George Stevens' Shane (1953) is the story of a reformed gunslinger who attempts to settle down with a pioneer family but is forced to come out of retirement when a settler/rancher conflict escalates violently. Shane stars Alan Ladd as the title character, a man who finds that despite his best efforts, a tiger doesn't change its stripes. Shane moves in with the Starrett family, Joe, Marian, and Joey, played by Van Heflin, Jean Arthur and Brandon De Wilde respectively. The Starrett's and their friends are being harassed by an old rancher played by Emile Meyer, and his cronies particularly a ruthless gunslinger played by a young Jack Palance.
Shane is the classic, stereotypical Western. But Western films have never relied on originality to sell tickets. So what makes Shane such an iconic Western? What sets it apart from it's fellow cattle? Loyal Griggs' magnificent, Oscar winning cinematography for one, and the surprisingly realistic editing by William Hornbeck and Tom McAdoo for another. Griggs allowed the audience to feel the presence of that omniscient character that resides in all Western films the scenery. Every shot reveals as much of the picturesque landscape as possible, even in close-up shots when a telephoto lens was employed to keep as much scenery as possible in focus. Hornbeck and McAdoo do some of the better editing I've come across in Westerns. The "night" shots are edited smoothly enough so that one is under the vague impression that there is just a freakishly bright moon out in the Old West. I am sure that in 1953, Shane was an astounding film. The fact that it won one Academy Award and was nominated for five others is a good indication. However, 53 years later, Shane is, to say the least, painfully dated. Westerns have no niche in the modern film market and with the lack of special effects and sex, there is really nothing to keep a modern audience's attention. Shane drags for the entire 118 minute run. You know how it's going to end and the cliché ending is not the only thing dating Shane. There's the dialogue. It is excruciating! No matter what the line is, you can't help but cringe and worry about whoever wrote that particular line. Shane's line to Joey, "You go home to your mother and your father and grow up to be strong and straight." Is alarming, and rather offensive, to a modern audience. In fact, some of the wholesome characters themselves are offensive. Joey in particular has not stood the test of time. Any of his lines involving Shane are quite disturbing, particularly his line to his mother, "Mother, I just love Shane." But that is not to say that the entire movie is dated. The final shoot-out deserves its reputation as one of the best shoot-outs ever captured on film, even 53 years later.
Although it may have been a brilliant film at one point, I cannot appreciate Shane. I can respect its costuming and its cinematography, but not the film itself. If I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across Shane, I wouldn't stay on it. Iconic as it may be, there is nothing about Shane that is entertaining. Maybe I just can't grasp the gem beneath the dust, but trust me; it would take a threat of a root canal without pain killers to get me to watch Shane again.
Shane is the classic, stereotypical Western. But Western films have never relied on originality to sell tickets. So what makes Shane such an iconic Western? What sets it apart from it's fellow cattle? Loyal Griggs' magnificent, Oscar winning cinematography for one, and the surprisingly realistic editing by William Hornbeck and Tom McAdoo for another. Griggs allowed the audience to feel the presence of that omniscient character that resides in all Western films the scenery. Every shot reveals as much of the picturesque landscape as possible, even in close-up shots when a telephoto lens was employed to keep as much scenery as possible in focus. Hornbeck and McAdoo do some of the better editing I've come across in Westerns. The "night" shots are edited smoothly enough so that one is under the vague impression that there is just a freakishly bright moon out in the Old West. I am sure that in 1953, Shane was an astounding film. The fact that it won one Academy Award and was nominated for five others is a good indication. However, 53 years later, Shane is, to say the least, painfully dated. Westerns have no niche in the modern film market and with the lack of special effects and sex, there is really nothing to keep a modern audience's attention. Shane drags for the entire 118 minute run. You know how it's going to end and the cliché ending is not the only thing dating Shane. There's the dialogue. It is excruciating! No matter what the line is, you can't help but cringe and worry about whoever wrote that particular line. Shane's line to Joey, "You go home to your mother and your father and grow up to be strong and straight." Is alarming, and rather offensive, to a modern audience. In fact, some of the wholesome characters themselves are offensive. Joey in particular has not stood the test of time. Any of his lines involving Shane are quite disturbing, particularly his line to his mother, "Mother, I just love Shane." But that is not to say that the entire movie is dated. The final shoot-out deserves its reputation as one of the best shoot-outs ever captured on film, even 53 years later.
Although it may have been a brilliant film at one point, I cannot appreciate Shane. I can respect its costuming and its cinematography, but not the film itself. If I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across Shane, I wouldn't stay on it. Iconic as it may be, there is nothing about Shane that is entertaining. Maybe I just can't grasp the gem beneath the dust, but trust me; it would take a threat of a root canal without pain killers to get me to watch Shane again.