in politics to make Hallie proud. Padraig has been writing about film online since 2012, when a friend asked if he'd like to contribute the occasional review or feature to their site. Legend is that Ford wanted younger actors for his film, and didnt want to use John Wayne. 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. And as they swarm around the senator for details, Stoddard starts recalling the events leading up to that day and, the film cuts to a flashback. One of John Fords most effective later films, told flashback fashion as the senator and his wife arrive unannounced in Shinbone to pay tribute to an old friend who has passed. Tom Doniphon and Ransom Stoddard are the two key characters in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, directed by John Ford and filmed in 1962. However, when Valance savagely beats the elderly newspaper editor, Stoddard walks down to confront Valance, still wearing the apron from his dishwashing job, a servants garment. The film was a direct influence on Leones own end of the west westernOnce upon a time in the West. You put that thing up, youll have to defend it with a gun. (One stylistic touch: In this film, he habitually calls Stoddard "Pilgrim," which expresses an insight into the lawyer's character.). The film ends with the defeat of American cavalry and the pathetic death of Col. Thursday (Henry Fonda). The character of Tom Doniphon was supposed to be a younger man, and the filmmaker relentlessly mocked and teased Wayne during filming. 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. [sic Arkansas] For two years police of two states have been unable to solve five slaying at the state-line city. But the films of John Ford make no attempt to take us into the past; they are about the past. 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. This would make him a tragic figure, even if he lived the rest of his days honorably under the 'law and order' creed. So the resulting fame for Stoddard was hugely unfair, right? When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.. 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. In response to TIME making Greta Thunberg their 2019 Person of the Year, Shane Vander Hart nominates Baby Yoda and Conan the war hero dog instead. Out of either James Stewart or John Wayne, who was The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and how does this alter the ending? He and two sidekicks (played by Lee Van Cleef and Strother Martin) wreck the newspaper office and badly beat Peabody. His own conscience clear, Stoddard goes back into the hall and accepts the nomination; Doniphon goes home alone. Rarely do we find the influence of other directors in Fords movies. Liberty Valance cannot abide anyone standing up to him, and the shingle is an affront. Now obviously this revelation makes the frame story of Old Senator Stoddard work better. Virginia Mayo and Joel McCrea meet a tragic end in this 1949 Western directed by Raoul Walsh and based on his 1941 film, "High Sierra." In a few characters and a gripping story, Ford dramatizes the debate about guns that still continues in many Western states. Throughout the movie there is a clear message; wilderness V. civilization. Andy Devine .. Linc Appleyard He's super modern too, so his favorite movies include Jaws, Die Hard, The Thing, Ghostbusters and Batman. But the plans of statehood for the territory upset the cattle barons, who recruit Liberty Valance to sabotage the delegation. But, it was in direct opposition to the Western code. Pompey had thrown Tom a rifle and at the exact moment of Valance's fourth and potentially-fatal shot, Doniphon killed Valance from a side angle, without anyone knowing at the moment of the blast. 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. His magnificent Western landscapes are always there, but as environment, not travelogue. In fact, they find themselves up for election as territorial delegates to work toward that goal. 43 of 48 found this interesting | Share this Also, the rumination on the differences between truth and fact was at the heart of Kurosawas classic. Marvin enjoyed playing the larger-than-life Liberty Valance, which he did to the hilt, opposite iconic costars like Wayne and Stewart. All three spend much of their time hanging out in the restaurant kitchen. The corpse is being held in a plain pine box, and when he views it Stoddard is angered to see the boots have been stolen. When Stoddard found the town marshal was a coward, he began to take an old gun out and practice. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend. 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. Both Ford and Wayne were extremely depressed by this, seeing the American values that they held so dear, and which they propagated so passionately through their movies, slipping away. 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 police tried to pull him over in Lake View Terrace in San Fernando Valley after he was speeding at 110 mph. Why does Doniphon hesitate? To Ford, Stoddard represents blind progress. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance paired James Stewart and John Wayne but here's who killed the title villain, and the final twist explained. Doniphan takes it for granted that Hallie will be his wife and resents it when she stars having feelings for Stoddard. That he does this by mixing in history, humorous supporting characters and a poignant romance is typical; his films were complete and self-contained in a way that approaches perfection. The Man who shot liberty valance Tom Doniphon, the outlaw hero, shot Liberty Valance To protect Hallie and Ransom Stoddard because he knew that Ransom is the right future for his town and Hallie, even though Ransom views contradict with Toms views and wishes. Usually, when John Wayne fans count the number of films in which Wayne had died, they always miss out Liberty Valance, because he dies off-screen; but that only makes the character more insignificant; as opposed tofilms he died on screen, likeRide the whirlwind, The AlamoorTheCowboys, where Wayne always got a heroic death: he dies saving somebody else, or he dies for a greater cause. Wayne was Americas favorite cowboy, while Stewart, having graduated from the school of Frank Capra, withMr. Smith Goes to WashingtonandIts a wonderful lifeisits favorite idealist. Related: True Grit: How The 2010 Movie Compares To The Book & John Wayne Version. John Wayne Tom Doniphon In a final act of self-negation, he tells Stoddard the truth, absolving him of the act of killing (to which Stoddard had remained steadfastly opposed throughout his ordeal in the West), and taking the sin on himself to suffer alone. Its much more explicit in Sergeant Rutledge, which transposes the incident involving rape and murder in medieval Japan to the American frontier west. They soon learn that their father gambled away the family ranch, leading to his own murder. In fact, hes severely whipped by Valance after a stage holdup. Ken Murray Doc Willoughby 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. Wayne always plays characters who take charge of the situation, the guy who takes the fight to the opposition and, the contrast between him and the bad guy is always well defined. 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. Or perhaps, Doniphan didnt care about everyone else, but for whatever reason, Doniphan avoided the conflict. Because he did so in violation of the Western Code, he becomes an alcoholic, burning down his house and losing the woman he loves. Stoddard becomes disgusted and leaves, but Doniphon stops him and reveals that it was he who actually shot Liberty Valance. First from the subjective perspective of Stoddard, and then an objective version, depicting the fact; that it was Doniphon who killed Valance, and not Stoddard. Supposedly he likes Stoddard and doesnt want to see him killed, but what prevents him from announcing his presence before hand, or even after? There was lot of tension between Ford and Wayne during shooting. His composition is classical. When Stoddard arrived in town by stagecoach, he was a fresh young lawyer with some romantic notions about bringing law & order to the west. Now it's a garden. In this film, it is related to the killing of Liberty Valance, which is shown from two different perspectives. 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. Scan this QR code to download the app now. In a series of videos entitled, I had planned to leave this topic alone for awhile, but I. But he is a sort of reluctant hero, who minds his own business, and is roused into action only if his path crosses with the outlaws. The body of Tom Doniphon is at rest in a plain, wooden casket. There are here to attend the funeral of a man named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne). The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is Ford's deeply personal farewell to a period in American history he loved, a folklore he helped create. There is a purity to the John Ford style. His friend & Ranch hand Pompey (Woody Strode)saves him from the fire, but is unable to save the house. in Liberty Valance, he just slowly fades away from screen. 25 Years ago, Shinbone was held in a grip of terror by the sadistic Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who committed many murders and enjoyed torturing his victims using a leather bullwhip. John Carradine Maj. Cassius Starbuckle I dont trust ambiguity. Wayne became surly and aggressive during the shoot and he started taking out his anger on everybody else on the set, except Ford. Doniphon and Liberty Valance are two sides of the same coin, so when Tom shoots him - he's symbolically killing himself, his future with Hallie, and destroying the way of life in which he can thrive (and creating a legend out of Stoddard that helps usher in Democracy). 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 first time we see it, James Stewart is bullied and wounded but miraculously shoots Valance, who seems to have woefully underestimated him. The screenplay by James Warner Bellah and Willis Goldbeck contains one of the best-known lines of dialogue in any Ford movie, spoken to Stoddard years later by the town's new newspaper editor: "This is the West, sir. While many people have imagined Stoddard as naively unaware that the law wouldnt be sufficient to deal with Liberty Valance, Stoddard was no fool. Your comment may take some time to appear. John Ford is regarded as one of the great American filmmakers and has many classics to his name, including Stagecoach, The Quiet Man and The Searchers. Fatal Attraction Works As Entertainment, Fails as Social Commentary, Prime Videos Citadel Traps Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden in Played-Out Spy Game, New York Philharmonic and Steven Spielberg Celebrate the Music of John Williams, A Piece of His Fire: Harry Belafonte (1927-2023). Personality chivalrous, calm, and tough as all hell. Wayne is seen by many as the hero because he realized the only way you could deal with someone like Liberty Valance was through force and he did the deed that had to be done. 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. From the time Ford first teamed up with Wayne inStagecoachin 1939, Waynes towering persona was Fords chief instrument in conceiving and propagating the myths about the old west. His chief victim was Woody Strode, with whom he very nearly came to blows. Stoddard's first instinct is to demand the arrest of Liberty Valance; Doniphon tells him that law books mean nothing out West, that if Stoddard wants to take Valance, he'd better start carrying a hand-gun. After a brutal assault by Valance, Stoddard is saved by Doniphon and nursed back to health by Hallie, who form a romantic connection. When Doniphan and Valance prepare to have a shootout over who will pick up the food, Stoddard intervenes, humbles himself, and picks up the food. Hes mocked by Valance who trips him, causing him to spill Doniphans meal. Tom Doniphon and his handyman, Pompey, find Ranse and take him to Shinbone, where Tom's girlfriend, Hallie, treats his wounds. John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles and Lee Marvin star in this compelling story of secrets, lies, fame, fortune and redemption.. What about Tom Doniphan? And Miles is also effective as the young woman eager to learn under Stewarts tutelage and hoping that his vision of a West where law and order prevail comes to be. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Ford reveals Stoddard as incapable of adjusting to the life of the West: when Tom brings Hallie a "cactus rose," Stoddard, having seen real roses, cannot appreciate the beauty of the desert flower. He strides around as the quickest gun on the side of right, calling Stoddard pilgrim, standing up to Valance when the need arises. Everyone similarly assumes he and Hallie will get married, but he never asks her. Stoddard was the only man in town who would stand up to Valance and if Valance wasnt stopped, hed continued to destroy and hurt people. Its not just a matter of printing the legend: it really makes no difference. As Stoddard revives, weak and in a daze, he feels he has something he must do: he wants to arrest Valance and his men. Doniphon finally does kill does kill Valance. Stoddard, on the other hand, is of another breed; the movement West, triggered by Greeley, came after the settlers in the wagon trains, and brought with it well-established Eastern customs. Either way, the film ends with the question of whether Doniphons nature is individualistic or cowardly (or whether theres really any difference between the two) deemed irrelevant. Ford bitterly laments the intrusion of reality on his legend. When Stoddard nominate Doniphan for delegate, he refuses the post which would bring him into conflict with Valance. Seeing how his act of heroism has won Hattie for Stoddard, he becomes disgusted with himself, burning his home, the symbol of his hopes for the future as well as his isolation from the community, to the ground. The tall, confident Woody Strode appeared in five Ford pictures, all the way from "Stagecoach" to Ford's final film, "7 Women" (1966). [Valance looks and sees Pompey at the door holding a rifle] Floyd: I'll get it, Liberty! Tom Doniphon is a local farmer, who observes, "Liberty Valance's the toughest man south of the Picketwire--next to me." Denver Pyle Amos Carruthers He had married Hallie in the interim, and now, they have come to pay their final respects to The real Man who shot Liberty Valance. Cattlemen do not. /a > Oar. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. Stewart turns in another winning performance. The entire film has been Stoddard struggling to remain devoted to law and order, while Tom berates and humiliates him for it. 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. UPDATE: Whoa, looks like I am two days ahead of an official discussion of this film, my apologies. There is no formally enforced law and order; Doniphon says, "Out here a man settles his own problems.". Earlier, we have seen Doniphon training Stoddard in the use of guns, but findingStoddard not up to the task, Doniphon had humiliated him. Change). Design a site like this with WordPress.com, Follow MANK'S MOVIE MUSINGS on WordPress.com. Ford is not interested in reality but in subjective viewpoint, not fact but romance and legend. Ford would make one more Western (without Wayne),Cheyenne Autumn (1964),the penultimate movie of his career which told the story of the Old-west from the perspective of the Native Americans. 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. Asked by the Shinbone Star editor why an important Senator should return to a small town to bury an unknown man, Stoddard tells his story; a long flashback begins. The year is 1910. However, when Stoddard decides to face Valance, she sends Doniphans servant Pompey to let him know because she scared of what will happen to Stoddard. Waynes idea of himself always involved action and movement. This makes Doniphon a very passive character with respect to Valance, which explains why a direct confrontation never takes place between them, though at many points in the film, they come close. Because he had murdered Valance, rather than shooting him in self-defence, Doniphon had to conceal his role, lest he be prosecuted. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved. Ford's view of women is interesting. 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. Was Hollywood, at that time, incapable of leaving us a more complicated, conflicted ending? Stoddard goes into the street to face Valance. 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. Once in the town of Shinbone, he finds allies in the form of tough Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) and his fiance, Hallie (Vera Miles). One that almost seemed forced upon the story. Carleton Young Maxwell Scott, Edmond OBrien as Dutton Peabody, the man who lets Stoddard set up a law office and school in his newspaper building in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Woody Strode as Pompey, backing up Tom Doniphon as Hallie (Vera Miles) looks on in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), Tom Doniphon: Liberty Valance is the toughest man south of picket wire. Did Hallie love Tom Doniphon? Stoddard and Hallie then sit in silence as the politician reflects on the life he built on a myth and John Wayne's Doniphon sacrificing his own happiness for him and Hallie. Setting aside the question of why Stoddard thinks its morally acceptable to base his career on a lie, but not on the real killing (hed rather have people think he killed Valance than actually do it), rewatching the film this most recent time its Doniphon that fascinates me. Only Pompey and a few others saw him. Valance gives him a choice: Leave town, or face him in a shootout on Main Street. He wouldnt run, he wouldnt hide. As a result, Stoddard gains an unearned reputation as the man who heroically shot Liberty Valance - a reputation that eventually propels him into the US Senate.
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