A senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.A senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.A senator returns to a Western town for the funeral of an old friend and tells the story of his origins.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 4 wins & 3 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJohn Wayne suggested Lee Marvin for the role of Valance after working with him in The Comancheros (1961).
- GoofsRansom Stoddard, at the school scene, makes a reference to "truck farmer." This phrase refers not to the motorized vehicle, but to the much older use of "truck" meaning barter or commerce.
- Quotes
Ransom Stoddard: [after he tell Scott who really shot Liberty Valance] Well, you know the rest of it. l went to Washington, and we won statehood. l became the first governor.
Maxwell Scott: Three terms as governor, two terms in the Senate, Ambassador to the Court of St James, back again to the Senate, and a man who, with the snap of his fingers, could be the next vice president of the United States.
Ransom Stoddard: [Scott burns his notes] You're not going to use the story, Mr Scott?
Maxwell Scott: No, sir. This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.
- ConnectionsEdited from Tales of Wells Fargo (1957)
- SoundtracksMain Theme
(The Dew Is On the Blossom) (1939) (uncredited)
from Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Music by Alfred Newman
Released in 1962, VALANCE was among the last films directed by John Ford, who was more closely associated with the Western than any other Hollywood director--and in one sense it certainly has the classic "good guy vs. bad guy" plot one expects from from a western classic. But Ford was not a superficial artist, and VALANCE is a remarkably multi-layered film that plays much deeper than you might expect.
Tom Doniphon is all that is right about the west; Liberty Valance is all that is wrong. But both are part and parcel of the same code, a society in which law and order are merely words on the lips of a cowardly marshal, a world where a man either dominates through fear or is dominated by it. It is a world that is coming to an end--and Rance Stoddard is in the vanguard of the new civilization. Both Doniphon and Liberty must fall before Stoddard if the worst of the west is to be tamed.
The cast is superior. James Stewart (Stoddard) and John Wayne (Doniphon) have unexpected chemistry on screen, and Lee Marvin (Valance) is easily one of the most unpleasant black-hats you could ever want to see in a western, vicious to the point of being psychotic. Supporting players Vera Miles, Andy Devine, Edmund O'Brien, and Woody Strode are equally fine. Although the script is occasionally a shade overwrought, it is laced with a very fine irony and sense of loss, and John Ford brings all the various pieces together without beating the viewer to death in the process.
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Čovek koji je ubio Liberti Valansa
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,200,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 3 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1