Shane (1953)

That character referred to in the title is obviously Joey Starrett, played by Brandon de Wilde. Kids in main roles in movies is generally a bad idea and it has only been succesful so little times, yet it has been done ( To Kill a Mockingbird, Jurassic Park, The Sixth Sense, Taxi Driver to name a couple of movies featuring excellent children actors in lead roles ). But unfortunately in Shane this was not the case.Ofcourse, the good points of such a mixed film should be mentioned first. The cinematography is obviously the greatest part in this film. The scenery in Wyoming coupled with the excellent camera angles showing beautiful plains and mountains in the distance result in a breath taking visual experience. This results in many beautiful shots, such as the one with Ryker first appearing under the beautiful scenery. The acting of Alan Ladd as Shane, Van Heflin as Joe Starrett & Jack Palance as Jack Wilson especially was excellent, and seemingly could not have been better. Character development seemingly is also fine in order, with the audience slowly getting a better view on what kind of person Shane is, because that seems to be a bit of a mystery at the start, frequently getting startled by sudden sounds while quickly reaching for his gun. The music is also an excellent addition to what could have been a great film.Unfortunately even though the film succeeds on most primary accounts on what a movie should have, one annoying and irritating or badly acted character can ruin it all, and Brandon de Wilde managed to do just that. His repeated forced phrasing of the word 'Shane' just makes you cringe and regret every time he comes on the screen. The entire movie i was hoping there would be more scenes between Shane and Wilson and less with Shane and the terribly acted kid. Every word out of his mouth just has a terrible delivery and comes across as incredibly forced. Compare his acting to the raw natural acting of the two main kid characters in To Kill a Mockingbird for example. It is just such a gigantic gap in acting quality. Also combine it with the fact that Jean Arthur as Marian Starrett also gives off a pretty weak performance and Elisha Cook Jr. ( While being a great actor ) is simply miscast as i could never take him seriously as the tough guy that isn't scared of anything in the face of danger. While it is a film that has its great moments ( Most of these are ones where Brandon de Wilde is absent ) and has beautiful scenery, it is unfortunately a display of how one character can bring a movie down, which makes my verdict a mixed one.

I liked: Jack Palance, Brandon de Wilde, Alan Laddthe settingsI didn't like: the overuse of musicthe length, 20 mins too longSPOILER ALERT plotting. Why did Chris betray his boss? Why didn't Shane at least tell Joe what was waiting for him (a "stacked deck")? This manoeuvring towards a finale was too obvious to be believable.Shane is absent for great chunks of the movie as the settlers and ranchers battle it out.This was once one of my favourite movies but it hasn't aged well. The callous violence makes it unsuitable for children.

Copyright 27 March 1953 by Paramount. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 23 April 1953. U.K. release: 24 October 1953. Australian release: 25 September 1953. 10,718 feet. 118 minutes. NOTES: Winner of The Picturegoer Seal of Merit. Second to From Here To Eternity in The Film Daily annual poll of American film critics and second to Julius Caesar as the Best American Film of 1953 in the National Board of Review awards. For his performance in the title role of this movie, Alan Ladd won the Photoplay Gold Medal Award for Best Actor of 1953. (Available on an excellent Paramount DVD). COMMENT: What can one say about this perfect western that has not already been said in countless reference books and reviews? The point I was going to make was the effective contrast Stevens presents between God's scenery and man's brutality. And yet this is not a simple God's guys versus the bad guys epic. The good guys are somewhat flawed too and the bad guys through their spokesman, Emile Meyer, offer a quite convincing argument in favor of their violent reaction. Ultimately, of course, they overstep the bounds. But after all that climactic action, perhaps it is the hero (played by stoic Alan Ladd in a perfect bit of casting) that misses out. What does he get for coming to the rescue? What's his reward? Stevens very effectively conveys by purely visual means exactly what the hero expects and what he ultimately receives.

One of my all time favorite westerns. Alan Ladd, Van Heflin, and Jack Palance give fine performances in this classic. Jean Arthur is the wife trying to save her husband and Elisha Cook, Jr., is the heroic but outgunned homesteader. Heflin is the righteous husband who has the courage, but not the fighting skills, to confront his enemies.Palance steals the show as the vicious hired killer. His confrontation with Cook is riveting as he humiliates and then shoots him down in the street mud. Palance's every move is sinister He is so evil that even the dog slinks away from him. Jack meets his end at the hands of Shane in an epic gun battle. Shane challenges, baits him into drawing, and shoots first. His commentary on the dead man is "He was fast." Shane then blasts the rest of that evil family who is about to ambush him. The movie ends as Shane, wounded, rides off into the twilight, and little Brandon de Wilde, who has witnessed the battle, calls after him wistfully to no avail.