← Back to Reviews
in
Shane (George Stevens, 1953)
I think that Shane still has it. Although it's been longer than I've been married since I've actually watched the film in its entirety, I've now indoctrinated Brenda and Sarah. Even so, I was able to quote many lines verbatim, but what do you want? I've seen it at least a dozen times.
I feel like giving Shane a higher rating because it covers so much more ground than the average western ever even attempts. Shane is mostly seen from the viewpoint of the youngest person in the film, Joey (a terrific Brandon de Wilde; go ahead now and stick him in the Bakers Dozen Thread as an annoying kid 
). However, there are other perspectives, and one of my favorites is the perspective of the Grand Teton Mountains. I've been to the Tetons three times, and it's a massively impressive sight to behold, both in real life and in Shane.
Shane is one of those films which seems to exist in some alternative universe. It seems to be a fairy tale, complete with Good Vs. Evil, so it's almost as if Joey is experiencing his bedtime stories, but the other characters in his family, his mom (Jean Arthur) and his dad (Van Heflin), are also experiencing either a fairy tale or a prayer answered. Shane (Alan Ladd) seems to be the only person who can deal with the dark, evil curse covering the Snake River Valley. Many of the visuals are wonderful, but it is also the fact that some scenes are obviously shot on sets with fake Tetons in the background and the dark filters seem to go overboard. Even so, for any visual flaws which the film occasionally exhibits, the sound design is spotless. Shane is one film where you really hear the loud parts, whether they are fist fights or gunshots. Director George Stevens utilizes his sound as masterfully as Hitchcock.
The supporting cast of Shane is truly exemplary, whether it be Jack Palance's "Angel of Death", Wilson, or Elisha Cook's little man with a big ego, Stonewall. Add in such great character actors as Edgar Buchanan, Ben Johnson, Ellen Corby, and Emile Meyer (the priest in Paths of Glory), and what is going on with the characters is just as interesting as the visual backdrop and the fairy tale aspect of the film. Everyone should experience Shane. Yes, it's a western, but even for those who don't like westerns, it's a coming of age story and perhaps one of the earliest "revisionist" westerns ever. After all, when Shane rides off at the end (by the way, he's NOT slumping), it's difficult not to believe that the end of an era has arrived.
I think that Shane still has it. Although it's been longer than I've been married since I've actually watched the film in its entirety, I've now indoctrinated Brenda and Sarah. Even so, I was able to quote many lines verbatim, but what do you want? I've seen it at least a dozen times.
I feel like giving Shane a higher rating because it covers so much more ground than the average western ever even attempts. Shane is mostly seen from the viewpoint of the youngest person in the film, Joey (a terrific Brandon de Wilde; go ahead now and stick him in the Bakers Dozen Thread as an annoying kid ). However, there are other perspectives, and one of my favorites is the perspective of the Grand Teton Mountains. I've been to the Tetons three times, and it's a massively impressive sight to behold, both in real life and in Shane.Shane is one of those films which seems to exist in some alternative universe. It seems to be a fairy tale, complete with Good Vs. Evil, so it's almost as if Joey is experiencing his bedtime stories, but the other characters in his family, his mom (Jean Arthur) and his dad (Van Heflin), are also experiencing either a fairy tale or a prayer answered. Shane (Alan Ladd) seems to be the only person who can deal with the dark, evil curse covering the Snake River Valley. Many of the visuals are wonderful, but it is also the fact that some scenes are obviously shot on sets with fake Tetons in the background and the dark filters seem to go overboard. Even so, for any visual flaws which the film occasionally exhibits, the sound design is spotless. Shane is one film where you really hear the loud parts, whether they are fist fights or gunshots. Director George Stevens utilizes his sound as masterfully as Hitchcock.
The supporting cast of Shane is truly exemplary, whether it be Jack Palance's "Angel of Death", Wilson, or Elisha Cook's little man with a big ego, Stonewall. Add in such great character actors as Edgar Buchanan, Ben Johnson, Ellen Corby, and Emile Meyer (the priest in Paths of Glory), and what is going on with the characters is just as interesting as the visual backdrop and the fairy tale aspect of the film. Everyone should experience Shane. Yes, it's a western, but even for those who don't like westerns, it's a coming of age story and perhaps one of the earliest "revisionist" westerns ever. After all, when Shane rides off at the end (by the way, he's NOT slumping), it's difficult not to believe that the end of an era has arrived.