In Sue Matheson’s article The West-Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne’s Westerns, the author discusses the characteristics and ethics that exist in John Wayne’s Western films. She says that “in noir films, the world is ultimately corrupt and corrupting. Thus, decent, normally law-abiding citizens tend to find themselves enmeshed in situations that require them to become criminals” (Matheson 896). This could not be any truer of director John Ford’s film, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. In the film, we have the two alpha cowboys, Liberty Valance and Tom Doniphon. Liberty Valance is one who is feared by all of the citizens of Shinbone, and Tom Doniphon is the one man who stands up to him time and again. However, he does so in a way that would make him just as much a criminal as Valance. This is because, according to Matheson, “both men settle their problems in the same fashion. In Shinbone, the individual does not enforce the law; he is the law” (Matheson 896). Despite their similarities in this regard, they are different in many other ways. Valance is a character who deserves to be feared by the citizens of Shinbone because “’he’s a no good gun-packing murdering thief’”(Matheson 896). He walks around the town without showing a hint of emotion when he causes a disruption; in fact, if anything, he seems to enjoy the trouble he causes others. Doniphon, on the other hand, does not possess all of the negative characteristics that we see in Valance. Though Matheson believes Tom “is callous, remorseless, and manipulative,” I have to disagree with this statement (Matheson 896-897). He shows that he is a decent character when he allows Ransom Stoddard, an attorney general who is nothing like the two alpha cowboys in the film, to be with Hallie, the woman Doniphon is in love with. Also, even though Doniphon kills Liberty Valance at the end of the film, he lets the people of Shinbone believe Ransom did it so Ransom can bring order to the West instead of living in an uncivilized community. That is Ransom’s main concern when he first arrives in Shinbone. When Tom advises him to carry around a handgun if he wants to deal with Liberty Valance, he can’t bring himself to do it. Throughout the majority of the film he protests and disagrees with the way the Westerners live in fear of another man. However, by the end of the film, he realizes he “has to settle his problem with Valance like ‘a man.’ In doing do, like Valance, he places himself outside the law” (Matheson 896). Despite these statements, it is obvious that Doniphon and Ransom Stoddard are good characters and act in good faith. When Liberty Valance is shot and people believe it was Stoddard who shot him, he brings a new perspective on the law and sets out to change the corrupt Western law he first encountered. By nearly breaking the law he believes in, ironically, he brings law to Shinbone.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
The Western and the West
In the article “The West- Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism and Ethics in John Wayne’s Westerns,” Sue Matheson describes the three main characters of John Ford’s Academy Award winning film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Matheson makes many strong points about the traits exemplified by Liberty Valence, Tom Doniphon and Ransom Stoddard however she is often too specific and narrow-minded with her guidelines on how a Western film should be.
Matheson, talking about Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) describes him as a “disabled psychopath” who is “manipulative, callous, remorseless, parasitic, and a pathological liar with poor behavioral controls.” (Matheson, 892) This description of this reckless outlaw fits perfectly which is shown while beating Ransom Stoddard he yells “I’ll teach you law – Western Law.” (Matheson 895) However, later in the article, Matheson is overly critical of Valence’s outfit calling his black hat and embroidered vest “unrealistically static.” (Matheson 895) Here, I believe Matheson is reading too much into the outfit that Valence is wearing rather than the level of his acting in the film.
Rance Stoddard, who believes in the law above all else, is thrown into a situation that he never wanted to happen. When Valence challenges him to a duel he knows he must abide by the laws of the West as opposed to the actual law. Stoddard unlike Doniphon “cannot live with the fact that he cold-bloodedly murdered another human being.” (Matheson 896) Matheson’s description of Stoddard is a perfect portrayal of the law abiding citizen. While Stoddard and Matheson believe that “there is really very little difference between Doniphon and Liberty Valence,” I disagree. Just because the men are both rugged alpha male cowboys does not make them the same character. I believe that Doniphon deep down is a good man, as shown by the fact that he would save Rance’s life so that Hallie could be with Ransom.
Matheson, talking about Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) describes him as a “disabled psychopath” who is “manipulative, callous, remorseless, parasitic, and a pathological liar with poor behavioral controls.” (Matheson, 892) This description of this reckless outlaw fits perfectly which is shown while beating Ransom Stoddard he yells “I’ll teach you law – Western Law.” (Matheson 895) However, later in the article, Matheson is overly critical of Valence’s outfit calling his black hat and embroidered vest “unrealistically static.” (Matheson 895) Here, I believe Matheson is reading too much into the outfit that Valence is wearing rather than the level of his acting in the film.
Rance Stoddard, who believes in the law above all else, is thrown into a situation that he never wanted to happen. When Valence challenges him to a duel he knows he must abide by the laws of the West as opposed to the actual law. Stoddard unlike Doniphon “cannot live with the fact that he cold-bloodedly murdered another human being.” (Matheson 896) Matheson’s description of Stoddard is a perfect portrayal of the law abiding citizen. While Stoddard and Matheson believe that “there is really very little difference between Doniphon and Liberty Valence,” I disagree. Just because the men are both rugged alpha male cowboys does not make them the same character. I believe that Doniphon deep down is a good man, as shown by the fact that he would save Rance’s life so that Hallie could be with Ransom.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Every cowboy is molded by its surroundings. In a world where everyone is against everyone, and it just takes a gunshot to create or settle any argument – with no interrupting higher forces – then it makes sense for the cowboy to become who he is. “In the West, might is right” (Matheson 895). There is no true concept of law. Nobody really cares for law, either. In the towns, there might be the occasional sheriff or marshal – but as we see in the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, when it’s time for the marshal to fight crime, he cowards out screaming “ride him out? Liberty Valance… me!?” and does nothing about it. Ultimately, Liberty Valance can do whatever he wants with very little limitations. Then you wonder why the guy is so reckless after all.
The cowboys have to work themselves in a land “peopled with sociopaths” (Matheson 891). You have to carry a handgun to get people to listen to you. Otherwise you’ll be made a fool of, which is what happened to Rance Stoddard when he tries to use the power of law in the Western scenario.
If this is the case, then you either join in the disaster or you’ll be in very bottom of the food chain of this corrupt community.
Matheson makes many true inferences of the ‘cowboy mold’. You see all the cowboy characteristics play off throughout the movie: individualistic, remorseless, and fearless. They settle their own problems. In the film, the cowboys, both villain and hero, are contrasted with a regular man from a more civilized community, attorney Rance Stoddard. He tries to blend into this lawless district, thinking that his old ways would work out in this new environment. To a certain extent, his ways seem to work, and people seem to like his ideas, and the idea of reading and writing, and the power of voting – but not the cowboy. Even John Wayne’s clean-cut character bullies and mocks his ways of books and words.
After a while of living in the Western environment, Stoddard ends up adapting some cowboy characteristics himself: he starts to practice shooting in the desert and ultimately confronts Liberty Valance in a gun-packing showdown in the most typical of Western scenarios: right in front of the saloon.
The cowboys have to work themselves in a land “peopled with sociopaths” (Matheson 891). You have to carry a handgun to get people to listen to you. Otherwise you’ll be made a fool of, which is what happened to Rance Stoddard when he tries to use the power of law in the Western scenario.
If this is the case, then you either join in the disaster or you’ll be in very bottom of the food chain of this corrupt community.
Matheson makes many true inferences of the ‘cowboy mold’. You see all the cowboy characteristics play off throughout the movie: individualistic, remorseless, and fearless. They settle their own problems. In the film, the cowboys, both villain and hero, are contrasted with a regular man from a more civilized community, attorney Rance Stoddard. He tries to blend into this lawless district, thinking that his old ways would work out in this new environment. To a certain extent, his ways seem to work, and people seem to like his ideas, and the idea of reading and writing, and the power of voting – but not the cowboy. Even John Wayne’s clean-cut character bullies and mocks his ways of books and words.
After a while of living in the Western environment, Stoddard ends up adapting some cowboy characteristics himself: he starts to practice shooting in the desert and ultimately confronts Liberty Valance in a gun-packing showdown in the most typical of Western scenarios: right in front of the saloon.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Sue Matheson, in her article titled “The West-Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne’s Westerns” attempts to describe and explain many of the characters and actions that viewers witness while watching John Wayne movies. Matheson describes these movies and the western genre in general when she writes that westerns are, “collisions of civilization and the frontier, the ordering of a chaotic wilderness in which a romantic figure, the lone rider, achieves epic stature by accomplishing superhuman deeds and saving ‘civilized’ settlers” (889). Nowhere is this assessment truer than in the John Wayne film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. This film, starring John Wayne as cowboy Tom Doniphon, Lee Marvin as outlaw Liberty Valance, and James Stewart as greenhorn lawyer Ransom Stoddard, exemplifies much of what Matheson talks about in her article, but there are also some points that may be a little off target when she applies them to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
In her article, Matheson makes many claims that I agree with. For instance, Matheson writes, “One can usually determine how aberrant characters are by their layers of grime-the dirtier their faces, the darker their hearts” (892). I believe that this is true in the film, as Tom Doniphoin’s and Ransom Stoddard’s faces always seem clean and shaven while Liberty Valance and his gang look grimy and dirty throughout the movie. This simple judge of cleanliness is a great way to determine who is “good” and who is, well, not so “good”.
Another point that Matheson makes which particularly applies to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the point about the law and corruption. In the film, Ransom Stoddard comes to Shinbone expecting to become a lawyer and to solve everyone’s legal issues “by the book” and in a civilized manner. However, the gun is the law in shinbone, not the book. Ransom tries to put Liberty in jail, but eventually resigns to solving his problems with a gun just like Tom Doniphon. As Matheson writes, “thus, decent, normal, law-abiding citizens tend to find themselves enmeshed in situations that require them to become criminals” (896). Ransom had no choice but to use his weapon, just like any other cowboy, to enforce frontier law.
The one main point of disagreement that I have with Matheson regarding her article in relation to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the statement that, “characters who appear to be civilized men may in fact actually be savages” (895). I believe that in the film the men who appeared savage were savages and the men who appeared decent were in fact decent men. From my perspective, Tom Doniphan and Ransom Stoddard seemed decent men. One could argue that taking matters into their own hands and using weapons to solve their problems is savage, but I believe that this is just western law. However, there was no reason for Liberty Valance to savagely beat Mr. Peabody to death and then ransack his newspaper office. Liberty Valance seemed like a savage to me throughout the entire film, from the moment he robbed and beat Ransom. I just do not see where Matheson bases this argument as the viewer can judge characters in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance fairly well from the beginning.
In her article, Matheson makes many claims that I agree with. For instance, Matheson writes, “One can usually determine how aberrant characters are by their layers of grime-the dirtier their faces, the darker their hearts” (892). I believe that this is true in the film, as Tom Doniphoin’s and Ransom Stoddard’s faces always seem clean and shaven while Liberty Valance and his gang look grimy and dirty throughout the movie. This simple judge of cleanliness is a great way to determine who is “good” and who is, well, not so “good”.
Another point that Matheson makes which particularly applies to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the point about the law and corruption. In the film, Ransom Stoddard comes to Shinbone expecting to become a lawyer and to solve everyone’s legal issues “by the book” and in a civilized manner. However, the gun is the law in shinbone, not the book. Ransom tries to put Liberty in jail, but eventually resigns to solving his problems with a gun just like Tom Doniphon. As Matheson writes, “thus, decent, normal, law-abiding citizens tend to find themselves enmeshed in situations that require them to become criminals” (896). Ransom had no choice but to use his weapon, just like any other cowboy, to enforce frontier law.
The one main point of disagreement that I have with Matheson regarding her article in relation to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the statement that, “characters who appear to be civilized men may in fact actually be savages” (895). I believe that in the film the men who appeared savage were savages and the men who appeared decent were in fact decent men. From my perspective, Tom Doniphan and Ransom Stoddard seemed decent men. One could argue that taking matters into their own hands and using weapons to solve their problems is savage, but I believe that this is just western law. However, there was no reason for Liberty Valance to savagely beat Mr. Peabody to death and then ransack his newspaper office. Liberty Valance seemed like a savage to me throughout the entire film, from the moment he robbed and beat Ransom. I just do not see where Matheson bases this argument as the viewer can judge characters in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance fairly well from the beginning.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Matheson, in The West-Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne’s Westerns, does a good job of describing the three alpha males from the movie, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. All three are extremely different characters but all have an alpha male complex. She describes Liberty Valance as a “severely disabled psychopath” (Matheson, 892) because of the way he can be a cold blooded killer and go on with life as if nothing happened, which is what he does time and time again. For example when he robs the widow, who most would agree is a horrible target. Rance Stoddard (another alpha male) on the other hand, is portrayed as a more innocent character. When he comes to Shinbone he has little understanding of what it is like to live in a community with no laws. He has to learn that “In Shinbone, the individual does not enforce the law; he is the law” (Matheson, 896). His innocence and kindness relates directly to a quote from earlier in Matheson’s article “the dirtier their faces, the darker their hearts” (Matheson, 892). Stoddard is the cleanest man I have seen in a western yet with his cleanly shaven face and suit and tie every day. This means he has must have a good heart too which he exemplifies throughout the movie. Continuing with this quote, Tom Doniphon, the final alpha male in the movie, is much less clean. He wears the animal skin and although he always has a cleanly shaven face, he is definitely a more rugged character than Stoddard, in turn giving him a “darker heart”. Doniphon tries to help Stoddard live in the west by telling him to always hold a gun and that problems will not be solved by written law, only by the gun. Matheson describes Doniphon, “who is even tougher than Valance” (Matheson, 896). Doniphon is in control and knows what he has to do to survive and presses this opinion on Stoddard so he too will survive. Doniphon can kill a man without a problem but does not have the same attitude towards it as Liberty Valance.
I do agree with the larger portion of Matheson’s article, but her description of Doniphon and his similarities to Liberty Valance I do not find to be completely accurate. Matheson says, “Like Valance, Doniphon is callous, remorseless, and manipulative” (Matheson, 897). Although Doniphon may be these things when it comes to killing another man, I do not think he lives his life entirely without a care and without remorse. His feelings towards Hallie are a direct representation of care for another person, and what he does, in terms of letting her be with Stoddard instead of himself just goes to show that he does care. She explains the reasons for why he kills Valance and the underlying reason is because he cares about Hallie and her well being. Matheson also explains the way Doniphon pushes Stoddard to be a better man because Hallie needs a good man. He may not have an ounce of remorse after killing Valance, but he is not a completely unremorseful, careless person.
I do agree with the larger portion of Matheson’s article, but her description of Doniphon and his similarities to Liberty Valance I do not find to be completely accurate. Matheson says, “Like Valance, Doniphon is callous, remorseless, and manipulative” (Matheson, 897). Although Doniphon may be these things when it comes to killing another man, I do not think he lives his life entirely without a care and without remorse. His feelings towards Hallie are a direct representation of care for another person, and what he does, in terms of letting her be with Stoddard instead of himself just goes to show that he does care. She explains the reasons for why he kills Valance and the underlying reason is because he cares about Hallie and her well being. Matheson also explains the way Doniphon pushes Stoddard to be a better man because Hallie needs a good man. He may not have an ounce of remorse after killing Valance, but he is not a completely unremorseful, careless person.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
In her article “The West-Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne’s Westerns”, Sue Matheson almost accurately depicts the characters of Tom Doniphon, Liberty Valance and Rance Stoddard. Within the first few scenes of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, the audience learns the personalities of these characters by observing their actions and appearances. Tom Doniphon is portrayed at the clean-shaven “good guy.” Contrastingly, Liberty Valance, lacking variance in his personal development, also never changes his wardrobe. His bestial personality is concealed under his animal skin clothing and is portrayed through his barbaric swagger, “he simply does not walk like a human being; the outlaw lumbers about like an ape” (895). After witnessing his beating from Valance, the audience becomes aware that Stoddard, without the help of Doniphon, would have never survived in the violent place known as the American frontier. He is portrayed as a more feminine character; dressing in an apron and washing dishes, the audience knows not to confuse him with the two alpha cowboys. Matheson characterizes Stoddard as a greenhorn, “a rather naïve and gullible idealist” who “expects the West to be a place where ‘civilized’ values are respected” (896). Unlike the inhabitants of Shinbone, Stoddard believes the law should be carried out fully and that guns are shot by enemies and should not be used to settle confrontations. In the end he transforms this belief into defending himself with a weapon; therefore, placing “himself outside the law” (896). Stoddard slightly drifts away from his civilized norms when he shoots at Valance.
I disagree with Matheson as she explains the incredible similarities between Tom Doniphon and Liberty Valance. Matheson says that they both are the law, their own moral centers, anti-social, manipulative, callous, and remorseless. While all of these attributes may be correct, it is their motives and lifestyles that make them very two different people. Doniphon accomplishes his deeds with goodness in mind. Although he may fight with a gun and be able to live with cold-blooded murder on his conscience, Tom did these things out of the goodness for others. He loved Hallie to the point that he murdered Valance so Stoddard would have the chance to live to marry her. “Doniphon destroys his personal happiness by acting in good faith” (897). Unlike Valance, Doniphon is extremely selfless; he stands in the shadows as Stoddard takes the honor of killing Valance. He is the one responsible for making Shinbone such a thriving town and does not take any of the credit. Matheson categorizes Liberty Valance as a psychopath (892). Although I do not think Doniphon, the heroic alpha cowboy, should be classified in the same category with such a sadistic outlaw; overall Matheson does a good job in capturing the essence of the characters.
I disagree with Matheson as she explains the incredible similarities between Tom Doniphon and Liberty Valance. Matheson says that they both are the law, their own moral centers, anti-social, manipulative, callous, and remorseless. While all of these attributes may be correct, it is their motives and lifestyles that make them very two different people. Doniphon accomplishes his deeds with goodness in mind. Although he may fight with a gun and be able to live with cold-blooded murder on his conscience, Tom did these things out of the goodness for others. He loved Hallie to the point that he murdered Valance so Stoddard would have the chance to live to marry her. “Doniphon destroys his personal happiness by acting in good faith” (897). Unlike Valance, Doniphon is extremely selfless; he stands in the shadows as Stoddard takes the honor of killing Valance. He is the one responsible for making Shinbone such a thriving town and does not take any of the credit. Matheson categorizes Liberty Valance as a psychopath (892). Although I do not think Doniphon, the heroic alpha cowboy, should be classified in the same category with such a sadistic outlaw; overall Matheson does a good job in capturing the essence of the characters.
The Man who shot Liberty Valance
Throughout the movie, “The Man who shot Liberty Valance”; we are introduced to three different men: Tom, Rance and Liberty. Although Matheson describes all of them as the alpha male, you can clearly see extremely significant differences in their personalities and ways of resolving issues. Tom is the cowboy, the man who takes all responsibility, like Matheson said: “… Doniphon is the only character whose words become deeds” (897). Rance is more of the educated type of guy, his attitude was that there were laws to solve people’s issues and people had to obey them. But in a town like Shinbone, this was nearly impossible to happen; you had a terrible man, the most famous outlaw in town, Liberty Valance, preventing this from happening.
As the movie moves along, you can see Rance’s initiative to make out of Shinbone a more cultured town, and just as projects start flowing comes Liberty in a desperate attempt to stop this and challenges Rance to a gunfight; a gunfight Rance cannot refuse. Like Matheson says, “He has to settle his problems like ‘a man’” (896). Doniphon, the slightly altered alpha male cowboy, shows his true personality due to this occurrence. Tom knew that if this gunfight took place, Valance would kill Stoddard. He opens up and shows everybody his feelings when he helps Stoddard in the gunfight and kills Valance, but lets Rance keep all the credit and the girl. Matheson illustrates this show of emotions by stating, “He kills Valance because Hallie wants Stoddard alive. He makes sure that Stoddard runs for office not for the public good, but because Hallie needs a man who can give her ‘something to read and write’” (897).
The set of events in this movie cleary show the fascinating alterations that make a man an alpha male in so many different ways and attitudes, but still make him an alpha male worthy of respect.
As the movie moves along, you can see Rance’s initiative to make out of Shinbone a more cultured town, and just as projects start flowing comes Liberty in a desperate attempt to stop this and challenges Rance to a gunfight; a gunfight Rance cannot refuse. Like Matheson says, “He has to settle his problems like ‘a man’” (896). Doniphon, the slightly altered alpha male cowboy, shows his true personality due to this occurrence. Tom knew that if this gunfight took place, Valance would kill Stoddard. He opens up and shows everybody his feelings when he helps Stoddard in the gunfight and kills Valance, but lets Rance keep all the credit and the girl. Matheson illustrates this show of emotions by stating, “He kills Valance because Hallie wants Stoddard alive. He makes sure that Stoddard runs for office not for the public good, but because Hallie needs a man who can give her ‘something to read and write’” (897).
The set of events in this movie cleary show the fascinating alterations that make a man an alpha male in so many different ways and attitudes, but still make him an alpha male worthy of respect.
Monday, September 28, 2009
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Although Matheson’s article is enlightening on the Western Cowboy during the early 1900’s it has little to apply to “The Man who Shot Liberty Valance” melodrama. The three main characters Liberty Valance, Rance Stoddard and Tom Doniphon all vary significantly from her assessment of the western protagonist and the supporting characters.
Valance, the villain of Shinbone is shown in the beginning of the movie beating Stoddard nearly to death with a whip. He, like most villains does not adhere to the law but rather the “Western Law” as he proclaims where it is his right to be able to terrorize the citizens of Shinbone and those who pass through robbing them of their belongings and possessions. Valance is the one character in this movie that best fits Matheson’s opinion. Unlike Stoddard he is the standard ruthless, outlaw who doesn’t work for anyone but himself living a life of crime and filth.
Stoddard, a city boy at heart is the outlier in Matheson’s article. Serving as the current Senator, he retells the story of Doniphon and Valance through flashback. First arriving to Shinbone in a three-piece suit with his law books in tow to open his own practice he is unpleasantly surprised that the West is not a civilized nation as he thought. The law from the book is not stronger than the law of the gun and the land. After arriving into town, he is brutally attacked by Valance and his gang in attempts to protect an older lady he is traveling with demonstrating his character. In order to avenge this attack, Stoddard attempts to use books to defeat the race of the gunslinger. This is a prime example against Matheson. Matheson notes that “the individual does not enforce the law; he is the law” (896). This means that Stoddard shook take matters into his own hands following Doniphon’s advice- to carry a gun. At first Stoddard refuses this ideology believing that justice is only served through the law; to send Valance to jail for his wrong doings; however, by the end of the movie we see Stoddard begin to form a different idea confirming to Matheson’s assertions. Stoddard realizes that the Western Law (taking matters into his own hands) is the only solution to take care of Valance and bring peace back to Shinbone, therefore, placing himself outside of the law.
Doniphon, although similar in characteristics to Valance remains human at heart. The both exhibit “antisocial and disordered [personalities];” however, the carry themselves in a completely different manner. Matheson states that the cowboy is only responsible for himself; however, Doniphon takes great interest in protecting Hallie, as well as, Stoddard. He was unable to stand there and watch Valance kill Stoddard and becomes proactive by killing Valance in cold blood. He keeps this murder a secret until the final scenes where he saves Stoddard the pain of knowing he murdered someone. Another example of how Doniphon shows emotional attachment to others there is only the acts committed is after Valance’s murder he becomes belligerently drunks and burns down his house in anger after seeing Hallie, the love of his life, with Stoddard.
Valance, the villain of Shinbone is shown in the beginning of the movie beating Stoddard nearly to death with a whip. He, like most villains does not adhere to the law but rather the “Western Law” as he proclaims where it is his right to be able to terrorize the citizens of Shinbone and those who pass through robbing them of their belongings and possessions. Valance is the one character in this movie that best fits Matheson’s opinion. Unlike Stoddard he is the standard ruthless, outlaw who doesn’t work for anyone but himself living a life of crime and filth.
Stoddard, a city boy at heart is the outlier in Matheson’s article. Serving as the current Senator, he retells the story of Doniphon and Valance through flashback. First arriving to Shinbone in a three-piece suit with his law books in tow to open his own practice he is unpleasantly surprised that the West is not a civilized nation as he thought. The law from the book is not stronger than the law of the gun and the land. After arriving into town, he is brutally attacked by Valance and his gang in attempts to protect an older lady he is traveling with demonstrating his character. In order to avenge this attack, Stoddard attempts to use books to defeat the race of the gunslinger. This is a prime example against Matheson. Matheson notes that “the individual does not enforce the law; he is the law” (896). This means that Stoddard shook take matters into his own hands following Doniphon’s advice- to carry a gun. At first Stoddard refuses this ideology believing that justice is only served through the law; to send Valance to jail for his wrong doings; however, by the end of the movie we see Stoddard begin to form a different idea confirming to Matheson’s assertions. Stoddard realizes that the Western Law (taking matters into his own hands) is the only solution to take care of Valance and bring peace back to Shinbone, therefore, placing himself outside of the law.
Doniphon, although similar in characteristics to Valance remains human at heart. The both exhibit “antisocial and disordered [personalities];” however, the carry themselves in a completely different manner. Matheson states that the cowboy is only responsible for himself; however, Doniphon takes great interest in protecting Hallie, as well as, Stoddard. He was unable to stand there and watch Valance kill Stoddard and becomes proactive by killing Valance in cold blood. He keeps this murder a secret until the final scenes where he saves Stoddard the pain of knowing he murdered someone. Another example of how Doniphon shows emotional attachment to others there is only the acts committed is after Valance’s murder he becomes belligerently drunks and burns down his house in anger after seeing Hallie, the love of his life, with Stoddard.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
When one first is able to see all three of the main male characters in The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, their appearances as Matheson points out distinguishes who they are and what they represent throughout the film. When considering first the two alpha cowboys, their appearances are immediately able to let the audience know which of the two is the so called “bad” guy and who the “good” guy is. She proclaims how “In Wayne’s movies, cleanliness and dirt register how normal or abnormal a character’s psychology is” (892). Tom Doniphon who is played by Wayne, always appears in town as being clean. His always looks freshly shaven and his clothes rarely even look dusty. Liberty Vance on the other hand always appears to be covered with greasy grime. His face and clothes are always covered with dirt and look as if he carried and unfavorable odor with him. These appearances alone are able to let the audience know who is considered the good and bad cowboy. Then there is Rance Stoddard who comes to Shinbone dressed a three piece suit that leads him to stick out amongst the residents. The audience is able to sense that Stoddard isn’t from Shinbone. But Stoddard’s look isn’t that of a “look of concealment” that Matheson says often shows up in Wayne’s westerns (895). Stoddard’s dandy look is rather showing that he’s an educated man in an area were education doesn’t exist. There is nothing to conceal in Stoddard for he is out to use his education to try to improve the lives of those in Shinbone rather than to deceive them.
Another interesting observation that Matheson observes about the two alpha cowboys is how little things actually vary between the two men. She tells how “both men settle their problems in the same fashion…exhibit a highly antisocial and disordered personality” and are “callous, remorseless, and manipulative” (896). These qualities in their personalities may exist but they are minor to the overall qualities that define the two. Valance unlike Doniphon lives I life of a criminal. The random acts of theft and violence by Valance amongst innocent people demonstrate his lack of morality. Doniphon on the other hand is not out to shoot and steal. As he tells Stoddard, he better start packing a handgun because the gun is the only thing that can enforce in the west. The gun and the pain and death that it potentially inflicts are the only things that can stop those who use the gun for criminal purposes. Laws will not stop a person like Valance who lives in a community where he is more powerfully than them. The paper even prints how Valance has killed two homesteaders but yet he still is able to walk freely into town because people fear his gun. In his case, the use of the gun is necessary by Stoddard or as it turns out Doniphon to stop Valance. So while Doniphon may appear to be like Valance, Doniphon and later Stoddard actions are driven by Valance’s immoral actions. Stoddard and Doniphon’s actions are justified as they are acting as an enforcer to someone who acts as a criminal. While Valance is out to make trouble, Doniphon is simply keeping things in order because he has the tools to do it against someone like Valance.
Another interesting observation that Matheson observes about the two alpha cowboys is how little things actually vary between the two men. She tells how “both men settle their problems in the same fashion…exhibit a highly antisocial and disordered personality” and are “callous, remorseless, and manipulative” (896). These qualities in their personalities may exist but they are minor to the overall qualities that define the two. Valance unlike Doniphon lives I life of a criminal. The random acts of theft and violence by Valance amongst innocent people demonstrate his lack of morality. Doniphon on the other hand is not out to shoot and steal. As he tells Stoddard, he better start packing a handgun because the gun is the only thing that can enforce in the west. The gun and the pain and death that it potentially inflicts are the only things that can stop those who use the gun for criminal purposes. Laws will not stop a person like Valance who lives in a community where he is more powerfully than them. The paper even prints how Valance has killed two homesteaders but yet he still is able to walk freely into town because people fear his gun. In his case, the use of the gun is necessary by Stoddard or as it turns out Doniphon to stop Valance. So while Doniphon may appear to be like Valance, Doniphon and later Stoddard actions are driven by Valance’s immoral actions. Stoddard and Doniphon’s actions are justified as they are acting as an enforcer to someone who acts as a criminal. While Valance is out to make trouble, Doniphon is simply keeping things in order because he has the tools to do it against someone like Valance.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
All three of the characters in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence do not fit the mold that Matheson creates in her article of the typical alpha male cowboy. The three might have some minute similarities to the male that Matheson descried in the article. The character played by John Wayne does not resemble the article because he has feelings for Hallie. He is in love with her, and never tells her. He is almost afraid to tell her his feelings. A man that is supposed to have no fear and conquer all that he sees does not let his woman find another man. Even during the movie Wayne’s character feels it right to tell Hallie that he will be leaving for a week. If this were the cowboy that Matheson describes, his “fanatic devotion to duty,” (899) would lead “him to ignore his wife [Hallie].”(899) though Wayne’s character could “draw a gun faster than anyone else,” (891) he does not act like “he is the law.”(896) this does not “offer definitions of masculinity,” because being a man means dealing with your emotions. Wayne’s character decides in his drunken rant to burn down part of his house. As it burns, and Wayne’s character is sobers his woman, Hallie, is still with another man. This is not what I believe to be an alpha male.
Rance Stoddard does not resemble the mold of a cowboy, simply because he is not one. He is a city boy, who studied law, and decided to move to the West, a place where the gun does, what lawyers do in the East. On arrival this “normally decent law-abiding citizen,” found himself, “enmeshed in situations that require them to become criminals.”(896) He ends up killing a man, the one thing that he stood against throughout the whole beginning. Ranke feeds into Matheson’s opinion that, “moral individualism and pervasive corruption are closely linked to Wayne’s Westerns.” What Rance lacks is the ruggedness and hardboiled figure that Wayne’s character projects from the very beginning, laying the casket. He is too confined by society’s rules and regulations to resemble the ultimate alpha male.
Valence, the bad cowboy, proves himself to be an outlaw. His sociopathic ways cause everyone in Shinbone to fear and loath him. In many ways he does relate to Wayne’s character but at the same time he shows behaviors that John Wayne’s character would scoff at. He does not as Matheson’s outlaw is said to “lumber about like an ape.”(895) He also doesn’t “appear to be civilized man,” he appears as the savage that he is a cruel ruthless killer. He does resemble the Matheson mold that a man in the West “settles his own problems,” and he “is indeed the sum of his actions.” He does what is needed of himself to survive. Robbing and killing are his ways of living because he knows that he will not be caught for his actions. In my opinion Matheson does not do a good job at describing any of the three characters, their descriptions are similar but not accurate.
Rance Stoddard does not resemble the mold of a cowboy, simply because he is not one. He is a city boy, who studied law, and decided to move to the West, a place where the gun does, what lawyers do in the East. On arrival this “normally decent law-abiding citizen,” found himself, “enmeshed in situations that require them to become criminals.”(896) He ends up killing a man, the one thing that he stood against throughout the whole beginning. Ranke feeds into Matheson’s opinion that, “moral individualism and pervasive corruption are closely linked to Wayne’s Westerns.” What Rance lacks is the ruggedness and hardboiled figure that Wayne’s character projects from the very beginning, laying the casket. He is too confined by society’s rules and regulations to resemble the ultimate alpha male.
Valence, the bad cowboy, proves himself to be an outlaw. His sociopathic ways cause everyone in Shinbone to fear and loath him. In many ways he does relate to Wayne’s character but at the same time he shows behaviors that John Wayne’s character would scoff at. He does not as Matheson’s outlaw is said to “lumber about like an ape.”(895) He also doesn’t “appear to be civilized man,” he appears as the savage that he is a cruel ruthless killer. He does resemble the Matheson mold that a man in the West “settles his own problems,” and he “is indeed the sum of his actions.” He does what is needed of himself to survive. Robbing and killing are his ways of living because he knows that he will not be caught for his actions. In my opinion Matheson does not do a good job at describing any of the three characters, their descriptions are similar but not accurate.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
I would have to agree with the way Matheson describes the two alpha males in this movie Liberty Valance and Tom Doniphon. Liberty is the outlaw of the town. Both of these men believe as Matheson puts it, “In Shinbone, the individual does not enforce the law: he is the law.” Residents do not consider the Marshall an authority figure in this town; they take things into their own hands. Tom tries to make that clear to Ransom when he first enters the town injured that his law skills mean nothing out there in the west. Another interesting aspect of this film is how Tom, the cowboy, is falling for Hallie. Even though he builds the addition to his house for her, in the end, she chooses Ransom over Tom. This plays back to the tension and difficulty “The Cowboy” had with women.
When I first saw Liberty in the bar, I was a little surprised at his attire. Matheson illustrates Liberty’s attire as, “Valance’s screen image is also unrealistically static. Wearing a black hat an elaborately embroidered vest over a long sleeved white shirt and brown trousers, he papers to be a dandy dressed for a part in a drama”(895). This is exactly what I was thinking when I saw him. I felt as his clothes were a little too bold for the time and it looked as if he didn’t belong in the scene. It really made his character stand out and personally made me laugh a few times.
Ransom Stoddard brings a new character to our collection of western figures. Ransom has never experienced the west and does not understand the how society is upheld. When Ransom tries to stand up for the woman in the carriage, Liberty Valance starts to beat Ransom. Valance states, “I’ll teach you the law. Western Law.” Ransom has tough time grabbing the fact that his legal accreditation has no value in the west.
When I first saw Liberty in the bar, I was a little surprised at his attire. Matheson illustrates Liberty’s attire as, “Valance’s screen image is also unrealistically static. Wearing a black hat an elaborately embroidered vest over a long sleeved white shirt and brown trousers, he papers to be a dandy dressed for a part in a drama”(895). This is exactly what I was thinking when I saw him. I felt as his clothes were a little too bold for the time and it looked as if he didn’t belong in the scene. It really made his character stand out and personally made me laugh a few times.
Ransom Stoddard brings a new character to our collection of western figures. Ransom has never experienced the west and does not understand the how society is upheld. When Ransom tries to stand up for the woman in the carriage, Liberty Valance starts to beat Ransom. Valance states, “I’ll teach you the law. Western Law.” Ransom has tough time grabbing the fact that his legal accreditation has no value in the west.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence
The three men in the movie, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, Tom, Liberty, and Rance, do not fit Matheson’s description completely. Her understanding of a Western is very specific and has too many guidelines which do not appear in the movie. For example, she states that John Wayne (Tom) was the “icon of American manhood” (Matheson 888). In the movie, although Wayne’s character appears to be the alpha male in most situations, he does not carry that aura throughout the entire movie. For example, when the trouble with Liberty Valence began, I expected Tom to be the character who kills him because they are supposed to be the two opposite extremes – good cowboy versus bad cowboy. Instead, in the scene of Liberty’s death, you are made to believe that Rance kills Liberty, and even when Tom admits that it was him, the truth remains untold. Secondly, Matheson also states that Wayne is “one of the great defenders of the American nuclear family” (Matheson 888). I do not agree with this statement at all because John Wayne tries to steal away Hallie, Rance’s love, but ultimately does not win her over, which does not seem like the behavior of someone who defends nuclear families, nor like the behavior of a “typical” cowboy who is not supposed to care that much about women.
Another description of John Wayne’s characters which seems incorrect is that his “persona is an antisocial loner who functions in a world peopled with sociopaths” (Matheson 891). Throughout the movie, Tom is constantly surrounded by numerous men, and the houses he enters are never empty. He even travels around with a companion. In fact, he was with Poppie, the black slave, when he tried to kill himself because he had seen Hallie with Rance. Ironically, the alpha male was then saved by the slave. I do, however, admit with Matheson that Wayne’s characters “can be counted on to act in good faith, however grudgingly” (Matheson 899). Wayne shows this characteristic when he shoots Liberty, making it seem like it was Rance. However, this scene is unusual because cowboys are supposed to take the applause for every bad guy they take down.
Matheson also makes a claim, that “in noir films, the world is ultimately corrupt and corrupting. Thus, decent, normally law-abiding citizens tend to find themselves enmeshed in situations that require them to become criminals” (Matheson 896). This fits the description of Rance well. At the start of the movie, he is a very good citizen, almost too nice to be considered a “real” man. However, he soon realizes that in order to be taken seriously, he must take vengeance for Liberty’s attempt to kill the newspaper writer. He then stands up to Liberty with a gun, which is the ultimate sign of manhood.
The third character, Liberty, also does not fit the standard description of a Western villain. Rather than being “the law” (Matheson 896), Liberty shows up to town meetings, tries to win votes, and leaves when he does not get his way. Also, in most westerns, the alpha cowboy and the villain usually fight their battles until the end of the movie, when the villain is finally killed. In “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence,” Liberty is killed significantly early and it is not by the alpha male. His death is not made out to be a very big deal, and the movie focuses on the relationship between Tom and Rance for the rest of the run time.
Another description of John Wayne’s characters which seems incorrect is that his “persona is an antisocial loner who functions in a world peopled with sociopaths” (Matheson 891). Throughout the movie, Tom is constantly surrounded by numerous men, and the houses he enters are never empty. He even travels around with a companion. In fact, he was with Poppie, the black slave, when he tried to kill himself because he had seen Hallie with Rance. Ironically, the alpha male was then saved by the slave. I do, however, admit with Matheson that Wayne’s characters “can be counted on to act in good faith, however grudgingly” (Matheson 899). Wayne shows this characteristic when he shoots Liberty, making it seem like it was Rance. However, this scene is unusual because cowboys are supposed to take the applause for every bad guy they take down.
Matheson also makes a claim, that “in noir films, the world is ultimately corrupt and corrupting. Thus, decent, normally law-abiding citizens tend to find themselves enmeshed in situations that require them to become criminals” (Matheson 896). This fits the description of Rance well. At the start of the movie, he is a very good citizen, almost too nice to be considered a “real” man. However, he soon realizes that in order to be taken seriously, he must take vengeance for Liberty’s attempt to kill the newspaper writer. He then stands up to Liberty with a gun, which is the ultimate sign of manhood.
The third character, Liberty, also does not fit the standard description of a Western villain. Rather than being “the law” (Matheson 896), Liberty shows up to town meetings, tries to win votes, and leaves when he does not get his way. Also, in most westerns, the alpha cowboy and the villain usually fight their battles until the end of the movie, when the villain is finally killed. In “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence,” Liberty is killed significantly early and it is not by the alpha male. His death is not made out to be a very big deal, and the movie focuses on the relationship between Tom and Rance for the rest of the run time.
Matheson Vs. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
In The West-Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne’s Westerns, Matheson discusses moral individualism and pervasive corruption in Wayne’s Western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. I both agree and disagree with different aspects of Matheson’s synopsis on the two alpha cowboys, Doniphon and Valance, as well as Rance Stoddard. Matheson notes a key quote in the movie where Doniphon advices Stoddard to start carrying a gun, which I found interesting. I agreed with Stoddard in the sense that he should not carry a gun, as it would only be a step back from creating a more civilized community. Matheson notes that he has become just like Shinbone’s residents, settling the problem how everyone else in Shinbone would, with violence. Such is a typical custom of the West, which Stoddard recognizes, but I do not believe completely conforms to. Matheson states that Stoddard, “places himself outside the law”, like Valance, which I don’t think to be completely true either. Stoddard simply recognizes that the law he is used to is not the law in the West. Matheson contradicts the last statement in the next paragraph, “In Shinbone, the individual does not enforce the law; he is the law.” If individual action to resolve an issue is the law, how is Stoddard defying the law, and therefore himself by taking action? He is not. He is simply acting as he should in the situation.
Matheson states that both Doniphon and Valance are very much alike, both “callous, remorseless, and manipulative.” While both do posses such characteristics at times, they are very much different. While they are alike in kind (antisocial and disordered personality), they very much differ in degree. Their motives for murder and individualism are much different. Valance acts in such ways out of greed for wealth and power, while Doniphon does not care about either, but only acts in such mannerisms out of love; love for the good of the town and love for Hallie. Doniphon is good at heart while Valance is evil.
Matheson believes that Stoddard and Hallie are acting an bad faith when they do not reveal the reason behind the success of their lives and the town, but I disagree. I believe they did the right thing in keeping it a secret, because their story represents the notion of change for the better in the West: a civilized community. Both Doniphon and Stoddard recognized this and are not living in vain with the secret.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Consider the two alpha cowboys in the film as well as Rance Stoddard in light of Matheson's article. Explain what applies and what doesn't. When you consider the three, do you agree with M's assessment? Explain.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Searchers
The Searchers, directed by John Ford in 1956, is a classic Western film that depicts the brutality of the land that Cowboys were subjected to. In a Western film, the land plays nearly as large of a roll in the film as the cowboys themselves. This landscape helps viewers understand the difficult life of the Cowboy. Millions of Americans began to associate Cowboys, and in particular John Wayne, to masculinity during the 1950’s because of the fact that they were able to brave the rough landscape.
In Jane Tompkins novel West of Everything, she discusses the landscape that we see in many Western movies, with the Searchers being no exception. She writes, “perhaps more than anything, nature gives the hero a sense of himself. For he is competent in this setting.” Here we can see that the Cowboy is at home with the rough and brutal land. Tompkins goes on to say, “the hero’s relationship to the environment is steady, knowledgeable, functional, and pleasure-giving.”(p. 81)
Simply watching any Western movie will confirm these ideas that Tompkins expresses however, The Searchers may be one of the best. As John Wayne attempts to find his only surviving niece, who was captured by Indians, we see the relationship between the rough and tough cowboy and the terrain he roams. These films would not be nearly as effective if the landscape was not portrayed as a character itself.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Searchers
In West of Everything, author Jane Tompkins examines the vital role that the landscape plays in Western cinema and literature. The beginning shots of a Western film provide the audience with an image of the landscape. According to Tompkins, “the desert is the classic Western landscape....It is a tabula rasa on which man can write, as if for the first time, the story he wants to live” (74). This is why the Western film typically opens with a shot of the desert, empty and full of infinite possibilities.
In The Searchers, director John Ford does what is characteristic of Western films and begins with a view of the scenery on which the main character will tell his story. We see a desert landscape framed by the doorway of a house as John Wayne’s character, Ethan, approaches said house on horseback. Shortly into the film, Ethan discovers his family has been massacred and his niece captured by Native Americans, and he sets out on a years-long journey to bring her back and kill those who did this to his family. Throughout Ethan’s journey, the audience can see the relationship between man and nature. Tompkins suggests that “the qualities that nature implicitly possesses─power, endurance, rugged majesty─are the ones that men desire while they live. And so men imitate the land in Westerns; they try to look as much like nature as possible” (72). Ethan is no exception to this. He possesses power and endurance as he searches for his niece, showing no signs of stopping despite the hardships he encounters. He is challenged by the landscape that he traverses, which “is a hard place to be” (71). Tompkins says that “to be a man in the Western is to seem to grow out of the environment, which means to be hard, to be tough, to be unforgiving” (73). Ethan proves to be tough and unforgiving when he kills the Indian tribe that captured his niece and scalps the body of the tribe’s chief, Scar. It is evident in The Searchers that man and nature are closely linked to one another.
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