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Shane Details

1953

70
from 2910 members

Starring	Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde
Director	George Stevens
Genres	Action/Adventure

Shane

The simple story of a Wyoming range war is elevated to near-mythical status in producer/director George Stevens' Western classic Shane. Alan Ladd plays the title character, a mysterious drifter who rides into a tiny homesteading community and accepts the hospitality of a farming family. Patriarch Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) is impressed by the way Shane handles himself when facing down the hostile minions of land baron Emile Meyer, though he has trouble placing his complete trust in the stranger, as his Marion (Jean Arthur) is attracted to Shane in spite of herself, and his son Joey (Brandon De Wilde) flat-out idolizes Shane. When Meyer is unable to drive off the homesteaders by sheer brute strength, he engages the services of black-clad, wholly evil hired gun Jack Wilson (Jack Palance). The moment that Wilson shows he means business by shooting down hotheaded farmer Frank Torrey (Elisha Cook Jr.) is the film's most memorable scene: after years of becoming accustomed to carefully choreographed movie death scenes, the suddenness with which Torrey's life is snuffed out -- and the force with which he falls to the ground -- are startling. Shane knows that a showdown with Wilson is inevitable; he also knows that, unintentionally, he has become a disruptive element in the Starrett family. The manner in which he handles both these problems segues into the now-legendary Come back, Shane finale. Cinematographer Loyal Griggs imbues this no-frills tale with the outer trappings of an epic, forever framing the action in relation to the unspoiled land surrounding it. A.B. Guthrie Jr.'s screenplay, adapted from the Jack Schaefer novel, avoids the standard good guy/bad guy clichés: both homesteaders and cattlemen are shown as three-dimensional human beings, flaws and all, and even ostensible villain Emile Meyer comes off reasonable and logical when elucidating his dislike of the newcomers who threaten to divest him of his wide open spaces.~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring	Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Heflin, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan
Director	George Stevens
Studio	PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time	DVD: 1 hr 53 mins
Certificate
Collections	100 Wild Westerns, American Film Institute's top 100
Genres	Action/Adventure
Language	DVD: English
Released	Production year: 1953 To Rent: DVD: 06 Oct 2003

Critic's review of Shane
View all critics' reviews (2)
- Archetypal family Western, but much slower and statelier than most, as though to emphasize its own quality, which is evident anyway.
- 32742
- - Halliwell's Film Guide
  - 02 Mar 2006 at 15:43
Most helpful member's review of Shane
View all members' reviews (45)
- - 38
  - 0
  A classic that is a "must-see"
  
  What can I add to such a well-known film.
  
  It is a true western classic......simply done in many ways but extremely effective. It almost ranks ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1036031
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  
  [Highly rated reviewer]
  - roncoach
  - 250 reviews
  - suffolk
  - 02 Sep 2011 at 00:55
Most recent members' reviews of Shane
View all members' reviews (45)
- - 38
  - 0
  A classic that is a "must-see"
  
  What can I add to such a well-known film.
  
  It is a true western classic......simply done in many ways but extremely effective. It almost ranks ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1036031
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - roncoach
  - 250 reviews
  - suffolk
  - 02 Sep 2011 at 00:55
- - 0
  - 0
  Old fashioned western
  
  Typical old fashioned western. some good acting, not bad plot line, but one that is fairly predictable. Nice cinematography.
  
  Report this review
- 1020062
- - a customer
  - Wallasey, England
  - 21 Jul 2011 at 15:47
- - 0
  - 0
  Old fashioned western
  
  Typical old fashioned western. some good acting, not bad plot line, but one that is fairly predictable. Nice cinematography.
  
  Report this review
- 1020061
- - a customer
  - Wallasey, England
  - 21 Jul 2011 at 15:47
View all members' reviews (45)
News and features
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Gran Torino
- 16 Feb 2009
He’s an American classic, but does he still have any gas left in the tank? That’s the subtext in the new Clint Eastwood movie, the first for a while that he’s starring in as well as directing. Clint has been getting respectable in his old age, but not with this film he’s not; it’s intentionally crude and distinctly low-brow… Despite what some US critics seemed to assume, it’s not Oscar bait, but a popcorn movie aimed at the fans. For a while it seems... Read more
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- Shane
  
  The simple story of a Wyoming range war is elevated to near-mythical status in producer/director George Stevens' Western classic Shane. Alan Ladd plays the title character, a mysterious drifter who rides into a tiny homesteading community and accepts the hospitality of a farming family. Patriarch ...