Shane - 1953

before I forget- I am going to watch Kings Speech this week while I do my ironing. Okay time to blog about a great movie..... What a great western this movie turned out to be. I loved how slow it was at times, and the old school way of portraying a villain. Not a lot of dialogue, just bad dudes sizing each other up by looking and each other and using non-verbal communication. The fist fights in the bar were fantastic. Jack Palance was an incredible bad dude. This movie is a reminder of hate and prejudice that exists today as much as it did long ago. I couldn't help but think of the Mormon's being driven from Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois while watching this movie. People being tormented by others for just believing in something. Van Heflin and Jean Arthur play Mr. & Mrs. Starett. Regular run of the mill homesteaders just trying to make ends meet by clearing land, farming, and raising a family out in the meadow. They are one of about 7 local families all in the same boat. Rufus Rykyer is a cattle baron who feels he is entitled to 400 acres of land, and tries to run everyone out that tries to homestead. He hires a bunch of thugs to harass anyone that tries to stick around- they call these homesteaders sod busters. They are willing to kill them, burn their homes down, etc. Enter Shane- Shane is a reformed gunman (played by Alan Ladd) who is drifting from town to town. He starts to work for Mr. Starett and soon realizes that he is now in a war. The movie is really about Shane- and whether or not he can put his pistol shooting days behind him. I loved his character and the ending was fantastic. Brandon De Wilde almost steals the show as the 8 year old son of the Starett's. He is given a lot of lines and screen time. De Wilde was the actor that I liked in HUD (a movie you didn't like). Both he and Alan Ladd died very young. Wilde of a car crash and Ladd of a suicide. This movie is on AFI's top 100 list and was nominated for 6 Oscars. It is slow at times but the character development is a 10! 4 stars for me!