The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Starring:John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Ken Murray, John Carradine, Jeanette Nolan, John Qualen, Willis Bouchey, Carleton Young, Woody Strode, Denver Pyle, Strother Martin, Lee Van Cleef, Robert F. Simon, O.Z. Whitehead, Paul Birch, Joseph Hoover
Director: John Ford
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." That's more than the code of a newspaperman in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; it's practically the operating credo of director John Ford, the most honored of American filmmakers. In this late film from a long career, Ford looks at the civilizing of an Old West town, Shinbone, through the sad memories of settlers looking back. In the town's wide-open youth, two-fisted Westerner John Wayne and tenderfoot newcomer James Stewart clash over a woman (Vera Miles) but ultimately unite against the notorious outlaw Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). Ford's nostalgia for the past is tempered by his stark approach, unusual for the visual poet of Stagecoach and The Searchers. The two heavyweights, Wayne and Stewart, are good together, with Wayne the embodiment of rugged individualism and Stewart the idealistic prophet of the civilization that will eventually tame the Wild West. This may be the saddest Western ever made, closer to an elegy than an action movie, and as cleanly beautiful as its central symbol, the cactus rose. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

the man who shot liberty valance.......2007-06-27

The first time I saw "The Man who shot Liberty Valance" was on TCM.I was amazed at the casting of this fine old western and decided to buy it for my library of old movies. I was not disappointed. John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, along with Lee Marvin made this far better western than most movies were in it's day! It is fun to see all of these actors in their prime, doing what they do best! Thumbs up!!

Best Western Ever!!.......2007-04-23

John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart come together to lead one of the most dynamic casts of characters ever put into a western movie.

Who really shot Liberty Valance?

In a story that speaks to true inner strength and humility, the question is answered after the strangest turn of circumstances sees Jimmy Stewart (Ransom Stoddard) rise from humble (almost cowardly) beginnings to become a very well-respected man of the community. It's only later in life that he learns he's made his name on the actions of John Wayne's character...

I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it, but one thing you learn in this movie is that things are not what they first seem. And that makes the movie WAY ahead of its time!

I am stoked to see it available on DVD.

"When the legend becomes fact, print the legend".......2007-03-16

The combination of John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Lee Marvin along with Vera Miles and a plethora of talented supporting actors from the John Ford stable make this one of the best westerns. Character development is what makes this film so wonderful. The premise is simple: a man builds his entire life on a legend. Told in flashback, Mr. Stewart's character, Ransom Stoddard, sets the story straight regarding the pivotal moment of his life that paved the way for future achievements. Yet, he fails to recognize that his greatest achievement was not in literally doing the things, but in the courage demonstrated in a time of crisis. "Murder, pure and simple; but I can live with it. Hallie wanted you alive. You taught her to read; now go back in there and give her something to read about." And so he does.

John Wayne plays the "noble cowboy" and shy suitor with his usual easy-going charm. Lee Marvin plays the villain, Liberty Valance, with particular passion, serving a worthy stereotype of the sadistic gunslinger. Vera Miles does a nice turn as the romantic interest for Wayne and Stewart's characters. Supporting cast members Woody Strode, Andy Devine, Edmund O'Brien, Strother Martin are all at of the "Old West Central Casting Department." Together, they make the movie entertaining and special on a variety of levels: action-western, romance, lost love, to name but a few.

The DVD quality is quite good. Although some have bemoaned the lack of DVD "extras," for the price, the DVD offers good value. These kinds of movies are rare today and should be appreciated for the pure joy of filmmaking craftsmanship.

John Wayne at his best!.......2007-03-09

This is a CLASSIC John Wayne movie! I strongly encourage any Duke fans to own this movie. He has often been criticized for his lack of acting ability, but this performance holds up very well next to James Stewart. This is truly a multi-faceted character. Red River and The Searchers are often acknowledged as his best. This one needs to be included in that discussion.

It's Pendelton's in a sippy-cup........2007-02-03

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a resonating acheivement in film. That, however, is not a new statement but I unlike others will ground it.
This most complex work, of John Ford's, is a compilation of talents. The quality, though, that holds it highly above the rest is its successful deconstructive nature. The Western's various elements are herein taken apart, examined, and then honed to as realistic a nature as possible. Then, they are put back together as they now are, except. . . except for one thing, now, they don't fit anymore. Do they? The righteous sigil of the law can't bring himself to end another's life (our films today ALWAYS justify the hero's killings with self defence, as if it was so simple as that). The Deus Ex Machina of the film John Wayne feels more like the villain than the hero. But, despite these sudden disparities with what we've seen on the screen before the film carries a successful and fluid narrative . So by that, the film acheives the deconstruction genre in its fullest form. Once the pieces are identified and shaped to perfect points they are amazingly, not just put back together but formed into a cohesive whole. That final step is the cruelest and breaks the majority of would be genre studies. It requires displacement of people, places, emotions, and actions. The man that was one is now two. The idea that was once impure and illogical is now entirely possible because it is now in the realm of the real human mind. The film is so exraordinary because it succeeds where so many others fail. To deconstruct a genre it is not merely enogh to have "The Antihero", darkness, or violence. Deconstruction is a difficult progression of story that requires a great understanding of story elements and their conventional use. It is a testament to this film that it is one of the few successes of its kind.

Now, the ephimeral.

This review is for a dvd not just the movie. The film gets five stars the dvd gets one (zero if I could) and those average to three. Suffice it to say that the lack of features, the packaging, and the John Wayne Collection moniker at the top of the box are all insults to this film. There are no notable features of any kind for a film which should be in a four-disk set to rival that of Gone with the Wind. The packaging is your standard keepcase which, I suppose, is acceptable. Lastly, I have no problem with John Wayne but putting that garrish moniker on this film would be simillar to printing "The Toshiro Mifune Collection" at the top of a Seven Samurai dvd. No, as much as I'd do "anything for the man who shot Liberty Valance" I will continue to rent the old VHS copy my local video store has yet to ruin and replace with some trite trash like "The Dukes of Hazard" Unrated. No thankyou, I'll wait for the film to be released in a five disk set, GwtW + 1.

The John Wayne Western Collection (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance / True Grit / Hondo / McLintock! / Big Jake / The Shootist / Rio Lobo / The Sons of Katie Elder / El Dorado)

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The John Wayne Western Collection (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance / True Grit / Hondo / McLintock! / Big Jake / The Shootist / Rio Lobo / The Sons of Katie Elder / El Dorado)
Starring: John Wayne , James Stewart , John Ford , Vera Miles , and Lee Marvin
Director: John Farrow , Howard Hawks , and Henry Hathaway
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000O179GS
Release Date: 2007-05-22

John Wayne DVD Gift Set (The Shootist/ The Sons of Katie Elder/ True Grit/ El Dorado/ The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance)

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Great Classics
Great Set!!!!
DVD
Speedy Delivery
If you like John Wayne

John Wayne DVD Gift Set (The Shootist/ The Sons of Katie Elder/ True Grit/ El Dorado/ The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance)
Starring: John Wayne , Lauren Bacall , Ron Howard , James Stewart , and Richard Boone
Director: Don Siegel , and Henry Hathaway
Manufacturer: Paramount
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Release Date: 2002-05-14

Description

Legendary producer-director Howard Hawks teams with two equally legendary stars, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, in this classic Western drama. Mitchum plays to perfection an alcoholic but gutsy sheriff who relentlessly battles the dark side of the wild West, ruthless cattle barons and crooked "businessmen." The Duke gives an equally adept performance as the sheriff's old friend who knows his way around a gunfight. Filled with brawling action and humor, El Dorado delivers the goods. James Caan and Ed Asner co-star. Ranking with Stagecoach as one of the greatest of its genre, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the modern-day Western to beat all Westerns. John Ford, whose very name is synonymous with "Westerns," directed the ideal cast. Jimmy Stewart plays the bungling but charming big-city lawyer determined to rid the fair village of Shinbone of its number one nuisance and Bad Man: Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). And as if all that weren't enough, the biggest star that ever aimed a six-shooter plays the Man of the title: John Wayne. Super-sincere Stewart and rugged rancher Wayne also share the same love interest (Vera Miles). One gets the gunman but the other gets the gal. Afflicted with a terminal illness, John Bernard Brooks (John Wayne), the last of the legendary gunfighters, quietly returns to Carson City for medical attention from his old friend Dr. Hostetler (James Stewart). Aware that his days are numbered, the troubled man seeks solace and peace in a boarding house run by a widow (Lauren Bacall) and her son (Ron Howard). However, it is not Brook's fate to die in peace, as he becomes embroiled in one last valiant battle. Katie Elder bore four sons. The day she is buried they all return home to Clearwater, Texas, to pay their last respects. John Wayne is the eldest and toughest son, the gunslinger. Tom (Dean Martin) is good with a deck of cards and good with a gun when he has to be. Matt (Earl Holliman) is the quiet one - nobody ever called him yellow...twice. Bud (Michael Anderson, Jr.) is the youngest. Any hope for respectability lies with him. Directed by Henry Hathaway (True Grit), an acknowledged master of the Western, the story has a dual theme: not only is this a he-man's story, but it is also a drama of the maternal influence of Katie Elder, movingly portrayed from beginning to conclusion. In 1970, John Wayne won an Academy Award. for his larger-than-life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. The cantankerous Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) to find the man who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Cogburn's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disastrous when an inexperienced but enthusiastic Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western which features performances by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin.

Customer Reviews:

Great Classics.......2007-03-31

I bought this as a gift. My brother in law loved it and so did I, since I asked to borrow them so I can see them too!

Great Set!!!!.......2007-03-26

There are many John Wayne box sets out there, this is THE one to have. These are, in my opinion, some of his best movies. This set is a great set for the John Wayne fan. Great picture and sound quality, and really cool extras also.

DVD.......2007-01-25

This was a gift for my son. He seemed realy please about it. I am very satisfied

Speedy Delivery.......2007-01-20

Amazon delivered this Christmas Gift in lightening speed time. I feel confident ordering from Amazon again. I cannot review the movies for obvious reasons but everything looked fine on delivery. Great Web Site!

If you like John Wayne.......2007-01-11

If you like the movies this is an excellent set to buy

The John Wayne Collection (El Dorado, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Shootist, The Sons of Katie Elder, True Grit)

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The John Wayne Collection (El Dorado, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Shootist, The Sons of Katie Elder, True Grit)
Starring: John Wayne , Dean Martin , Martha Hyer , Michael Anderson Jr. , and Earl Holliman
Director: Henry Hathaway , and Howard Hawks
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000O179HM
Release Date: 2007-05-22

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [Region 2]

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Atypical Ford flick
FORDs MYTHOLOGICAL WEST COMES TO AN END
Classic Western, Classic Wayne and Stewart, East Meets West
Right Up There With The Best Of Em...
NOTHING IS TOO GOOD FOR THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE!

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [Region 2]
Starring: John Wayne , James Stewart , Vera Miles , Lee Marvin , and Edmond O'Brien
Director: John Ford
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005UD0O

Customer Reviews:

Atypical Ford flick.......2006-10-04

I agree with my fellow reviewer and Amazon friend, gobirds2, that this is a darker, more pessimistic, and therefore atypical Ford movie. In this film, the wicked prosper as much as the virtuous, and it is much less certain that good will triumph over evil and that law and order will prevail in the end. In fact, it only prevails because Wayne himself resorts to some good, old-fashioned "western style justice," saving Stewart's life and ridding the town of the troublesome and evil Valance. The cast is as stellar as it gets, and I recall one more time Stewart and Wayne worked together. In Wayne's last movie, The Shootist, Wayne visits the doctor, played by Stewart, and finds he has a fatal cancer and only has a short time to live, thus precipitating the exciting finale of that film, when Wayne decides to go for broke against the arrogant younger gunslinger, played by Hugh O'Brien.

FORDs MYTHOLOGICAL WEST COMES TO AN END.......2006-07-12

This is a very good John Ford Western, which is untypical of Ford in many ways. It has a claustrophobic feel about it and it seems unusual that it was shot in black & white (by William Clothier) in 1962. On one hand John Ford was always concerned with Eastern vs. Western values. Most of Ford's Westerns have always been about bringing law and order to the West in which ultimately progress and not guns achieve that dream for society. Ford's vision of that dream is much darker here. In this film Ford creates a darker dream thus not allowing elements of the dream to expand into the legend. Thus, the visual claustrophobic feel bolsters that idea and reality of an aging and wiser filmmaker.

John Wayne quietly underplays his role. James Stewart as the idealistic Eastern lawyer who is robbed on the way West, goes to work in the town of Shinbone as a dishwasher and eventually brings law and order to the West unknowingly through the efforts of Wayne. Lee Marvin as the villainous and evil Liberty Valance is one of Ford's most violent screen incarnations. Edmond O'Brien and Ford veterans Andy Devine, John Carradine and the incomparable Woody Strode are all featured. Set designers Sam Comer and Darrell Silvera did an excellent job on the Shinbone sets, especially O'Brien's newspaper office. John Wayne, Ford's mythological hero, and his performance are for me the cornerstone of this film. As elements of an Eastern based society overtake the untamed West, the old dream comes to a conclusion and with it the mythological hero of that dream must end as well.

Classic Western, Classic Wayne and Stewart, East Meets West.......2006-07-09

Mark Twain often set up a contrast between the West and the supposedly civilized and superior East with stories like "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". In 'Who Shot Liberty Valance' we have that same rivalry represented by a Senator who visits a territory readying for statehood. Here, however, law and order get a more sympathetic reading with Jimmy Stewart's ('Mr. Smith Goes to Washington') perfect performance. In '..Liberty Valance' he is injecting law and the American way to the wayward West, represented by the titled rascal outlaw, played convincingly by Lee Marvin, in what has to be one of his best roles. Similarly, John Wayne has a classic perfomance as the noble cowboy who seems to bridge the gap of decency into both worlds. Then, there is a shared love interest and ironic plot twists that give this film an excellent story. This whole grand film was skillfully assembled by the able hand of director John Ford. Highly recommended for the uninitiated.

Right Up There With The Best Of Em..........2006-05-09

For over 40 years this western has stood the test of time. It's one that I could watch anytime,a great story,with a tremendous cast and a legendary director. I was thrilled to see it on DVD.

Directed by John Ford, it stars, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Lee Marvin and Vera Miles.Stewart plays "Ransom Stoddard", an Eastern type bookish lawyer, who arrives in "Shinbone" naive to the code of the west. After witnessing the terroristic ways of one bad hombre, Liberty Valance(Lee Marvin),and his group of thugs, Ransom plans to rid the town of this menace, but is gonna do it legal like. At the same time, he is in competition for the fairest lady in town, with another good but tough guy...John Wayne.

The story of Liberty Valance's demise is told by Stoddard after returning to town decades later.He is now an esteemed Senator, and has been a legend in his own time for freeing Shinbone from the hold Valance had on it. But what is the real story of what happened that fateful day? The story unfolds captivatingly.

As I said it has a tremendous cast and you can never go wrong with a John Ford Western. But the cast doesn't end with the major stars. Here are some other notables to look for. Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Lee Van Cleef, Ken Murray, John Carradine, Jeanette Nolan, Woody Strode, Denver Pyle and Strother Martin.....WOW!

Westerns are my favorite genre, I probably have more Westerns in my collection then anything else.This one is a more subdued storyline than most shoot em ups, but is one of my personal favorites. I consider it right up there with "Shane" and "High Noon". If you love Westerns, this is a great addition to your collection.

Several editions of both DVD and VHS are out there. Check the buying info on product page. It will give you links to the other editions. Check for best price and availability.

Happy Trails.....Laurie

NOTHING IS TOO GOOD FOR THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE!.......2006-02-03

IN A NUTSHELL: A FILM SO GOOD IT TRANSCENDS GENRE

"NOTHING IS TO GOOD FOR THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE" are about the last words of the film and essentially sum up the paradox that defines the entire film.

WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT: JOHN FORD TELLS A GREAT TALE SET IN THE OLD WEST

The melancholy nocturnal atmosphere of the film says it all -- the glory days of the OLD WEST were over, but many of the participants in the game of life didn't know it yet. Like the dinosaurs, characters such as Liberty Valance and Tom Doniphon were living on borrowed time. Their whole way of life was about to be completely overrun while they and others like them were literally buried alive as the west became more civilized and user-friendly -- to the new users. Settlers from the back east with families brought with them an avalanche of new churches, retail merchants, the railroad, schools, roads and all of the trappings of turn-of-the-century civilized living. This rather rapidly cuased the need for infrastructure, "law and order" and ultimately statehood. On the subject of statehood, the old west took its stand in this film -- and lost!

In taking this stand we have a triangle. Not the love triange between Doniphon, Stoddard and Hallie, but rather the power struggle triangle between Doniphon, Valance and Stoddard. Stoddard [James Stewart] was alone in the fight, but represented the interests of the majority of the people. They were a silent frightened majority who had yet to overpower the small vocal minority that was characterized and embodied in the person of Liberty Valance, [Lee Marvin] and funded by the hidden power of "The Cattlemen".

Basically Doniphon had every personal reason to support the Cattlemen.

-----*- First, his rough and ready macho western lifestyle was just as doomed as their's if Statehood arrived. Like the cattlemen, Doniphon believed that men should fight their own battles, and the hand gun was his and their weapon of choice. If law and order arrived, the great equalizer that was found in the hired gun would be erased by lawman, judges, prisons and executions.

While Doniphon employed no hired guns, he and his top hand, Pompey, could easily stand up to a greater number of hired guns giving Doniphon the luxury of having a rich man's power with only a poor man's wallet.

-----*- Second, Stoddard was increasingly becoming a rival for Doniphon's "girl", Hallie. If Stoddard failed, he [Stoddard] would be dead or heading back east. But most of all away from Hallie, who apparently saw in Stoddard something Tom Doniphon didn't possess, and Doniphon certainly knew it.

WHY DONIPHON SHOULD SUPPORT STODDARD IS WHAT THIS FILM IS ALL ABOUT!

THE CAST - THE CREW - THE MAJOR AWARDS:

----- THE CAST -

John Wayne - Tom Doniphon
James Stewart - Ransom Stoddard
Vera Miles - Hallie Stoddard
Lee Marvin - Liberty Valance
Edmond O'Brien - Dutton Peabody
Andy Devine - Link Appleyard
Ken Murray - Doc Willoughby
John Carradine - Maj. Cassius Starbuckle
Jeanette Nolan - Nora Ericson
John Qualen - Peter Ericson
Woody Strode - Pompey
Denver Pyle - Amos Carruthers
Strother Martin - Floyd
Lee Van Cleef - Reese
O.Z. Whitehead - Ben Carruthers

----- THE KEY CREWMEMBERS -

John Ford - Director / Producer
Willis Goldbeck - Producer / Screenwriter
James Warner Bellah - Screenwriter
Dorothy M. Johnson - Short Story Author

----- THE MAJOR AWARDS - included because I can't believe this film was so completely overlooked!

Best Black and White Costume Design - NOMINATED - Edith Head 1962 Academy

ABOUT THE DVD:

Excellent transfer in widescreen format. Includes a 3 minute original theatrical trailer.

BOTTOM LINE: MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Average customer rating:

John Ford's Last Hurrah
FORDs MYTHOLOGICAL HERO COMES TO HIS END

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance [Region 2]
Starring: John Wayne , James Stewart , Vera Miles , Lee Marvin , and Edmond O'Brien
Director: John Ford
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000634BN

Customer Reviews:

John Ford's Last Hurrah.......2006-08-25

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962) rightly takes its place among the great Westerns. Though not his last film, "Liberty Valance" was director John Ford's final masterpiece and a melancholy epitaph to the genre he nurtured. The iconic casting of James Stewart and John Wayne -- with effective support from Lee Marvin, Vera Miles, Edmund O'Brien, Woody Strode and Andy Devine -- lends emotional power to Ford's elegiac depiction of the civilized frontier. It's a haunting valedictory and an integral work in cinema history.

FORDs MYTHOLOGICAL HERO COMES TO HIS END.......2006-07-12

John Wayne DVD Collection - Amazon.com Exclusive (10-Disc Set)

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Awesome If it Were Available for Purchase!
Most Complete Boxed Wayne Collection a 'Must'...

John Wayne DVD Collection - Amazon.com Exclusive (10-Disc Set)
Starring: Rodolfo Acosta , Sheldon Allman , Michael Anderson Jr. , John Doucette , and Paul Fix
Director: Henry Hathaway
Manufacturer: Paramount Home Video
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Release Date: 2005-08-30

Amazon.com

John Wayne gave his first complex performance in a Paramount picture: 1941's Shepherd of the Hills, a quirky Ozark "Western" directed by Henry Hathaway, who 28 years later would shepherd the Duke to his Oscar in True Grit. It's somehow appropriate, then, that most of the notable films of the star's final two decades were produced and/or released under Paramount's aegis--something borne out proprietarily by the overall high quality of this largest-yet collection of his work.

Might as well get the soft spots out of the way. There are two, both directorial swan songs. Big Jake (1971) is credited to George Sherman, who used to direct Wayne in Republic's "Three Mesquiteers" series in the late '30s; however, biographers agree that Wayne himself pretty much took over. It's a scrappy affair, with Wayne and Maureen O'Hara briefly reunited one last time, then Wayne and old stalwart Bruce Cabot heading into the badlands to rescue a missing grandson from outlaws. Rio Lobo (1970) is better--but more seriously disappointing in that it was the final film from Howard Hawks, the giant who had made Red River, Rio Bravo, and El Dorado. There's a thrillingly spare main-title sequence, and a terrific Civil War commando assault on a Union train (largely the work of ace second-unit director Yakima Canutt). But once the story jumps to the postwar, with Wayne's Yankee officer and his former Rebel foes making common cause to clean up a Southwest bordertown, Hawks and Wayne run afoul of feeble costars, a ragged script, and dismayingly slipshod camerawork.

So much for the downside. Among the eight other very satisfying titles, let's focus first on what, for many, will be the real discovery of this collection. Otto Preminger's In Harm's Way, a fine 1965 film that never got its just deserts, features an excellent Wayne performance that sounds notes unheard anywhere else in his career. The ultraliberal director and the ultraconservative star made a political odd couple, but they got along great as fellow pros. Preminger's studiedly cool, objective style set a tone unlike any Wayne had worked in before, and the actor rewarded his director with a beautifully low-key study of a career Navy officer whose personal and professional lives have been filled with disappointment. Set in the Pacific theater of World War II and shot in lustrous Panavision black and white, this intelligent epic focuses on commanders rather than combat. Its large cast (Kirk Douglas, Henry Fonda, Burgess Meredith, Dana Andrews) includes Patricia Neal as a Navy nurse of a certain age to whom Wayne's character credibly warms. But the best, sometimes startling moments involve his encounters with long-estranged son Brandon De Wilde.

The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), a typically solid Western from director Henry Hathaway, was the Duke's welcome-back vehicle after his initial bout with cancer. That shadow would return, of course, and in Donald Siegel's The Shootist (1976), which became Wayne's final film, the star plays a legendary gunfighter dying of cancer on the cusp of the 20th century. The movie begins with a montage of images from "John Bernard Books"'s violent career--i.e., clips from classic Wayne Westerns--and surrounds the star with an aptly valedictory supporting cast: James Stewart (clearly anguished at the real-life parallel), John Carradine, Big Jake adversary Richard Boone, and Lauren Bacall (who'd watched cancer take another legend two decades earlier).

Hatari! (1962) finds Wayne vigorously in charge of a crew that catches wild animals on the African veldt. Director Howard Hawks had his cast--Red Buttons, Hardy Kruger, Gérard Blain, Bruce Cabot, et al.--do the actual catching, as Russell Harlan's integral camerawork bears out time and again. Hawks admirer François Truffaut took Hatari!, with its easygoing alternation of scenes with the on-location "family" at work and play, as Hawks's metaphor for the joys of moviemaking. A comparable spirit informs John Ford's Donovan's Reef (1963), a very broad comedy about an extended family of World War II veterans who've found paradise on the Pacific island where they fought in wartime. Kauai supplies the unimpeachably paradisaical setting.

Happily, Hawks and Ford--Wayne's most important directors--are also each represented in the collection with a late-career masterpiece. El Dorado (1967) is carelessly discounted as Hawks's self-plagiarizing remake of the 1959 Rio Bravo--and since Rio Bravo (not in this collection) has a place on the movies' All-Time Ten Best list, that's understandable. But El Dorado is a highly self-aware revisit by a director and star acutely conscious of being eight years closer to mortality, from which they wrest heroic, often gloriously comic, poetry. James Caan, a Hawks discovery in the 1965 Red Line 7000, is excellent as the young vagabond who thinks he's hipper than the old crocks he's fallen in with (a brilliant case of Hawks making Pirandellian magic out of his performers' own personalities); Wayne and Robert Mitchum (in "the Dean Martin part") are both superb; and Christopher George, not much of an actor in other circumstances, has his finest career moment as a gunslinger who's every bit the man Wayne or Mitchum is, but has picked the wrong side.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) is famously the film with the line "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." Some take that as a credo for John Ford and the rationale for (or rationalization of) the director's mythmaking career. But Ford deconstructed myths as much as he celebrated them, and Liberty Valance--framed with allusions to Wayne's 1939 starmaking vehicle Stagecoach, and blatantly passing off the aged Wayne and James Stewart as younger men--is his most reflective meditation on the genre where he reigned supreme, and what the westward march of Progress had brought to the "cactus Eden." Lee Marvin never etched a more malevolent portrait than the title role here. The cumulative power of this movie, over its two-hour running time and every year since its release, is awesome.

A wonderful/rueful running gag in El Dorado involves the Edgar Allan Poe line "Ride, boldly ride" being mangled by toupee-wearer Wayne into "Ride, baldy, ride." Two years later, in True Grit, Wayne put the joke in italics by donning an eyepatch and several inches of girth to play cantankerous territorial marshal Rooster Cogburn. Critics belatedly noticed that he could be a marvelously entertaining actor, and Hollywood finally gave him the Oscar they'd failed to nominate him for in Red River, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, The Quiet Man, The Searchers, et al. But make no mistake: True Grit is a splendid movie, with lovingly textured storytelling and sturdy characters, Henry Hathaway's finest high-country action set-pieces, intoxicatingly ornate frontier language, and a couple of formidable bad guys (Jeff Corey's Tom Cheney and Robert Duvall's "Lucky" Ned Pepper). It's a compliment to say that, from a technical standpoint, the movie could have been made any time in Hathaway's 40-year career, yet its feeling for the reality of violence ceded no ground to The Wild Bunch, released around the same time. Still, the film's most sublime passage falls between bursts of gunplay: Rooster sitting on a hilltop at night recounting his life story, as John Wayne metamorphoses ineluctably into W.C. Fields. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

The John Wayne 10 pack consists of these John Wayne classics - True Grit, Rio Lobo, El Dorado, Donavan's Reef, In Harm's Way, The Sons of Katie Elder, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Big Jake, The Shootist, and Hatari!

Here's a small description of each title -

True Grit: John Wayne earned the 1969 "Best Actor" Academy Award for this larger-than life performance as the drunken, uncouth and totally fearless one-eyed U.S. Marshall, Rooster Cogburn. Rooster is hired by a headstrong young girl (Kim Darby) to find a mind who murdered her father and fled with the family savings. When Rooster's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. And the situation goes from troubled to disastrous when the inexperienced Texas Ranger (Glen Campbell) joins the party. Laughter and tears punctuate the wild action in this extraordinary Western which also features performances by Robert Duvall and Strother Martin.

Rio Lobo: A classic action-filled John Wayne Western is set into motion with a spectacular robbery of a Union pay train by Confederate guerillas. The train's colonel (Wayne) jails the enemy leaders (Jorge Rivero, Chris Mitchum) but the three men later become friends when the war ends. Together they seek the Union traitors responsible for a string of Confederate train robberies, a mission that culminates in a rousing shoot-'em-up finale.

El Dorado: Legendary producer-director Howard Hawks teams with two equally legendary stars, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, in this classic Western drama. Mitchum plays to perfection an alcoholic but gutsy sheriff who relentlessly battles the dark side of the Wild West, ruthless cattle barons and crooked "businessman." The DUKE gives an equally adept performance as the sheriff's old friend who knows his way around a gunfight. Filled with brawling action and humor, El Dorado delivers the goods. James Caan and Ed Asner co-star.

Donavan's Reef: Acclaimed director John Ford and screen legend John Wayne team up for what would be their final collaboration in this boisterous, rowdy South Seas escapade. The DUKE, Lee Marvin and Jack Warden play WWII navy buddies who have made the French Polynesian island of Haleakaloha their post-war paradise. Local headquarters is Donavan's Reef, Wayne's rough-and-tumble watering hole where bragging, brawling, and full-blown misbehavior are the order of the day. But destined to create more turmoil than any barroom fisticuffs is the sudden arrival of Elizabeth Allen, a straight-laced Boston blue blood. She's hoping to locate her long-estranged father (Warden), affirm that he is "not of good moral character," and then assume control of the family's shipping dynasty back home in the States. Suave, debonair Cesar Romero and a sarong-clad Dorothy Lamour add to the laughs - and mayhem - in this tropical comedy treat.

In Harm's Way: Producer - Director Otto Preminger's epic treatment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor details the devastating attack on the Hawaiian naval base as well as the explosive, behind the scenes stories. An awesome cast - including John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Henry Fonda, Carroll O'Connor, Burgess Meredith, Paula Prentiss, Dana Andrews and host of other notables - is interwoven into this account of the attack itself, as well as into the triumphs and tragedies of disobeyed orders, the American counter-offensive, father-son reunions, battles at sea, and layers of romantic entanglements. It's a story that's been told and re-told, but perhaps never so completely.

The Sons of Katie Elder: Katie Elder bore four sons. The day she is buried they all return home to Clearwater, Texas, to pay their last respects. John Wayne is the eldest and toughest son, the gunslinger. Tom (Dean Martin) is good with a deck of cards and good with a gun when he has to be. Matt (Earl Holliman) is the quiet one - nobody ever called him yellow...twice. Bud (Michael Anderson Jr.) is the youngest. Any hope for respectability lies with him.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: Ranking with Stagecoach as one of the greatest of its genre, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is the modern-day Western to beat all Westerns. John Ford, whose very name is synonymous with "Westerns," directed the ideal cast. Jimmy Stewart plays the bungling but charming big-city lawyer determined to rid the fair village of Shinbone of its number one nuisance and bad man: Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin). And as if all that weren't enough, the biggest star that ever aimed a six-shooter plays the man of the title: John Wayne. Super-sincere Stewart and rugged rancher Wayne also share the same love interest (Vera Miles). One gets the gunman but the other gets the gal.

Big Jake: In this action-filled Western, John Wayne stars as Big Jake McCandles, a husband who hasn't seen his wife (Maureen O'Hara) in over 18 years. But he returns home after his grandson is kidnapped by a vicious outlaw gang. While the law gives chase in rickety automobiles, Jake saddles up with an Indian scout (Bruce Cabot) and a box of money - even though paying a ransom isn't how Jake plans to exact good old frontier justice. Spiced with humor and first-class gunfights, this is a vivid depiction of the last days of the wild frontier.

The Shootist: Afflicted with a terminal illness, John Bernard Brooks (John Wayne), the last of the legendary gunfighters, quietly returns to Carson City for medical attention from his old friend Dr. Hostetler (James Stewart). Aware that his days are numbered, the troubled man seeks solace and peace in a boarding house run by a widow (Lauren Becall) and her son (Ron Howard). However, it is not Brooks' fate to die in peace, as he becomes embroiled in one last valiant battle.

Hatari!: Director Howard Hawks re-teams with John Wayne, who heads up a group of highly skilled professional game hunters in Africa. Only they don't use bullets - they capture the ferocious big game with strong ropes and cameras for zoos and circus attractions. It is an exciting, death-defying business that pits man against beast. "Hatari!" means "danger!" in Swahili, but Hatari! also means a spectacular adventure film.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome If it Were Available for Purchase!.......2006-01-17

I wish this were available for purchase. RE-visited this site several times in the past month or so and still not available. This collection is the best of all the JW weterns. Hopefully, AMAZON will figure out a way to put it up for sale again!!!!

BG

Most Complete Boxed Wayne Collection a 'Must'..........2005-07-10

I love John Wayne movies, and I love Amazon's dedication to offer the most for your dollar, so this Exclusive, to me, is the best of both worlds! While several 'signature' Wayne films (the Ford 'Cavalry' trilogy, in particular), are absent, and other 'classics' can be purchased individually, or in other boxed sets, this John Wayne DVD collection offers 10 of the Duke's most memorable films of the 60s and 70s...at less than $10, each! Talk about getting your money's worth!

The titles include:

"El Dorado" and "Rio Lobo": Howard Hawks' two variations of his classic, "Rio Bravo", all starring Wayne. "El Dorado", in particular, is a most worthy 'remake', offering Robert Mitchum in a wonderful comic send-up of the Dean Martin role, James Caan more entertaining than Ricky Nelson, and Arthur Hunnicutt, complete with bugle, filling Walter Brennan's shoes. Add Ed Asner as the villain, and Duke, standing tall (even while carrying a bullet inside him), and you have a first-rate actioner. While "Rio Lobo" is a disappointment (both Wayne and Hawks were sadly showing their years), it does offer the gorgeous (if wooden) Jennifer O'Neill, future studio boss Sherry Lansing, and Mitchum's son, Chris (along with an unbilled appearance by Wayne's youngest son, Ethan), in support.

"Hatari!": One of the BEST Hawks/Wayne teamings, this vastly entertaining African comedy/adventure may be the longest 'Buddy' film ever made, at 157 minutes, but Wayne, with all-star support including Hardy Krüger, Elsa Martinelli, and Red Buttons, makes capturing wild animals for zoos and circuses an irresistable experience!

"The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance": John Ford's last 'Classic' western, a deconstruction of the mythic West that he and Wayne helped create. Equal parts comedy and tragedy, with a healthy dose of old-fashioned politics, as Jimmy Stewart achieves national acclaim by shooting town bully Lee Marvin...an act actually done by Wayne! "When people prefer the myth to the truth, print the myth" is a credo Ford believed in, and this film is it's purest embodiment. A MUST!

"Donovan's Reef": Ford and Wayne, teamed again with Lee Marvin, in a delightful South Seas romp, as prim Elizabeth Allen learns to 'loosen up' under Wayne's brawny charms (forget the 27-year age difference!) Brawling fun, with Jack Warden, Cesar Romero, and saronged Dorothy Lamour in support.

"The Sons of Katie Elder": Most significant as being Wayne's triumphant return to the screen after losing a lung to cancer, this sprawling Henry Hathaway-directed western reteams Duke with Dean Martin (as BROTHERS?), in an entertaining tale of four brothers' vengeance; with a flavorful Elmer Bernstein score.

"True Grit": Hathaway directs Wayne to an Oscar, as one-eyed Rooster Cogburn. An underappreciated gem (Duke playing an old, fat reprobate upset many fans), but he has a ball in the role, and few of his films captured the 'feel' of the period, better!

"In Harm's Way": Otto Preminger and Wayne made a great team, in the director's HUGE saga of Pearl Harbor, and the early days of the Pacific war. No superhuman heroics, here, just a dedicated Naval officer (Wayne), his relationships (with Patricia Neal, Brandon De Wilde, and a superb Kirk Douglas), and his part in helping turn the tide of the war.

"Big Jake": Violent, but engrossing late western, as Duke's grandson (played by son Ethan) is kidnapped by Richard Boone's gang, and his estranged wife (radiant Maureen O'Hara, in her last teaming), depends on him to recover the boy. Featuring another Wayne son, Patrick, Robert Mitchum's son, Chris, and MANY of the old John Ford 'stock company' in support; at times quite brutal, but still one of Wayne's best 'late' films.

"The Shootist": Wayne's swansong is a loving tribute, despite the many difficulties his declining health caused. A legendary gunfighter must choose between dying from cancer or in a blaze of glory; from the wonderful opening montage of Wayne clips from several of his most popular westerns, to the bittersweet conclusion, a fitting film finale, with several 'old friends' in supporting roles.

Bravo, Amazon! You've done it right!

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