That was an excellent one.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

To me this is a movie with a wonderful star-studded cast of favorites that I want to love, but just can't stand.Is it just me, or is this the worst cast movie of all time?Of course, it is a John Ford production with his standard crew, but their application in these roles completely destroys the entire movie.Another seemingly minor thing is the makeup. A number of scenes have the players in makeup so they look elderly (like that was needed). But, somehow it just makes the production look like a crappy high school play.I saw this film years ago and remember that I hated it. I saw that it was on the other day and figured I'd give it another try; I love a good western, and was probably too critical the first time around.No, I was right, this movie is appalling.It centers on a young idealist, fresh out of law school, who heads west to practice. That would be someone around 25 years old given the circumstances.The atrocious casting assigns the role to a 54 year-old James Stewart. His nemesis and rival for the hand of the lovely maiden in the story is a local no-nonsense tough-guy rancher. In real life this would probably be a 25 to 30 year-old experienced western man.The god-awful casting gives this role to a rapidly aging 55 year-old John Wayne.So, now we have two men supposedly infatuated with a young woman who would be the age of their grandchildren in real life.Another part is assigned to a ranch hand, also a supposed youth, who in one scene is kicked out of the room because he is "too young to vote."That part is played by 51 year-old O. Z. Whitehead.Again, we have the young and illiterate waitress who is ready to marry - a 16 to 18 year-old in those days.That part is given to 33 year-old Vera Miles. At least she is only one generation older than the part she is playing.So, in the end, this movie had everything going for it: An exciting western adventure full of interesting characters and some good plot twists.Unfortunately it is a great story completely ruined by a cast of geriatric actors.

I haven't bothered to write any reviews in a while, mostly because they've already been well covered, or hardly worth the trouble. How is is possible that people spend so much money to produce such really bad films?I had never seen this film before. I'm not sure why because I like the stars and well-made Westerns. I won't go into the overall story since many others have already done so. This film even with its interesting twists was overall, still another Oater. What helped was all the character actors. Strother Martin has always been a favorite and who didn't like Andy Devine? There were too many to mention.But now to my real motive in writing this review. I've always liked Edmond O'Brien. My favorite, until now was D.O.A. but as Mr. Peabody, the owner, and editor of the local newspaper, he stole the show. Move over Wayne, Stewart, Miles, and Marvin! This drunken newspaperman literally stole every scene he appeared in and I was so captivated that I still marvel today at his range. That was an Edmond O'Brien I never realized existed and never expected to see.This film is worth watching just to see the drunken antics of Mr. Peabody! Do it!

Released in 1962 and directed by John Ford, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" stars Jimmy Stewart as an eastern lawyer who arrives in Shinbone in an unnamed western territory ripe for statehood. The idealistic "tenderfoot" is seriously harassed by a burly outlaw (Lee Marvin) and his followers (Lee Van Cleef & Strother Martin), yet begrudgingly defended by an honorable gunman (John Wayne). Woody Strode plays the gunman's pal while Vera Miles is on hand as the possible love interest of the two protagonists.The first time I saw this movie was circa 1994 and I expected a great Western in light of its reputation and the great cast, but I was immediately let down by the antiquated and stagy tone. Seriously, much older and better Westerns like "Stagecoach" (1939), "Buffalo Bill" (1944) and "Broken Arrow" (1950) seem cutting edge by comparison. Then there's the flat B&W photography, which is inexcusable for a movie released in '62, and the incongruent campy elements that have no place in a supposedly serious Western (where Edmond O'Brien & Andy Devine are most guilty).If you can get past all those negatives, however, it's great seeing Wayne & Stewart together for the first time where the former constantly refers to the latter as "Pilgrim." This, by the way, is the only Wayne film where he uses the term, which is surprising in light of the overdone parodies of him saying it.Also, the story is meaty with mindfood. At its core it's a tale of fascism vs. democracy: the oppression of the strong thug over peaceable honest folk. They all despise Liberty Valance (Marvin), but they're curiously impotent against him and his gang, which actually doesn't reflect the real Old West where, generally speaking, regular citizens were tough, courageous people. A good example is the James-Younger gang, who were shot to ribbons in Northfield, Minnesota, when the townspeople got word that their bank was being robbed. Same thing happened to the Dalton Gang in Coffeyville Kansas. Both of these outlaw gangs were far larger than the 3 gunmen of "Liberty Vanlance." In any case, Doniphon (Wayne) could challenge Valance and does to some degree, but since Stoddard (Stewart) is his rival concerning Hallie's affections it would be counterproductive to go overboard in assisting the man.This is a decidedly political movie as it focuses on the founding of towns, illustrating the myriad operations of government: The important parts a free press and community assemblies play, the deliberations concerning possible statehood and the powerful role of education in civilizing a settlement & purging the lawless breed.The film runs 123 minutes and was shot at Paramount Studios, Hollywood, and Thousand Oaks & Jamestown, California. The script was written by James Warner Bellah & Willis Goldbeck based on a short story by Dorothy M. Johnson.GRADE: C

James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Woody Strode, Jeanette Nolan, John Carradine, Ken Murray "A great film, rich in thought and feeling, composed in rhythms that vary from the elegiac to the spontaneous. This 1962 western flaunts its artificiality, both in its use of studio interiors and in the casting of an aging James Stewart as a young, idealistic lawyer who comes to the frontier. For some, the standardisation is a crippling flaw, but I find it sublime: the film takes place, through elegant flashbacks, in a past that is remembered more than lived; essences are projected over particulars." - Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader Selected by John McNaughton, Richard Combs, José Luis Garci, Jesus Franco, A.O. Scott.