Beautifully crafted, this quintessential tale of the old west features magnificent cinematography from Loyal Griggs. Against the unbelievably dramatic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, peaceful homesteaders try to withstand the efforts of the local rancher to drive them off what he considers to be his land. Into the tale rides Shane (Alan Ladd). Befriending homesteader Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) and his family, he becomes involved in the conflict.
We are never told that Shane is a gunfighter, but we and the Starretts know this instinctively. Shane finds something he might never have known before; a sense of belonging, a familial love for the Starrett family. Not just Joe but Joey (Brandon De Wilde) his son, and Marian (Jean Arthur) his wife. It's the unspoken love between Shane and Marian that gives the film much of it's emotional power. Although unspoken, Joe becomes aware of it and accepts it, knowing that his wife and Shane are above suspicion. Joey is aware of it too, eventually speaking of it in the films final scenes.
Seen largely through Joey's young eyes, this is a mythic tale portraying a time when good and evil were easy to recognise. Jack Wilson (played by Jack Palance) enters the story as a force for evil. Dressed largely in black, the contrast between Wilson and Shane, in his buckskins, is stark.
Alan Ladd was simply never better, finding particular nuance in the expression of his unspoken love for Marian. Van Heflin also gives probably his finest performance as the solid, upstanding Starrett, accepting that someone else might be better able to take care of his family than he is. Jack Palance is extraordinarily menacing in a role with few lines, using his physicality to great effect. Jean Arthur as Marian is the heart of the piece, her love for Joe, Joey, and Shane holding the story together, and the silent affection she holds for the titular character beautifully conveyed by expression.
Full of iconic scenes, George Stevens creates something special. Shane riding towards the Starrett homestead framed between antlers; Shane and Joe working together on a tree stump and forging a bond of friendship; a bar brawl to end all bar brawls; Shane shooting a rock for Joey and the violence of the gunshot; the first shocking killing; a funeral played out in a harsh landscape against the beautiful mountains; the distress of horses and farm animals conveying the violence of a fist fight; and then the finale. And then we have Joey and Shane, creating possibly the most iconic scene of all.
This is undoubtedly one of the greatest westerns ever made. For this viewer, it also one of the best movies to grace our screens. It is simply a wonderful piece of work from all concerned.
We are never told that Shane is a gunfighter, but we and the Starretts know this instinctively. Shane finds something he might never have known before; a sense of belonging, a familial love for the Starrett family. Not just Joe but Joey (Brandon De Wilde) his son, and Marian (Jean Arthur) his wife. It's the unspoken love between Shane and Marian that gives the film much of it's emotional power. Although unspoken, Joe becomes aware of it and accepts it, knowing that his wife and Shane are above suspicion. Joey is aware of it too, eventually speaking of it in the films final scenes.
Seen largely through Joey's young eyes, this is a mythic tale portraying a time when good and evil were easy to recognise. Jack Wilson (played by Jack Palance) enters the story as a force for evil. Dressed largely in black, the contrast between Wilson and Shane, in his buckskins, is stark.
Alan Ladd was simply never better, finding particular nuance in the expression of his unspoken love for Marian. Van Heflin also gives probably his finest performance as the solid, upstanding Starrett, accepting that someone else might be better able to take care of his family than he is. Jack Palance is extraordinarily menacing in a role with few lines, using his physicality to great effect. Jean Arthur as Marian is the heart of the piece, her love for Joe, Joey, and Shane holding the story together, and the silent affection she holds for the titular character beautifully conveyed by expression.
Full of iconic scenes, George Stevens creates something special. Shane riding towards the Starrett homestead framed between antlers; Shane and Joe working together on a tree stump and forging a bond of friendship; a bar brawl to end all bar brawls; Shane shooting a rock for Joey and the violence of the gunshot; the first shocking killing; a funeral played out in a harsh landscape against the beautiful mountains; the distress of horses and farm animals conveying the violence of a fist fight; and then the finale. And then we have Joey and Shane, creating possibly the most iconic scene of all.
This is undoubtedly one of the greatest westerns ever made. For this viewer, it also one of the best movies to grace our screens. It is simply a wonderful piece of work from all concerned.